Hydrophone

Hydrophones are a specialized form of microphone used under water, normally using piezoelectric transducers. Hydrophones depend on piezoelectric transducers to detect sound waves and other pressure waves coming from underwater vehicles, animals, and natural structures.

Microphone v/s Hydrophone

How piezoelectricity works?

1.

Normally, the charges in a piezoelectric crystal are exactly balanced, even if they're not symmetrically arranged.

2.

The effects of the charges exactly cancel out, leaving no net charge on the crystal faces. (More specifically, the electric dipole momentsvector lines separating opposite charges exactly cancel one another out.) If you squeeze the crystal you force the charges out of balance.
Now the effects of the charges (their dipole moments) no longer cancel one another out and net positive and negative charges appear on opposite crystal faces. By squeezing the crystal, you've produced a voltage across its opposite faces and that's piezoelectricity!

3.
4.

1. crystal material provides the required acoustic characteristic; 2. crystal housing provides the required protection against shock; 3. pressure housing provides the required protection against shock, water pressure and resistant against water.

Working

SOFAR channel

The SOFAR channel acts as a pipeline for sounds in the ocean, allowing sound to travel long distances and still be detected

Applications
Applications range from military, communication, fishing, to scientific research. Mostly used to listen to the sounds of underwater life and natural phenomena such as earthquakes, waves, and underwater volcanic eruptions. Hydrophones can also be used for navigation, underwater mapping, and communication.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages Disadvantages

Waterproof

No power source :convert mechanical energy into electrical energy

Hydrophones can only listen to sounds and pressure differences Cannot distinguish between multiple objects or natural phenomenon and artificial noise

Accurate