Montreal researchers discover innovative marine monitoring network detects earthquakes and whale songs
McGill-led team deployed seafloor seismometers in the Lower St. Lawrence detecting twice as many earthquakes as national system.
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A unique system of sensors developed by Montreal researchers can simultaneously detect underwater earthquakes, whale songs, ship noise, and tidal activity, according to an inter-university study led by McGill University.
The monitoring network was developed by scientists from McGill, Natural Resources Canada, the University of Quebec at Montreal, and Dalhousie University and has been deployed in the Lower St. Lawrence. It allows simultaneous monitoring of earthquakes, water behavior, human activity, and whales, providing "a comprehensive view of what is happening in the water, under the water and at great distances from it," using a single device.
"I think this is a really interesting, innovative and original aspect of this project: for the first time, we were able to install this equipment at the bottom and leave it in place for a long period of time in order to record all these signals," explained the study's lead author, Professor Yajing Liu of McGill's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Seafloor seismometers provided by the National Centre for Seismological Studies were associated with coastal and land-based stations, which made it possible to monitor activity throughout the estuary. The experimental network detected "twice as many earthquakes as the national seismic monitoring system, in addition to recording whale songs, ship noise, tidal activity and mining explosions."
"We use seismometers to record any source that could disturb or upset the seabed and cause very slight vibrations at sea level," said Professor Liu. "These vibrations could therefore come from an earthquake, but they could also come from the cries of whales, because these emit acoustic waves in the water column and thus disturb the seabed."
The Lower St. Lawrence is one of the most seismically active areas in Canada and also a busy shipping corridor. Ship noise can disrupt whale habitats and communication. "This is one of the main concerns regarding the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf: the disruption of whale communication by ship noise," Liu noted. "This noise and the signals emitted by whales partially overlap on certain frequencies. And when ship noise becomes too loud, it interferes with whale communication."
Professor Liu and colleagues are compiling a catalogue of whale songs and a catalogue of noise generated by river transport, with the aim of "determining the extent to which these two elements overlap in space and time," the researcher said. The team installed seabed seismometers as well as land and coastal stations in the St. Lawrence River estuary between Rimouski and Sept-Îles from September 2023 to May 2025.
The facts
What can the Montreal marine monitoring network detect?
The network developed by McGill University and partner institutions can simultaneously detect underwater earthquakes, whale songs, ship noise, and tidal activity using seafloor seismometers deployed in the Lower St. Lawrence.
How many more earthquakes did the network detect compared to Canada's national system?
The experimental network in the Lower St. Lawrence detected twice as many earthquakes as the national seismic monitoring system.
Why is ship noise a concern in the St. Lawrence Estuary?
Ship noise can disrupt whale habitats and communication because the frequencies of ship noise and whale signals partially overlap, and excessive ship noise interferes with whale communication.
When was the monitoring network deployed in the St. Lawrence River estuary?
The team installed seabed seismometers and land and coastal stations in the St. Lawrence River estuary between Rimouski and Sept-Îles from September 2023 to May 2025.
