Marine Mammals and Ocean Sound: Sources, Impacts, Uncertainties, Controls, and Future Decision Making

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel H Wright
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Sound Sources

scholarly journals Northern bottlenose whales in a pristine environment respond strongly to close and distant navy sonar signals

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1899) ◽  
pp. 20182592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Wensveen ◽  
Saana Isojunno ◽  
Rune R. Hansen ◽  
Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann ◽  
Lars Kleivane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Medium Resolution ◽  
Source Distance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Beaked Whales ◽  
Northern Bottlenose Whales

Impact assessments for sonar operations typically use received sound levels to predict behavioural disturbance in marine mammals. However, there are indications that cetaceans may learn to associate exposures from distant sound sources with lower perceived risk. To investigate the roles of source distance and received level in an area without frequent sonar activity, we conducted multi-scale controlled exposure experiments ( n = 3) with 12 northern bottlenose whales near Jan Mayen, Norway. Animals were tagged with high-resolution archival tags ( n = 1 per experiment) or medium-resolution satellite tags ( n = 9 in total) and subsequently exposed to sonar. We also deployed bottom-moored recorders to acoustically monitor for whales in the exposed area. Tagged whales initiated avoidance of the sound source over a wide range of distances (0.8–28 km), with responses characteristic of beaked whales. Both onset and intensity of response were better predicted by received sound pressure level (SPL) than by source distance. Avoidance threshold SPLs estimated for each whale ranged from 117–126 dB re 1 µPa, comparable to those of other tagged beaked whales. In this pristine underwater acoustic environment, we found no indication that the source distances tested in our experiments modulated the behavioural effects of sonar, as has been suggested for locations where whales are frequently exposed to sonar.

scholarly journals Noise as a Factor of Green Areas Soundscape Creation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Sztubecka ◽  
Marta Skiba ◽  
Maria Mrówczyńska ◽  
Michael Mathias
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Fuzzy Cognitive Maps ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Noise Sources ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Decision Making Processes

The article’s research subject concerns soundscape acoustic perception and human perception. The article aims to support decision-making processes, based on the subjective assessment of green areas by visitors, allowing modeling of planning strategies in urban green areas. This would allow creating a friendly soundscape and managing it sustainably. The need to create a musical landscape can contribute to finding a new function and attractive form for the studied areas now and in the future. Research carried out for selected city parks in Bydgoszcz (Poland) took into consideration people’s responses in assessing the soundscape. Surveys conducted in selected parks provided information on noise sources and how consumers perceive noise during their stay in the park. A question about feeling described the reception of sound sources’ intensity by respondents (level of feeling: low, medium, high, and very high). The completed studies allow to “translate” subjective sound level responses to the numerical values of the correlation using fuzzy cognitive maps. The implemented scenarios show the possibility of using tools supporting the decision-making process in urban planning, taking into account existing acoustic conditions.

scholarly journals Fin whale singing decreases with increased swimming speed

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 180525
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Clark ◽  
George J. Gagnon ◽  
Adam S. Frankel
Keyword(s):  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
System A ◽  
The Us ◽  
Breeding Condition ◽  
Anthropogenic Sounds ◽  
Free Ranging

The attributes of male acoustic advertisement displays are often related to a performer's age, breeding condition and motivation, but these relationships are particularly difficult to study in free-ranging marine mammals. For fin whale singers, we examined the relationships between a singer's swimming speed, song duration and amount of singing. We used a unique set of fin whale singing and swimming data collected in support of the US Navy's marine mammal monitoring programme associated with the Navy's Integrated Undersea Surveillance System. A goal of the programme is to improve understanding of the potential effects of anthropogenic sound sources on baleen whale behaviours and populations. We found that as whales swam faster, some continued to sing, while others did not. If swimming speed is an indication of male stamina, then singing while swimming faster could be a display by which females and/or other males assess a singer's physical fitness and potential reproductive quality. Results have implications for interpreting fin whale singing behaviour and the possible influences of anthropogenic sounds on fin whale mating strategies and breeding success.

