Low frequency deep ocean ambient noise trend in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Concern about effects of anthropogenic noise on marine life has stimulated new studies to establish present-day ocean noise levels and compare them to noise levels from previous times. This paper reports on the trend in low-frequency (10-400 Hz) ambient noise levels and presents measurements made using a calibrated multi-element volume array at deep ocean sites in the Northeast Pacific from 1978 to 1986. The experiments provided spectral noise levels as well as horizontal and vertical noise directionality. The data presented here provide evidence that the trend derived from 1960s data extended to around 1980, but has since continued at a lower rate. (C) 2011 Acoustical Society of America