IQOE Working Groups

IQOE used a variety of approaches to implement the project, including working groups. Some of these groups were identified within the IQOE Science Plan, whereas others were developed at the first meeting of the IQOE Science Committee. The following working groups were convened over the life of IQOE:

Acoustic Measurement of Ocean Biodiversity Hotspots
Several types of ocean environments have high biodiversity, such as coral and deep-water reefs, mangrove forests, and kelp forests. This working group aims to develop the potential to monitor sound high-diversity ocean areas continuously to help characterize and understand biodiversity.

Co-chairs
Aran Mooney (USA)
Lucia di Iorio (France)

Other Members
Marc Lammers (USA)
Songhai Li (China-Beijing)
Tzu-Hao Lin (China-Taipei)
Sophie Nedelec (UK)
Miles Parsons (Australia)
Craig Radford (New Zealand)
Jenni Stanley (USA)
Ilse Van Opzeeland (Germany)

Terms of Reference
The objectives of such a Working Group might be to develop work programmes aimed at the following actions:

  • Further develop passive acoustics as an ecological survey technique, capable of comparing the acoustic characteristics of different adjacent habitats.
  • Generate and leverage support for soundscape measurements in high biodiversity ocean areas, accurately promoting the utility (and limitations) to managers and other users.
  • Develop pilot projects to apply acoustic techniques to examine the main forces acting upon high-biodiversity ocean areas and resulting in changes in biodiversity.
  • Evaluate and develop analytical techniques that may be used to track and monitor acoustical and community biodiversity over time, techniques that may be able to monitor and inform changes to high=biodiversity areas under stress.
  • Develop understanding of the interrelationship among acoustic parameters with respect to the environmental parameters such as temperature, flow, wind data etc.
  • Determine how changes in the acoustic environment over space and time, especially as a result of human-made noise/sound, affects animals (distribution patterns, migratory behavior and acoustic communication) associated with high-biodiversity ocean areas and adjacent habitats their distribution patterns, migratory behavior and acoustic communication.
  • Develop standardized passive acoustic recording protocols for identifying, quantifying, detecting and cataloguing the sounds made by marine organisms and determining the best approaches to provide a library of sounds for high-biodiversity ocean areas.
  • Help coordinate and stimulate national efforts on the bioacoustics of high-biodiversity ocean areas.
  • Develop a suitable analytical technique to identify and quantify vocalizations from marine animals, and the contexts in which they are produced.
  • Investigate effective sound metrics to characterize the biodiversity of high-biodiversity ocean areas.

Activity Areas

Metrics for Marine Acoustic Diversity

Mooney, T.A., L. Di Iorio, M. Lammers, T-H. Lin, S. Nedelec, M. Parsons, C. Radford, E. Urban, and J. Stanley. 2020 Listening forward: approaching marine biodiversity assessments using acoustic methods. R. Soc. Open Sci. 7:201287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201287

Global Library of Underwater Biological Sounds (GLUBS)

Parsons, M.J.G., T.-H. Lin, T.A. Mooney, C. Erbe, F. Juanes, M. Lammers, S. Li, S. Linke, A. Looby, S.L. Nedelec, I. Van Opzeeland, C. Radford, A.N. Rice, L. Sayigh, J. Stanley, E. Urban, and L. Di Iorio. 2022. Sounding the call for a Global Library of Underwater Biological Sounds. Front. Ecol. Evol. 10:810156, doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.810156

Looby, A., C. Erbe, S. Bravo, K. Cox, H.L. Davies, L. Di Iorio, Y. Jézéquel, F. Juanes, C.W. Martin, T.A. Mooney, C. Radford, L.K. Reynolds, A.N. Rice, A. Riera, R. Rountree, B. Spriel, J. Stanley, S. Vela, and M.J.G. Parsons. 2023. Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data 10, Article number: 892, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02745-4

World Ocean Passive Acoustic Monitoring (WOPAM) Day 2023

The Richard Lounsbery Foundation awarded Cornell University a grant to support a post-doctoral fellow to help analyze data from the first WOPAM day. Isla Davidson was selected to fill the position. The project aims to (1) develop an open-access database of sounds from each of 300+ WOPAM sites around the world; (2) create a WOPAM Day website, populated with information about the project, links to partner web pages and sound levels at sites with calibrated measures, as a shared resource; (3) create online media about the initiative; and (4) develop one or more peer-reviewed journal articles describing WOPAM Day and resulting analyses of data. The project will also help integrate the WOPAM Day activity with GLUBS and IQOE. See https://twitter.com/DrSteveSimpson/status/1666715093495685121.

