IMOS BA SOOP - Bio Acoustic Data from RV Aurora Australis in the Southern Ocean from the 16th of April 2012 to the 18th of April 2012.

This Bio Acoustic data was collected in April 2012 under the IMOS Ship of Opportunity (SOOP) Bio Acoustic (BA) program on RV Aurora Australis (IMOS platform code: VNAA).

Departed: Australia, April 16, 2012 Arrived: Macquarie Island, April 18, 2012

Bio acoustic signals allow understanding how mid-water prey species (known collectively as micronekton) such as small fish, squid, krill and jellyfish are distributed.

Mid-water prey form the core of the ocean food web, transferring energy from primary producers at the ocean surface to top predators such as tunas, billfish, sharks, seals and seabirds.The mass and distribution of micronekton reflects broad-scale patterns in the structure and function of the ocean, as well as the dynamics of marine ecosystems.

Acoustic mapping is done from fishing and scientific vessels that are equipped with scientifically-calibrated 38 kHz digital echo-sounders that record a slice of acoustic backscatter to a depth of 1500 meters.