Underwater Acoustics for All: Expanding Capacity with Education and Low-Cost Sensors.

Abstract

Sound is a persistent yet dynamic component of the marine environment, reflecting both physical and biological properties. Whereas light can only travel tens of meters in the ocean, sound is able to travel tens to thousands of kilometers under certain conditions, revealing information at specific times and places. In addition, underwater sound provides opportunities for sustainable development and blue economy growth that aren’t readily available with other technologies. For example, the melting rate of Arctic ice and the health of coral reefs can be estimated from acoustic measurements (Becker et al., 2023). However, underwater acoustics is a complex topic, requiring specialized education and equipment. To expand the capacity of underwater acousticians requires dedicated educational opportunities and low-cost equipment and analysis resources.

The Discovery of Sound in the Sea Project (DOSITS) has spent over 20 years expanding capacity through education and outreach initiatives focused on underwater sound. The project offers foundational educational content in various formats, along with advanced content based on peer-reviewed literature. Most recently, DOSITS has supported the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) through the Ocean Decade Research Programme on the Maritime Acoustic Environment (OD-MAE; Spence et al., 2022; https://mae.dosits.org/) and the Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School In Nigeria and Ghana (COESSING; https://coessing.org). OD-MAE aims to develop a comprehensive science-based program to measure and objectively characterize underwater acoustic environments at regional and global scales. To reach that objective, there is a need to develop low-cost sensors that can be used effectively in countries such as Nigeria and Ghana. COESSING is an international collaboration aimed at advancing ocean science in West Africa and furthering ties between scientists in West Africa and around the globe through one-week summer schools (Arbic et al., 2025, in this issue). DOSITS and the University of Rhode Island (URI) participated in COESSING virtually (in 2022) and in person (in Ghana, 2023). Through these initiatives, the need for low-cost equipment has been accentuated, and multinational collaborations have developed to speed equipment development.