Arctic Acoustic Environment
The Arctic Ocean remains relatively pristine acoustically. However, the warming and decrease in ice cover across its basins will change its acoustic properties. Meanwhile, oil and gas exploration, shipping, tourism, and other noise-producing activities may increase. This working group aims to produce an acoustic baseline against which future sound increases can be compared.

This working group will be responsible for achieving IQOE goals in relation to Arctic systems, as described in the terms of reference below.

Co-chairs
Philippe Blondel (UK) and Hanne Sagen (Norway)

Other Members
Marie-Noelle Houssais (France), Peter Mikhalevsky (USA), Jukka Pajala (Finland), Roberto Racca (Canada), Jaroslav Tegowski (Poland), Outi Tervo (Greenland), Karolin Thomisch (Germany), Jakob Tougaard (Denmark), and Alexander Vedenev (Russia)

Terms of Reference

The IQOE Working Group on Arctic Acoustic Environments will conduct the following activities:

  • Identify locations of existing acoustic receivers in the Arctic Ocean
  • Identify potential sources of historic acoustic data from the Arctic Ocean
  • Inform the Data Management and Standards and Intercalibrations working groups about historic and current data sources in the Arctic Ocean
  • Compile existing acoustic data to determine whether a time series can be created and report to Data Management and Data Access WG
  • Create a bibliography or synthesis of research papers on the effects of sound on organisms in the Arctic Ocean
  • Identify data/research conducted on the effects of permafrost and gas-saturated sediments on Arctic Ocean soundscapes
  • Identify an ideal receiver array (location, number of receivers, types of receivers) to observe the baseline acoustic environment for the Arctic Ocean
  • Identify ongoing going and planned experiments for which passive acoustics are planned or could be added
  • Conduct/Support endorsement processes for passive acoustic projects with the Arctic Council

Poster for OceanObs Conference

Virtual Conference on Acoustics in the Arctic Ocean

Agenda

Description

Data Management and Access
A goal of the IQOE is to create time series of acoustic data in key locations of the global ocean to document how sound in the ocean has changed over time. The IQOE aims to notably increase the openly available and easily accessible acoustic observations and related biological and experimental results. This working group will develop data management and data access policies for scientists and data centers involved in the program.

Chair
Rob McCauley (Australia)

Other Members
Lucy Dickinson (UK)
Robert Dziak (USA)
Tryggvi Edwald (Austria)
Torill Hamre (Norway)
Reyna Jenkyns (Canada)
Niels Kinneging (Netherlands)
G. Latha (India)
Marie Roch (USA)
Carrie Wall Bell (USA)

Terms of Reference

The IQOE Working Group on Data Management and Access will conduct the following activities:

  • Develop an IQOE data policy
  • Network national and international data managers who deal with acoustic and bioacoustic data
  • Review existing management of acoustic and bioacoustic data and standards for data management
  • Recommend whether data or metadata will be managed by IQOE (may differ by parameter measured), that is, whether data management will be centralized or distributed
  • Recommend where IQOE data and/or metadata will be managed, and interact with data managers
  • Recommend standards and formats for submission of IQOE data and metadata, and identify data quality standards
  • Data calibration
  • Identify and co-ordinate the delivery of data products, including Web services
  • Consider establishing model-data synergy workshops
  • Oversee content of WG’s Web page (being constructed)
  • Identify historical datasets (acoustic and bioacoustic) that could help IQOE achieve its goals
  • Lower technical, financial and juridical obstacles for exchange of acoustic and bioacoustic data
Global Hydrophone Network
Hydrophones have been deployed in a variety of locations around the world, particularly in the past 20 years. These deployments have been made by academic scientists, national governments (military and non-military), non-governmental organizations, and industry. In some isolated cases, there has been small-scale coordination internationally among hydrophone operators, but IQOE seeks to promote more extensive cooperation. Such cooperation is especially important for implementation of the Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable of the Global Ocean Observing System.

The IQOE Science Committee approved formation of an IQOE Working Group on Global Hydrophone Network to implement the actions described below. 

