Ocean Sound: More than Just Amplitude

The Soundscape Code was originally proposed in 2021 to rapidly assess and direct multidimensional comparisons of salient soundscape properties across time and space. The Soundscape Code metrics represent the amplitude, impulsiveness, uniformity, and periodicity properties of an acoustic environment. Here they were applied to recordings from four deep ocean environments along the US Outer Continental Shelf and the shallow water of the Great Barrier Reef. The assessment and comparison of soundscapes recorded in deep sea sand versus deep coral locations and deep versus shallow water coral sites showed the habitat soundscapes exhibited both similarities and unique acoustic properties which were metric dependent. This initial characterization will aid in directing further analyses and guide subsequent assessments to more comprehensively understand soundscape dynamics and the role the local soundscape plays in deep sea ecosystems and coral reef habitats.