Development of a Low-Cost Hydrophone for Research, Education, and Community Science

In an effort to support the widespread use of passive acoustic monitoring devices in marine environments, a Task Team on Low-Cost Hydrophones for Research, Education, and Community Science was launched under the auspices of the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean and the International Quiet Ocean Experiment. To this aim, the Task Team is developing an open-source Low-Cost Marine Acoustic REcorder (LC-MARE), including hydrophone ceramics with a frequency response range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz, an effective sensitivity of at least -180 dB re V/µPa and an endurance exceeding one week of continuous recording. To minimise costs, the proposed deployment depth will be limited to 100 m and the pressure housing will be made of commercially available PVC tubes and fittings. The envisioned price tag of less than US$200 makes the suggested marine acoustic recorder affordable in low-budget educational and community science contexts, as well as scientific applications where finances are limiting (for example in developing countries and for entry-level researchers).