scholarly journals Simulated seal scarer sounds scare porpoises, but not seals: species-specific responses to 12 kHz deterrence sounds

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 170286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lonnie Mikkelsen ◽  
Line Hermannsen ◽  
Kristian Beedholm ◽  
Peter Teglberg Madsen ◽  
Jakob Tougaard
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Peak Level ◽  
Sensitive Species ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Sound Exposure ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Harbour Seals ◽  
Key Species ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Avoidance Reactions

Acoustic harassment devices (AHD) or ‘seal scarers’ are used extensively, not only to deter seals from fisheries, but also as mitigation tools to deter marine mammals from potentially harmful sound sources, such as offshore pile driving. To test the effectiveness of AHDs, we conducted two studies with similar experimental set-ups on two key species: harbour porpoises and harbour seals. We exposed animals to 500 ms tone bursts at 12 kHz simulating that of an AHD (Lofitech), but with reduced output levels (source peak-to-peak level of 165 dB re 1 µPa). Animals were localized with a theodolite before, during and after sound exposures. In total, 12 sound exposures were conducted to porpoises and 13 exposures to seals. Porpoises were found to exhibit avoidance reactions out to ranges of 525 m from the sound source. Contrary to this, seal observations increased during sound exposure within 100 m of the loudspeaker. We thereby demonstrate that porpoises and seals respond very differently to AHD sounds. This has important implications for application of AHDs in multi-species habitats, as sound levels required to deter less sensitive species (seals) can lead to excessive and unwanted large deterrence ranges on more sensitive species (porpoises).

scholarly journals Scaling the Laws of Thermal Imaging–Based Whale Detection

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 807-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Zitterbart ◽  
Heather R. Smith ◽  
Michael Flau ◽  
Sebastian Richter ◽  
Elke Burkhardt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Thermal Imaging ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Automatic Detection ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Underwater Sound ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Detection Technology

AbstractMarine mammals are under growing pressure as anthropogenic use of the ocean increases. Ship strikes of large whales and loud underwater sound sources including air guns for marine geophysical prospecting and naval midfrequency sonar are criticized for their possible negative effects on marine mammals. Competent authorities regularly require the implementation of mitigation measures, including vessel speed reductions or shutdown of acoustic sources if marine mammals are sighted in sensitive areas or in predefined exclusion zones around a vessel. To ensure successful mitigation, reliable at-sea detection of animals is crucial. To date, ship-based marine mammal observers are the most commonly implemented detection method; however, thermal (IR) imaging–based automatic detection systems have been used in recent years. This study evaluates thermal imaging–based automatic whale detection technology for its use across different oceans. The performance of this technology is characterized with respect to environmental conditions, and an automatic detection algorithm for whale blows is presented. The technology can detect whales in polar, temperate, and subtropical ocean regimes over distances of up to several kilometers and outperforms marine mammal observers in the number of whales detected. These results show that thermal imaging technology can be used to assist in providing protection for marine mammals against ship strike and acoustic impact across the world’s oceans.

scholarly journals Marine soundscape planning: Seeking acoustic niches for anthropogenic sound

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Van Lillis ◽  
Olaf Boebel
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Underwater Sound ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Similar Frequency ◽  
Signal Structure ◽  
Acoustic Interference ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Acoustic Space

