Scientists use hydrophone to listen in on methane seeps in ocean
Scientist(s):
PMEL's Acoustic and Earth-Ocean Interactions programs have successfully recorded the sound of methane bubbles from the seafloor off the Oregon coast using a hydrophone, opening the door to using acoustics to identify - and perhaps quantify - this important greenhouse gas in the ocean. Methane is found both as an icy hydrate deposit and in a gas phase within the sediments of the continental margins.
A hydrophone is placed on the ocean floor to record the sound of bubbles. Photo credit: Ocean Exploration Trust
