The idea of "soundscapes", or all the sounds emanating from a specific habitat or location, has arisen within the past few decades, and there has been a recent surge in soundscape research.  Coastal ocean ecosystems are mosaics of habitat types - seagrass beds, mangrove islands, hard-bottom communities, and many more.  By recording the underwater acoustic environment, we can characterize the soundscapes of coastal communities and examine differences among these soundscapes.  In addition, we can quantify how coastal habitat degradation alters the soundscapes emanating from these habitats, as well as test whether habitat restoration is effective in returning natural soundscapes to habitats.