Both marine mammals and hydroacoustic instruments employ underwater sound to communicate, navigate or infer information about the marine environment. Concurrent timing of acoustic activities using similar frequency regimes may result in (potentially mutual) interference of acoustic signals when both sources are within audible range of the recipient. While marine mammal fitness might be negatively impacted upon, both on individual and population level, hydroacoustic studies may generate low quality data or suffer data loss as a result of bioacoustic interference. This article pursues, in analogy to landscape planning, the concept of marine soundscape planning to reconcile potentially competing uses of acoustic space by managing the anthropogenic sound sources. We here present a conceptual framework exploring the potential of soundscape planning in reducing (mutual) acoustic interference between hydroacoustic instrumentation and marine mammals. The basis of this framework is formed by the various mechanisms by which acoustic niche formation (i.e., the partitioning of the acoustic space) occurs in species-rich communities that acoustically coexist while maintaining high fidelity (hi-fi) soundscapes, i.e., by acoustically partitioning the environment on the basis of time, space, frequency and signal structure. Hydroacoustic measurements often exhibit certain flexibility in their timing, and even instrument positioning, potentially offering the opportunity to minimize the ecological imprint of their operation. This study explores how the principle of acoustic niches could contribute to reduce potential (mutual) acoustic interference based on actual acoustic data from three recording locations in polar oceans. By employing marine soundscape planning strategies, entailing shifting the timing or position of hydroacoustic experiments, or adapting signal structure or frequency, we exemplify the potential efficacy of smart planning for four different hydroacoustic instrumentation types: multibeam echosounders, air guns, RAFOS (Ranging and Fixing of Sound) and tomographic sound sources.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative Trains Students to See Through Turbulent Systems

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Cammen ◽  
◽  
Gabriella Marafino ◽  
Sarah Burton ◽  
Jillian Dow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Communication Framework ◽  
Marine Renewable Energy ◽  
Interdisciplinary Framework ◽  
Training Research

Despite the availability of interdisciplinary academic training programs, the practice of environmental science is often hampered by a lack of convergence across diverse disciplines. This gap is particularly salient in settings characterized by complex environmental issues, such as multiple-use coastal ecosystems. In response, we developed and implemented a training, research, and communication framework to provide undergraduates with an authentic operative experience working at the interface of interdisciplinary science and public decision-making within a case study of marine renewable energy. In our program, students gained hands-on experience with the scientific process and learned how to make information relevant, useful, and accessible to diverse stakeholder groups. Application of this framework demonstrates that the process of integrating data from biological (visual and acoustic monitoring of fish and marine mammals), physical (hydrodynamics), and social (local ecological knowledge) sciences can provide a more complete understanding of complex and turbulent ecosystems for better informed decision-making. We offer several recommendations to facilitate the adaptation and implementation of our interdisciplinary framework to diverse research contexts, with a focus on interdisciplinary training for the next generation of marine scientists.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Concepts and Use of ERA Acute

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Cathrine Stephansen ◽  
Anders Bjørgesæter ◽  
Odd Willy Brude ◽  
Ute Brönner ◽  
Tonje Waterloo Rogstad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Management Decision Making ◽  
Norwegian Continental Shelf

AbstractIntroducing the main concepts of ERA Acute, this chapter describes the overall framework and purpose of the methodology. ERA Acute is a recently developed oil spill risk assessment (OSRA) methodology for quantification of oil spill impacts and risk (Environmental Risk Assessment, ERA). It covers four environmental compartments; sea surface (seabirds, turtles, marine mammals), water column (fish eggs/larvae), shoreline and seafloor (species and habitats) using continuous impact functions and introduces the Resource Damage Factor (RDF). The methodology depends on external oil spill modelling and input data related to the presence and vulnerability of Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs). ERA Acute is developed to provide an improvement over the currently used “MIRA” method on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and is better suited for risk management, decision-making and analyses from screening studies to full environmental risk assessments.

Discarding optimality: Throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Simen ◽  
Fuat Balcı
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Reward Rate ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Standard Observer ◽  
Rate Maximization ◽  
Reward Rate Maximization ◽  
Descriptive Standard ◽  
Observer Model

AbstractRahnev & Denison (R&D) argue against normative theories and in favor of a more descriptive “standard observer model” of perceptual decision making. We agree with the authors in many respects, but we argue that optimality (specifically, reward-rate maximization) has proved demonstrably useful as a hypothesis, contrary to the authors’ claims.

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