Chair 
Peter Tyack (USA) 

Other Members 
Heidi Ahonen (Norway) 
Tom Akamatsu (Japan) 
Carrie Wall Bell (USA) 
Wayne Crawford (France) 
Simon Elwen (South Africa) 
Hilary Moors-Murphy (Canada)
Miles Parsons (Australia) 
Denise Risch (UK) 
Karolin Thomisch (Germany)

Terms of Reference

The IQOE Working Group on Global Hydrophone Network will conduct the following activities in 2022-2025:

  • Review the existing set of digital recordings of ocean sound (pressure and particle motion) to identify gaps in coverage and recording locations. Attempt to fill gaps by contacting ocean sound observers who have not yet provided metadata.
  • Review metadata collected from ocean sound observers to determine if any changes need to be made in what metadata are collected. Find any relevant metadata standards and make the metadata adhere to standards.
  • Create policy for data sharing among operators and public.
  • Develop an independent international organization of ocean sound observers by the end of 2025.
  • Examine Table 4.1 from Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable Implementation Plan to determine how a hydrophone network could contribute.
  • Determine how the ocean bottom seismometer network could be linked to hydrophone network.
  • Propose how this WG could evolve to a participant in the GOOS system. 
  • Identify legal/national security implications to a global hydrophone system.
Marine Bioacoustical Standardization
Observations and experiments related to sound production and sensing by marine organisms use a variety of methods and measures, making it difficult to compare results from different locations. This working group has been developed to make bioacoustic measurements more comparable.

Co-chairs

Michele Halvorsen (USA)
Michael Ainslie (Netherlands)

Other Members (additional members are being identified)

Tomonari Akamatsu (Japan)
Rebecca Dunlop (Australia)
Dorian Houser (USA)
Robert McCauley (Australia)
Sophie Nedelec (UK)
Sander von Benda-Beckmann (Netherlands)
Paul Wensveen (Iceland)

Terms of Reference

The primary tasks of the IQOE Marine Bioacoustical Standardization Working Group are to:

  1. Identify any existing standards and guidelines for marine bioacoustics* (see IQOE Inventory of existing standards and guidelines relevant to marine bioacoustics)
  2. Identify and promote best practices from the standards and guidelines identified in Task 1;
  3. Identify knowledge gaps and prioritize needs for standardization from Task 1;
  4. Recommend development of new standards and improvements to existing ones, based upon knowledge gaps and priorities;
  5. Develop a two-page check-list of do’s and don’ts for authors or reviewers of bioacoustics articles;
  6. Promote close interdisciplinary collaborations** to achieve Task 4.

*For the purposes of this IQOE WG, “marine bioacoustics” is defined as the study of sound production by marine life, the reception of sound by marine life, the effects of sound on marine life, and the interaction of sound with marine life. Specifically, the WG scope of subjects includes:

  • Characterization of sound production by marine life, including but not limited to
    • mechanism of sound production
    • acoustic metrics, including
      • frequency and bandwidth
      • source level
      • call rate
  • Characterization of sound reception by marine life, including but not limited to
    • mechanism of sound reception
    • acoustic metrics, including hearing sensitivity
  • Characterization of effects of sound on marine life, including but not limited to
    • hearing
    • physiology and tissues
    • behaviour, cognition and communication
    • development
    • acoustic metrics, including auditory frequency weighting functions
  • Characterization of acoustic scattering, absorption and refraction by marine life, including but not limited to
    • scattering cross section and target strength
    • absorption cross section
  • Bioacoustical terminology for all the above topics

**By definition, bioacoustics implies a combination of biology and acoustics, which requires interdisciplinary collaboration and effective communication between specialist scientists and institutes. Not only the development of standards in bioacoustics but also their proper use and application requires such interdisciplinary collaboration.

Ocean Sound EOV Implementation Committee
IQOE was given responsibility for the Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable (EOV) by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), after proposing this EOV.  Each GOOS EOV works through a process that starts with approval of specifications for the EOV, followed by creation of an implementation plan. IQOE is in the process of forming a committee to create the implementation plan. The committee will work remotely, potentially holding a virtual workshop.

