Technology Quarterly | Listening underwater
Sing a song of sonar
Technology is transforming the relationship between people and the oceans, says Hal Hodson
IN THE summer of 1942, as America’s Pacific fleet was slugging it out at the battle of Midway, the USS Jasper, a coastal patrol boat, was floating 130 nautical miles (240km) off the west coast of Mexico, listening to the sea below. It was alive with sound: “Some fish grunt, others whistle or sing, and some just grind their teeth,” reads the ship’s log.
This article appeared in the Technology Quarterly section of the print edition under the headline “Sing a song of sonar”
From the March 10th 2018 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition