A new scientific initiative seeks to uncover what happens beneath the surface of the waters surrounding Puerto Rico by listening to the ocean. The Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS), which for years has deployed autonomous underwater vehicles known as gliders, originally collected data to improve forecasts of hurricane intensification, but the technology has evolved over time.
Recently, the gliders were equipped with a new tool that will allow researchers to study the sounds of the ocean. "It was incorporated at several sites, to monitor marine mammals, cetaceans, in the region. This would allow a census and distinguishing between species," explained CARICOOS executive director Julio M. Morell.
CARICOOS research technician Julián Morell Ramírez explained the mechanism: "They install a hydrophone on the nose, and this hydrophone controls the information and gathers data. You can hear things that may come from a massive distance." The sensors record the vocalizations of marine animals as the vehicles travel different routes through the ocean.
Humpback whales, for example, arrive in Caribbean waters during the winter months as part of their migratory cycle. Unlike visual surveys, the new technology will register the presence of more marine animals, even when they cannot be seen directly. The project aims to fill an information gap about the species that inhabit or pass through the region’s waters, and the data collected could serve as the basis for future research and conservation efforts.