Underwater radiated noise: A new perspective in the Indian Ocean region

ABSTRACT Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) is an interesting research area both for military as well as non-military applications. The proliferation of submarines particularly by new entrants in the developing world requires far better URN management to effectively achieve the desired acoustic stealth. The ever increasing merchant marine fleet is accompanied with high levels of low frequency ambient noise that interferes with the marine mammal perception of their environment leading to severe Acoustic Habitat Degradation. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has particularly become strategically relevant in the twenty-first century with larger presence of warships and merchant marines from across the globe. URN measurement and analysis requires deep understanding of the signal characteristics and fluctuations in the tropical littorals of the IOR. The entire URN management issue needs to be looked at from a comprehensive perspective including policy, technology & innovation and human resource development. URN management requires massive infrastructure and resource investment and given the socio-economic priorities in the region, such resources are hard to get for any long-term strategic vision. The paper attempts to present the fundamental aspects of URN and then discuss the challenges and opportunities in the IOR to ensure safe, secure, sustainable growth for all in the region.