Innovative marine monitoring network in the Lower St. Lawrence
Researchers said the system detected twice as many earthquakes as the National Earthquake Monitoring System and also captured whale calls and ship noise.
- Led by Professor Yajing Liu of McGill University, researchers deployed a new seafloor monitoring network in the St. Lawrence River estuary between Rimouski and Sept-Îles to simultaneously detect undersea earthquakes, whale songs, and ship noise.
- Previous land-based seismometers struggled to detect events far offshore in the 100 kilometres-wide estuary, prompting the team to install seafloor equipment from September 2023 through May 2025 for comprehensive monitoring.
- The experimental network detected "twice as many earthquakes as the National Earthquake Monitoring System," while capturing whale calls and mining blasts; Liu described it as "truly interesting, innovative, and original."
- Maritime traffic noise disrupts whale communication in this busy shipping corridor, a primary concern for the Gulf of St. Lawrence where the collected data could guide environmental protection and maritime regulation efforts.
- Published in the scientific journal Seismica, the findings could improve ocean circulation models that typically rely on surface measurements, helping researchers understand why whales spend more time in the estuary during winter.
24 Articles
24 Articles
People’s photos are helping scientists record marine life in real-time in the Canary Islands
Photographing marine flora and fauna to gauge the ocean’s condition on a day-to-day basis. This is the aim of RedPROMAR, an EU project, which invites members of the public to upload photos to its platform of what they find in the sea around the Canary Islands.
The Toronto Star
Marine monitoring network in Quebec could help improve environmental regulations
MONTREAL - A new marine monitoring system that can detect undersea earthquakes, whale songs, ship noise and tidal activity could help improve environmental regulations, according to a recently-published study.
Innovative marine monitoring network in the Lower St. Lawrence
A unique system of sensors can detect underwater earthquakes, whale songs, ship noise and tidal activity, shows an inter-university study led by McGill University. This monitoring network, developed by scientists from McGill, Natural Resources Canada, the University of Quebec at Montreal and Dalhousie University, has been deployed in the Lower St. Lawrence. It allows simultaneous […]
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