The Errant Æsthete

Sounds of the Antarctica are seeping their way into the culture in the most unobtrusive of ways. You can now listen directly to “an acoustic live stream of the Antarctic underwater soundscape.”This “live stream” is recorded via hydrophones attached to “an autonomous, wind and solar powered observatory located on the Ekström ice shelf.” The observatory is called PALAOA – the PerenniAL Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean – and its purpose is “to record the underwater soundscape in the vicinity of the shelf ice edge over the duration of several years.”

The Institute reminds us that “this transmission is not meant for entertainment,” but “for scientific research.” Yet, it’s not much of a leap to imagine a late night soiree somewhere on the upper west side of Manhattan or in a small little bistro in the back alleys of San Francisco sharing a glass with friends and listening to these ethereal other-worldly sounds emanating from the remote reaches of the far north. [via link]