Life on land may have quieted down during the height of the pandemic, but far offshore the Atlantic Ocean was just as active as ever according to a new study from the University of New Hampshire. Researchers found that there was no significant change in the continental shelf’s underwater soundscape during the year 2020—a surprising contrast to earlier reports of quieter coastal waters during that same timeframe.
Life on land may have quieted down during the height of the pandemic, but far offshore the Atlantic Ocean was just as active as ever according to a new study from the University of New Hampshire. Researchers found that there was no significant change in the continental shelf’s underwater soundscape during the year 2020—a surprising contrast to earlier reports of quieter coastal waters during that same timeframe.
“It’s fascinating that oceans are so dynamic and variable; different regions really have different personalities based on the natural and human interactions that happen within those waters,” said Jennifer Miksis-Olds, research professor and director of UNH’s Center for Acoustic Research and Education.
