Underwater sound measurements of the Hawaii super ferry and the potential impact to humpback whales in the main Hawaiian Islands.

2008 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 2483-2483
Author(s):  
Alison K. Stimpert ◽  
Alexis Rudd ◽  
Whitlow W. L. Au
Keyword(s):  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Underwater Sound ◽  
Potential Impact

Sex differences in site fidelity and migration of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to the Hawaiian Islands

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1923-1933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison S. Craig ◽  
Louis M. Herman
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Wintering Area ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Feeding Grounds

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) perform extensive seasonal migrations between high-latitude summer feeding grounds and low-latitude winter reproductive grounds. To investigate gender-related site fidelity to the Hawaiian Islands, an important wintering area for North Pacific humpback whales, photographically based resight histories of 224 females and 416 males observed in Hawai'i from 1976 through 1991 were compiled. Results indicated that the mean number of years in which they were seen was higher for males than for females, that the probability of an individual being resighted across years was higher for males than for females, and that more males than females were seen in consecutive years. Potential sources of bias favoring the photographic capture of males were considered, but none were judged to be significant contributors to the results obtained. It was proposed instead that not all females undertake or complete the migration to the winter grounds each year. Because of the high energy costs of migration and reproduction, some females may overwinter in high latitudes, while others may become pregnant en route to the area traditionally associated with breeding and return to the feeding grounds before arriving at the terminal winter destination.

scholarly journals Fluctuations in Hawaii’s humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae population inferred from male song chorusing off Maui

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 421-434
Author(s):  
A Kügler ◽  
MO Lammers ◽  
EJ Zang ◽  
MB Kaplan ◽  
TA Mooney
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Acoustic Energy ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Underwater Sound ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The North Pacific

Approximately half of the North Pacific humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae stock visits the shallow waters of the main Hawaiian Islands seasonally. Within this breeding area, mature males produce an elaborate acoustic display known as song, which becomes the dominant source of ambient underwater sound between December and April. Following reports of unusually low whale numbers that began in 2015/16, we examined song chorusing recorded through long-term passive acoustic monitoring at 6 sites off Maui as a proxy for relative whale abundance between 2014 and 2019. Daily root-mean-square sound pressure levels (RMS SPLs) were calculated to compare variations in low-frequency acoustic energy (0-1.5 kHz). After 2014/15, the overall RMS SPLs decreased between 5.6 and 9.7 dB re 1 µPa2 during the peak of whale season (February and March), reducing ambient acoustic energy from chorusing by over 50%. This change in song levels co-occurred with a broad-scale oceanic heat wave in the northeast Pacific termed the ‘Blob,’ a major El Niño event in the North Pacific, and a warming period in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation cycle. Although it remains unclear whether our observations reflect a decrease in population size, a change in migration patterns, a shift in distribution to other areas, a change in the behavior of males, or some combination of these, our results indicate that continued monitoring and further studies of humpback whales throughout the North Pacific are warranted to better understand the fluctuations occurring in this recently recovered population and other populations that continue to be endangered or threatened.

Effects of Gender, Parental Role, and Time on Infant- and Adult-Directed Read and Spontaneous Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 4001-4014
Author(s):  
Melanie Weirich ◽  
Adrian Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
First Year ◽  
Space Size ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Phonetic Features ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Description Task

Purpose The study sets out to investigate inter- and intraspeaker variation in German infant-directed speech (IDS) and considers the potential impact that the factors gender, parental involvement, and speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech) may have. In addition, we analyze data from 3 time points prior to and after the birth of the child to examine potential changes in the features of IDS and, particularly also, of adult-directed speech (ADS). Here, the gender identity of a speaker is considered as an additional factor. Method IDS and ADS data from 34 participants (15 mothers, 19 fathers) is gathered by means of a reading and a picture description task. For IDS, 2 recordings were made when the baby was approximately 6 and 9 months old, respectively. For ADS, an additional recording was made before the baby was born. Phonetic analyses comprise mean fundamental frequency (f0), variation in f0, the 1st 2 formants measured in /i: ɛ a u:/, and the vowel space size. Moreover, social and behavioral data were gathered regarding parental involvement and gender identity. Results German IDS is characterized by an increase in mean f0, a larger variation in f0, vowel- and formant-specific differences, and a larger acoustic vowel space. No effect of gender or parental involvement was found. Also, the phonetic features of IDS were found in both spontaneous and read speech. Regarding ADS, changes in vowel space size in some of the fathers and in mean f0 in mothers were found. Conclusion Phonetic features of German IDS are robust with respect to the factors gender, parental involvement, speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech), and time. Some phonetic features of ADS changed within the child's first year depending on gender and parental involvement/gender identity. Thus, further research on IDS needs to address also potential changes in ADS.

Exploring the Potential Impact of Sentence-Level Comprehension and Sentence-Level Fluency on Deaf Students' Passage Comprehension

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 2281-2292
Author(s):  
Ying Zhao ◽  
Xinchun Wu ◽  
Hongjun Chen ◽  
Peng Sun ◽  
Ruibo Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Independent Predictor ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This exploratory study aimed to investigate the potential impact of sentence-level comprehension and sentence-level fluency on passage comprehension of deaf students in elementary school. Method A total of 159 deaf students, 65 students ( M age = 13.46 years) in Grades 3 and 4 and 94 students ( M age = 14.95 years) in Grades 5 and 6, were assessed for nonverbal intelligence, vocabulary knowledge, sentence-level comprehension, sentence-level fluency, and passage comprehension. Group differences were examined using t tests, whereas the predictive and mediating mechanisms were examined using regression modeling. Results The regression analyses showed that the effect of sentence-level comprehension on passage comprehension was not significant, whereas sentence-level fluency was an independent predictor in Grades 3–4. Sentence-level comprehension and fluency contributed significant variance to passage comprehension in Grades 5–6. Sentence-level fluency fully mediated the influence of sentence-level comprehension on passage comprehension in Grades 3–4, playing a partial mediating role in Grades 5–6. Conclusions The relative contributions of sentence-level comprehension and fluency to deaf students' passage comprehension varied, and sentence-level fluency mediated the relationship between sentence-level comprehension and passage comprehension.

Climate of the Hawaiian Islands

1899 ◽  
Vol 48 (1234supp) ◽  
pp. 19788-19789
Author(s):  
Albert B. Lyon
Keyword(s):  
Hawaiian Islands
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