Acoustic sensors monitoring ice break-up

The sound of millions of tonnes of ice breaking away from the South Pole may be
climate change's canary in the earth's climatic coal mine, scientists say.
Curtin University researchers Alexander Gavrilov and Binghui Li have been using
acoustic sensors to listen to the break-up of ice shelves in monitoring the impact
of climate change on the Antarctic.
Analysis of sea noise data from the stations over the past six years had shown no
evidence of climate change impacting on the intensity of the noise, Dr Gavrilov
said.
"More than six years of observation has not revealed any significant climatic
trends," he said.
"I guess we could see this as good news."
But the results could not been taken for granted, Dr Gavrilov said.
"There has been a lot of speculation about the nature of climate change, supported
by a great deal of research," he said.
"Six years of results is not long in the scheme of things, so we will keep watching.
"Antarctic ice could be the canary in the earth's climatic coal mine."
The two stations, off the cape of Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia and the Chagos
Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, both consist of three receivers in the middle of a
natural ocean acoustic channel.
The sensors are also used to monitor nuclear weapons testing by the Comprehensive
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation.