Laboratory of Underwater Acoustics

Underwater acoustics is a branch of acoustics that studies sound in water. Mainly sound in water bodies and in particular in natural water bodies is of interest (oceans, seas, lakes and rivers). The study of sound involves investigating the sources of sound, sound propagation, reflection and refraction in stratified water layers and its boundaries (the air-water or surface boundary and the sea bottom). The applied underwater acoustics is also sometimes known as hydroacoustics.

THE MAIN APPLICATIONS OF UNDERWATER ACOUSTICS:

• Assessment of the impacts of man-made noise on marine life and mitigation of these impacts (environmental assessments, study of long term trends).
• Detecting, identifying and locating underwater targets or obstacles (navigation aid for ships, locating fish stocks and underwater archeology).
• Oceanographic measurements (bathymetry, seismic exploration, marine biology, measurements of currents and waves)
• Underwater acoustic communication (communication of ships and submarines, wireless underwater data transmission to sea surface).

Research on underwater acoustics was revived in Tallinn University of Technology by participating in the BIAS project in 2011-2017. This project helped us gain significant experience in both the measuring and modeling of the underwater sound. Since then the laboratory has composed underwater noise impact assessments in the Baltic Sea, taken part in various projects related to the environmental impacts and published related scientific articles on related topics. The active members have been Aleksander Klauson, Janek Laanearu, Madis Ratassepp, Priit Peterson, Andres Braunbrück, Mirko Mustonen and Muhammad Saladin Prawirasasra.

Web-page administrator/GIS tool development:
E-mail:  janek.laanearu@taltech.ee
Phone: 620 2559