scholarly journals Apparent source levels and active communication space of whistles of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the Pearl River Estuary and Beibu Gulf, China

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Tao Wang ◽  
Whitlow W.L. Au ◽  
Luke Rendell ◽  
Ke-Xiong Wang ◽  
Hai-Ping Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Beibu Gulf ◽  
Apparent Source ◽  
Communication Space ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Active Communication ◽  
The Pearl River ◽  
Free Ranging

Background.Knowledge of species-specific vocalization characteristics and their associated active communication space, the effective range over which a communication signal can be detected by a conspecific, is critical for understanding the impacts of underwater acoustic pollution, as well as other threats.Methods.We used a two-dimensional cross-shaped hydrophone array system to record the whistles of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in shallow-water environments of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and Beibu Gulf (BG), China. Using hyperbolic position fixing, which exploits time differences of arrival of a signal between pairs of hydrophone receivers, we obtained source location estimates for whistles with good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR ≥10 dB) and not polluted by other sounds and back-calculated their apparent source levels (ASL). Combining with the masking levels (including simultaneous noise levels, masking tonal threshold, and theSousaauditory threshold) and the custom made site-specific sound propagation models, we further estimated their active communication space (ACS).Results.Humpback dolphins produced whistles with average root-mean-square ASL of 138.5 ± 6.8 (mean ± standard deviation) and 137.2 ± 7.0 dB re 1 µPa in PRE (N= 33) and BG (N= 209), respectively. We found statistically significant differences in ASLs among different whistle contour types. The mean and maximum ACS of whistles were estimated to be 14.7 ± 2.6 (median ± quartile deviation) and 17.1± 3.5 m in PRE, and 34.2 ± 9.5 and 43.5 ± 12.2 m in BG. Using just the auditory threshold as the masking level produced the mean and maximum ACSatof 24.3 ± 4.8 and 35.7 ± 4.6 m for PRE, and 60.7 ± 18.1 and 74.3 ± 25.3 m for BG. The small ACSs were due to the high ambient noise level. Significant differences in ACSs were also observed among different whistle contour types.Discussion.Besides shedding some light for evaluating appropriate noise exposure levels and information for the regulation of underwater acoustic pollution, these baseline data can also be used for aiding the passive acoustic monitoring of dolphin populations, defining the boundaries of separate groups in a more biologically meaningful way during field surveys, and guiding the appropriate approach distance for local dolphin-watching boats and research boat during focal group following.

scholarly journals Apparent source levels and active communication space of whistles of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the Pearl River Estuary and Beibu Gulf, China

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Tao Wang ◽  
Whitlow Au ◽  
Luke Rendell ◽  
Ke-Xiong Wang ◽  
Hai-Ping Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Beibu Gulf ◽  
Apparent Source ◽  
Communication Space ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Active Communication ◽  
The Pearl River ◽  
Free Ranging

Background. Knowledge of species-specific vocalization characteristics and their associated active communication space, the effective range over which a communication signal can be detected by a conspecific, is critical for understanding the impacts of underwater acoustic pollution, as well as other threats. Methods. We used a two-dimensional cross-shaped hydrophone array system to record the whistles of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in shallow-water environments of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and Beibu Gulf (BG), China. Using hyperbolic position fixing, which exploits time differences of arrival of a signal between pairs of hydrophone receivers, we obtained source location estimates for whistles with good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR≥10 dB) and not polluted by other sounds and back-calculated their apparent source levels. Combining with the masking levels (including simultaneous noise levels, masking tonal threshold, and the Sousa auditory threshold) and the custom made site-specific sound propagation models, we further estimated their active communication space (ACS). Results. Humpback dolphins produced whistles with average root-mean-square apparent source levels (ASL) of 138.5 ± 6.8 (mean ± standard deviation) and 137.2 ± 7.0 dB re 1μPa in PRE (N=33) and BG (N=209), respectively. We found statistically significant differences in ASLs among different whistle contour types. The mean and maximum ACS of whistles were estimated to be 14.7 ± 2.6 (median ± quartiledeviation) and 17.1± 3.5 m in PRE, and 34.2 ± 9.5 and 43.5 ± 12.2 m in BG. Using just the auditory threshold as the masking level produced the mean and maximum ACSat of 24.3 ± 4.8 and 35.7± 4.6 m for PRE, and 60.7 ± 18.1 and 74.3 ± 25.3 m for BG. The small ACSs were due to the high ambient noise level. Significant differences in ACSs were also observed among different whistle contour types. Discussion. Besides shedding some light for evaluating appropriate noise exposure levels and information for the regulation of underwater acoustic pollution, these baseline data can also be used for aiding the passive acoustic monitoring of dolphin populations, defining the boundaries of separate groups in a more biologically meaningful way during field surveys, and guiding the appropriate approach distance for local dolphin-watching boats and research boat during focal group following.

