IMOS - National Mooring Network - Passive Acoustic Observatories Sub-facility

Updated: 2025-10-31

This sub-facility manages the IMOS Passive Acoustic Observatories, each of which consists of two to four moored hydrophones and noise loggers. The noise loggers record sound emitted by natural processes in the ocean and sources of biological origin, such as marine mammals, crustaceans and fish, which have unique acoustic signatures. Through an analysis of these signals, it is possible to discriminate and identify different species and to assess the number of animals present within the range of acoustic observation, which can then be linked to ocean productivity. Large animals can also be located by a horizontal array of sea noise loggers constituting a passive acoustic observatory. IMOS operated acoustic observatories at four sites: 1) Perth Canyon in Western Australia, 2) off Portland in South Australia, 3) near Tuncurry (Forster) in New South Wales, and 4) west of Kangaroo Island in South Australia (these sites were decommissioned in 2017/2018). From 2012 - 2015 the following two sites were sampled, with the support of the West Australian Government: 1) near the Kimberley Coast in Western Australia, and 2) near the Pilbara Coast in Western Australia.