Ambient sea noise in waters near Australia

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Abstract
Ambient sea noise has been measured at 40 positions in mainly tropical waters near Australia: in the Indian Ocean; the Arafura and Timor Seas; and in the Coral and Tasman Seas (Pacific Ocean). Wind-speed dependence was observed at all frequencies of measurement from 22 to 5000 Hz. At hydrophones suspended at depths between 8 and 25 m, the wind- dependent noise appeared to be independent of bottom depth which varied from 26 to 6700 m. The rate at which wind-dependent noise increased with increasing wind speed was found to be significantly less than has been observed in the North Atlantic Ocean. Non-wind-dependent noise, observed at frequencies below 250 Hz, varied by about 10 dB within a particular sea and by up to 20 dB between seas, and could be broadly related to the relative shipping densities and propagation conditions in the individual seas. In the shallow Arafura and Timor Seas north of Australia, there is evidence that noise of distant shipping is not a significant component of the ambient noise. A model of traffic noise in the Tasman Sea predicts levels in agreement with observed noise levels. Subject Classification: [43]30.70.

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