Brendan Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Oceanography at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, supervised by Dr. David Barclay. His research is focused on the use of passive acoustics to detect and monitor hydrothermal vents. Given the efficient propagation of sound underwater, passive acoustics can potentially be used to detect new vent sites and monitor vent properties like temperature and flow rate. In addition, documentation of vent soundscapes can help inform the impacts of proposed deep-sea industrial activities. This research has included field work at the Strýtan hydrothermal vent site in Iceland, as well as analysis of data provided by Ocean Network Canada’s NEPTUNE Observatory and the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory.
Brendan received his M.Eng. in Acoustical Engineering from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton in 2014. He worked in architectural acoustics and audio engineering before beginning his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography in 2020.
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