Unlike plastic or chemical pollution, underwater noise pollution would disappear the moment we stopped producing it. This characteristic means immediate action can bring instant relief to marine life, from the smallest microorganisms to the largest whales. However, to achieve a significant reduction of harmful noise requires that its ecological impacts are investigated and technical solutions are found. The need for detailed knowledge on how impulsive and continuous underwater noise affects marine ecosystems brought together approximately sixty researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders in Alicante for the final meeting of the JPI Oceans Joint Action "Underwater Noise in the Marine Environment".
The five funded projects ORCHESTRA, DeuteroNoise, DIAPHONIA, SONORA, and PURE WIND examined underwater noise coming from different sources including wind parks, seismic surveys, ships, and even fish farms, affecting an impressive range of marine life, from planktonic communities and benthic invertebrates to fish, marine mammals and even plants. The studies carried out by the projects revealed how noise affects behaviour, physiology, and survival of marine ecosystems.
The projects developed new tools and methodologies that advance our ability to study underwater noise, including prototype acoustic recorders and particle motion measurement devices, as well as exposure chambers specifically designed for invertebrates. One particularly novel breakthrough highlighted by the DIAPHONIA project was that they managed to integrate the inner ear structure of harbour porpoise into sound reception models, significantly improving our understanding of how these animals respond to underwater noise.
As usual, JPI Oceans placed strong emphasis on connecting research with marine management decisions. Two livestreams with the Technical Group Noise provided updates on the planned Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) revision, whilst the five projects pitched their key results to the decision-makers. Representatives from OSPAR and HELCOM, both of which have Regional Action Plans addressing underwater noise, listened in online as well. The European Commission presented plans to launch a call on underwater noise next year, and the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, signed by 37 countries and launched during the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025, presented their initiative. Furthermore, all five projects are endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade, connecting European research efforts to global initiatives for ocean health.
Beyond academic publications, the projects have engaged diverse audiences through creative outreach activities. DeuteroNoise organised a summer school in collaboration with AquaPlan, in addition to a collaboration with DIAPHONIA and ORCHESTRA for an immersive laboratory for children at the Science for All 2023 event in Chioggia, Italy, exploring underwater sounds and the potential consequences of human-made noise on marine life. DIAPHONIA also contributed to the "Echoes of the Ocean" exhibition in Madrid, Spain. ORCHESTRA participated in the European Researcher's Night, whilst SONORA held a satellite event at the XIII Iberoamerican Congress of Acoustics in Santiago de Chile. PURE WIND reached broader audiences through a EuroNews television feature titled "Sounding the alarm: Scientists say noise pollution is affecting ocean health", quite literally going from the lab to your living room.
Despite this being the final meeting of the JPI Oceans first call, topics for a potential second Joint Call on Underwater Noise are currently being discussed, taking into account the European Commission's plans for a Horizon Europe call on underwater noise in the 2026/2027 Work Programme to avoid unproductive thematic overlaps among calls.
Several joint outputs are in the pipeline. A comprehensive list of all species studied across the five projects using the interactive Tree of Life (iTOL) tool, will visualise the breadth of research conducted under the JPI Oceans Underwater Noise Joint Action. Projects are also finalising a joint policy brief developed in collaboration with experts from the JPI Oceans Joint Action, Changing Marine Lightscapes, to address together both noise and light as energy pollution under MSFD Descriptor 11.
Keep your ears open to keep hearing from the five Underwater Noise projects, for example at the OCEANOISE 2026 conference in May, where the conversation on quieting our oceans will continue to echo across the scientific and policy communities.