RTsys Acoustic Recorders to the Poles
-
(Photo: Erwan AMICE ©CNRS)
-
(Photo: Erwan AMICE ©CNRS)
Biologist Laurent Chauvaud records underwater noise ranging over an area from the Brittany coast all the way to the Poles and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. With RTsys he found robust underwater acoustic equipment that meets his needs for his new trip to the South Pole.
Sounds from animals moving, feeding and breathing can be used as indicators of the health of ecosystems. Chauvaud has been recording them along the Brittany coast and at the Poles in an attempt to develop new descriptors or marine environment and to better understand how these coastal ecosystems work and handle impact of human activities and climate change.
RTsys said it has been supplying Chauvaud with robust and reliable recorders since 2014 for his Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. RTsys engineers have developed tools which meet the divers' needs, as their movements are restricted by the thick wetsuits needed to protect them in -2°C water. Divers are satisfied with the shock resistance, the quality of the batteries and the connection reliability of EA-SDA14 in extreme conditions, the manufacturer said. This rechargeable recorder, which does not need to be opened, limits the risks associated with the device not being closed correctly and problems with further measurements.
During their last trip to Greenland in May 2017, the biologist’s team listened to bearded seals, minke whales as well as bivalves, and focused particularly on benthic communities, for they have not been described yet.
February 2024
