National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
United States Department of Commerce

PMEL Deep-Ocean Hydrophone Mooring Deployments

The U.S. government is closed. This site will not be updated; however, NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained. To learn more, visit commerce.gov.

For the latest forecasts and critical weather information, visit weather.gov.

PMEL Deep-Ocean Hydrophone Mooring Deployments

This map shows the locations of all Acoustic Program hydrophone mooring deployments from 1995 to present. The hydrophones are autonomous ocean-sound data-loggers that can record continuously for 2-3 years in frequency ranges from 100 Hz to 2 kHz.  Each hydrophone mooring is anchored to the seafloor, but suspended several 100 to 1000s of meters up in the water column using a positively buoyant float. For each deployment, the hydrophone is positioned on the mooring to ensure the acoustic sensor is within the ocean sound channel. An acoustic release is attached between the base of the mooring and anchor to enable easy retrieval of the mooring by a surface research vessel.