Excess acoustic absorption attributable to the biological modification of seawater viscosity
Abstract Rhodes, C. J. 2008. Excess acoustic absorption attributable to the biological modification of seawater viscosity. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1747–1750. There is increasing evidence that a ubiquitous species of oceanic phytoplankton (Phaeocystis globosa) can significantly modify the rheological properties of seawater. The effect is seasonal and, during spring when the species multiplies rapidly, one can observe large increases in the viscosity of the seawater they inhabit. One of the principal determinants of acoustic absorption in a fluid is viscosity, so in addition to the well-understood modulations attributable to temperature- and salinity-dependent molecular relaxation, there may be an additional absorption component resulting from the presence of phytoplankton. Using data from recent measurements of biologically induced excess viscosity during blooms of P. globosa, the additional acoustic absorption attributable to the presence of this organism is estimated. This suggests that a novel, biologically induced acoustic-absorption mechanism may be observable in seawater for frequencies >100 kHz. The implications for a variety of at-sea acoustic-measurement activities are noted.