scholarly journals Apparent source levels and active communication space of whistles of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the Pearl River Estuary and Beibu Gulf, China

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Tao Wang ◽  
Whitlow Au ◽  
Luke Rendell ◽  
Ke-Xiong Wang ◽  
Hai-Ping Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Beibu Gulf ◽  
Apparent Source ◽  
Communication Space ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Active Communication ◽  
The Pearl River ◽  
Free Ranging

Background. Knowledge of species-specific vocalization characteristics and their associated active communication space, the effective range over which a communication signal can be detected by a conspecific, is critical for understanding the impacts of underwater acoustic pollution, as well as other threats. Methods. We used a two-dimensional cross-shaped hydrophone array system to record the whistles of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in shallow-water environments of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and Beibu Gulf (BG), China. Using hyperbolic position fixing, which exploits time differences of arrival of a signal between pairs of hydrophone receivers, we obtained source location estimates for whistles with good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR≥10 dB) and not polluted by other sounds and back-calculated their apparent source levels. Combining with the masking levels (including simultaneous noise levels, masking tonal threshold, and the Sousa auditory threshold) and the custom made site-specific sound propagation models, we further estimated their active communication space (ACS). Results. Humpback dolphins produced whistles with average root-mean-square apparent source levels (ASL) of 138.5 ± 6.8 (mean ± standard deviation) and 137.2 ± 7.0 dB re 1μPa in PRE (N=33) and BG (N=209), respectively. We found statistically significant differences in ASLs among different whistle contour types. The mean and maximum ACS of whistles were estimated to be 14.7 ± 2.6 (median ± quartiledeviation) and 17.1± 3.5 m in PRE, and 34.2 ± 9.5 and 43.5 ± 12.2 m in BG. Using just the auditory threshold as the masking level produced the mean and maximum ACSat of 24.3 ± 4.8 and 35.7± 4.6 m for PRE, and 60.7 ± 18.1 and 74.3 ± 25.3 m for BG. The small ACSs were due to the high ambient noise level. Significant differences in ACSs were also observed among different whistle contour types. Discussion. Besides shedding some light for evaluating appropriate noise exposure levels and information for the regulation of underwater acoustic pollution, these baseline data can also be used for aiding the passive acoustic monitoring of dolphin populations, defining the boundaries of separate groups in a more biologically meaningful way during field surveys, and guiding the appropriate approach distance for local dolphin-watching boats and research boat during focal group following.

Effects of climate change and fishing on the Pearl River Estuary ecosystem and fisheries

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 861-875
Author(s):  
Zeyu Zeng ◽  
William W. L. Cheung ◽  
Shiyu Li ◽  
Jiatang Hu ◽  
Ying Wang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
The Pearl River Estuary ◽  
The Pearl River

scholarly journals The Role of Environmental Factors on the Fishery Catch of the Squid Uroteuthis chinensis in the Pearl River Estuary, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Dongliang Wang ◽  
Lijun Yao ◽  
Jing Yu ◽  
Pimao Chen
Keyword(s):  
River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River Estuary ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variability ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Coastal Current ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Chl A ◽  
The Pearl River Estuary ◽  
The Pearl River

The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) is one of the major fishing grounds for the squid Uroteuthis chinensis. Taking that into consideration, this study analyzes the environmental effects on the spatiotemporal variability of U. chinensis in the PRE, on the basis of the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) and Clustering Fishing Tactics (CFT), using satellite and in situ observations. Results show that 63.1% of the total variation in U. chinensis Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) in the PRE could be explained by looking into outside factors. The most important one was the interaction of sea surface temperature (SST) and month, with a contribution of 26.7%, followed by the interaction effect of depth and month, fishermen’s fishing tactics, sea surface salinity (SSS), chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a), and year, with contributions of 12.8%, 8.5%, 7.7%, 4.0%, and 3.1%, respectively. In summary, U. chinensis in the PRE was mainly distributed over areas with an SST of 22–29 °C, SSS of 32.5–34‰, Chl a of 0–0.3 mg × m−3, and water depth of 40–140 m. The distribution of U. chinensis in the PRE was affected by the western Guangdong coastal current, distribution of marine primary productivity, and variation of habitat conditions. Lower stock of U. chinensis in the PRE was connected with La Niña in 2008.

Morphology and bloom dynamics of Cochlodinium geminatum (Schütt) Schütt in the Pearl River Estuary, South China Sea

Harmful Algae ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 10-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Ping Shen ◽  
Ya-Nan Li ◽  
Yu-Zao Qi ◽  
Lv-Ping Zhang ◽  
Ye-Hui Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River Estuary ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
China Sea ◽  
The Pearl River Estuary ◽  
The Pearl River
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