Members

Peter Tyack, chair (UK)

Tom Akamatsu (Japan)
Olaf Boebel/Karoline Thomisch (Germany)
Lucille Chapuis (UK)
Elisabeth Debusschere (Belgium)
Christ de Jong (Netherlands)
Christine Erbe (Australia)
Karen Evans (Australia)
Jason Gedamke (USA)
Tess Gridley (South Africa)
Georgios Haralabus (Austria)
Reyna Jenkins (Canada)
Jennifer Miksis-Olds (USA)
Hanne Sagen (Norway)
Frank Thomsen (Denmark)

Liaisons

Patricia Miloslavich (SCOR)
Sophie Seeyave (POGO)

Staff

Ed Urban (IQOE)

Tasks of Committee

  1. Write an implementation plan for the Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable, based on guidelines from the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS).
  2. Obtain input from IQOE working groups, and the global ocean acoustics and bioacoustics community to create the implementation plan, through online surveys, in-person workshop(s), and/or other means.
  3. Interface with the GOOS Biology and Ecosystems Panel regarding the committee’s work.
  4. Report to the IQOE Science Committee and sponsors (SCOR and POGO)

Ocean Sound EOV Specification Sheet

Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable (EOV) Implementation Plan

POGO Working Group
This working group of the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) implemented specific elements of the IQOE Science Plan related to capabilities of POGO member institutions.

This working group (1) led an effort to create an Essential Ocean Variable (EOV) related to sound, for use by the Global Ocean Observing System; and (2) revised the list of passive acoustic observing assets first presented in Appendix 2 of the IQOE Science Plan and made this updatable online.

Standardization
Standardization of experimental protocols and observational techniques and calibration of instrumentation (such as acoustic recorders) enable comparison of results. This working group will recommend best practices for experiments, observation, reporting, and other means to ensure that results are comparable and can be integrated to standardize data across large spatial and long time scales.

Projects carried out under the Themes of the IQOE must agree to standard techniques and/or perform intercalibrations among techniques or observations to make it possible to compare their results. The IQOE will form a subcommittee responsible to recommend best practices for experimentation and observation or, where this is considered undesirable, will determine other means to ensure that results are comparable. It will be important to leave room for innovation in methods, while still striving for comparable results. The working group should involve experts in ocean observing systems, data and data processing, and animal observations.

Co-chairs
Christ de Jong (The Netherlands)
Michael Ainslie (The Netherlands)

Other Members
Tomonari Akamatsu (Japan)
Rex Andrew (USA)
Doug Cato (Australia)
Ross Chapman (Canada)
Christine Erbe (Australia)
Jennifer Miksis-Olds (USA)
Stephen Robinson (UK)

Terms of Reference

The primary tasks of the IQOE Standardization Working Group are to

  1. identify existing standards for observations of sound in the ocean, data processing and underwater sound modelling;
  2. recommend standards and promote best practices for observations of sound in the ocean (including observation systems, planning for temporal, spatial and frequency sampling and acquisition of metadata), data processing and underwater sound modelling;
  3. recommend methodology for assessment and reporting of uncertainty (associated with precision and accuracy) in observations of sound in the ocean;
  4. promote means (including facilities) of calibration and inter-comparison of acoustic receivers;
  5. oversee IQOE activities and projects endorsed by IQOE with the overall goal of achieving meaningful and comparable data for datasets that will result from these activities; and
  6. communicate with IQOE Data Management and Data Access Working Group on data relevant for observations of sound in the ocean that are likely to be stored and archived

Products

IQOE Inventory of Existing Standards for Observations of sound in the ocean –  6 April 2018 Version

Workshop Report: Guidelines for Observation of Ocean Sound

Task Team on Low-Cost Hydrophones for Research, Education, and Citizen Science
An IQOE-sponsored workshop held in December 2021 recommended that IQOE develop the idea of low-cost hydrophones for research, education, and citizen science, distinct from more expensive calibratable hydrophones that are needed for observations as part of the Global Ocean Observing System.

This task team will gather community input as follow-up to the Dec. 2021 workshop and report back to the 2024 IQOE Science Committee meeting. Task Team members include Lucille Chapuis (Chair), Mihai Burca, Tess Gridley, Xavier Mouy, Artash Nath, Sophie Nedelec, Mark Roberts, Jim Theriault, Nathan Touchet, Rob Williams, and Walter Zimmer.

Invitation to Tender for development of a low-cost hydrophone

August 2024 Update on Task Team Activities

Infographic Presenting Results of Survey on Low-Cost Hydrophones

Relevant Publications