Sounding of the anthropocene underwater

Climate change and expanding human activities increasingly affect the oceans. Offshore industries add to ambient noise at levels sometimes detrimental to marine life, ocean acidification means low-frequency sounds propagate much further without attenuation and previously pristine environments like the Arctic are now affected. With climate change, marine species move to different latitudes, affecting biodiversity and fishing stocks. Marine acoustics is the only way to fully map the world’s oceans. Monitoring these changes and acting on them requires defining solid metrics, a good understanding of physical variables, and demonstrating practical applications in complex situations.

This PhD will investigate changes in acoustic footprints of human activities and different animal species, focusing on soundscapes around Europe, the NW Pacific and the Arctic. This will start with metrics designed and tested in previous PhDs [1-3], now recommended by national and international organisations (NPL, 2014; EC, 2014), and expand on marine applications of terrestrial eco-acoustics [4]. Other approaches, such as polyspectral and multi-fractal descriptors, will be considered based on their physical significance and ease of use with “big data”. Collaboration with an already-funded PhD project on machine learning (started 2017) will be possible and encouraged. Ensemble-averaging of computer simulations with recognised sound propagation models will complement these results.

These approaches will be validated using broadband measurements from existing collaborations, including the North American VENUS deep-seafloor observatory, launched in 2006, Arctic field measurements spanning close to a decade (with the Polish Science Foundation and the University of Alaska), and offshore activities in coastal waters (GW4+ and industry projects).

This PhD will take place within the Remote Sensing Group. Our team is internationally recognised as being at the forefront of underwater acoustics and its applications We possess experimental facilities for controlled experiments. We are also part of the Centre for Space, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (http://www.bath.ac.uk/csaos), a cross-faculty research centre with the Department of Electrical Engineering, and the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (http://www.bath.ac.uk/i-see). The lead supervisor is a Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics, active member of British Standards committee EH/1/7 “Underwater Acoustics” and co-chair of the UNESCO Scientific Committee on Ocean Research working group on “Arctic Acoustics”, ensuring direct links with industry uptake and international regulations.

Applicants should have a background in the physical sciences or engineering and have or expect to gain a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent from an overseas University.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Philippe Blondel ([Email Address Removed]).

Formal applications should be made via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Physics:
https://www.bath.ac.uk/samis/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RDUPH-FP01&code2=0012

More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found here:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/how-to-apply-for-doctoral-study/