Acoustic habitat of an oceanic archipelago in the Southwestern Atlantic

Bittencourt, Lis; Barbosa, Mariana; Secchi, Eduardo R.; Lailson‐Brito, José; Azevedo, Alexandre F.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2016.06.001

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Also, median noise levels within the 10-25,000 Hz measured in winter at Trindade-Martin Vaz Archipelago (113.7 ± 11.4 dB re 1 µPa), another oceanic archipelago in the Southwestern Atlantic, are higher than those of Condor (105.3 ± 11.4 dB re 1 µPa) for the same frequency band (Bittencourt et al, 2016). Differences in this case might be explained by presence of snapping shrimp found to be an important noise contributor in shallow waters (Hildebrand, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Also, median levels in the frequency band of 10-25,000 Hz were measured in Condor (July-September, 2010) to compare it with levels found in another oceanic archipelago by Bittencourt et al (2016).…”

Section: Noise Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although research on noise levels and the impacts on marine life have been increasing over recent years (Williams et al, 2015), most studies have focused on whales' feeding grounds and coastal continental areas (Parks et al, 2010;Dunlop, 2016) with fewer studies on open ocean waters (Dziak et al, 2015;Bittencourt et al, 2016). In the central Atlantic area, only one measurement has been made north of the Azores archipelago and only one study has been published documenting airgun seismic noise in mid-Atlantic waters .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Underwater Ambient Noise in a Baleen Whale Migratory Habitat Off the Azores

et al. 2017

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Assessment of underwater noise is of particular interest given the increase in noise-generating human activities and the potential negative effects on marine mammals which depend on sound for many vital processes. The Azores archipelago is an important migratory and feeding habitat for blue (Balaenoptera musculus), fin (Balaenoptera physalus) and sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) en route to summering grounds in northern Atlantic waters. High levels of low frequency noise in this area could displace whales or interfere with foraging behavior, impacting energy intake during a critical stage of their annual cycle. In this study, bottom-mounted Ecological Acoustic Recorders were deployed at three Azorean seamounts (Condor, Açores, and Gigante) to measure temporal variations in background noise levels and ship noise in the 18-1,000 Hz frequency band, used by baleen whales to emit and receive sounds. Monthly average noise levels ranged from 90.3 dB re 1 µPa (Açores seamount) to 103.1 dB re 1 µPa (Condor seamount) and local ship noise was present up to 13% of the recording time in Condor. At this location, average contribution of local boat noise to background noise levels is almost 10 dB higher than wind contribution, which might temporally affect detection ranges for baleen whale calls and difficult communication at long ranges. Given the low time percentatge with noise levels above 120 dB re 1 µPa found here (3.3% at Condor), we woud expect limited behavioral responses to ships from baleen whales. Sound pressure levels measured in the Azores are lower than those reported for the Mediterranean basin and the Strait of Gibraltar. However, the currently unknown effects of baleen whale vocalization masking and the increasing presence of boats at the monitored sites underline the need for continuous monitoring to understand any long-term impacts on whales.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Noise Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Underwater Ambient Noise in a Baleen Whale Migratory Habitat Off the Azores

et al. 2017

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“…Such highly productive seamounts of the South Atlantic can provide feeding opportunities and therefore constitute important blue whale habitats. Previous surveys along the Vitória-Trindade Seamount chain have recorded fin (Balaenoptera physalus), Antarctic minke (B. bonaerensis), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) (Zerbini et al 2011;Wedekin et al 2014;Bittencourt et al 2016) and also mother-calf pairs of sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) (Heissler et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in offshore waters of southeastern Brazil

Rocha¹,

Marchetto²,

Pacheco³

et al. 2019

Mar Biodivers Rec

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At-sea sightings of blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus, in Brazil are rare. A mother-calf pair was observed in deep (2645 m) waters off southeastern Brazil (22°11′S 038°58′W); during a seismic survey in July 2014. It is unknown to which of the subspecies the animals sighted belong. The presence of a calf suggests that blue whales use deep waters off Brazil as calving or nursing grounds. The identification and conservation of wintering grounds for blue whale populations is important to promote the recovery of blue whales as their numbers were critically reduced as a result of commercial whaling.

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“…These diverse sources respond to various environmental forcing, ecosystem processes, biological factors, and human activities that are contributing their respective imprints on SPL average and variability at diverse frequencies (e.g. Gervaise et al, 2012;Kinda et al, 2013;Risch et al, 2013;Bittencourt et al, 2016;Mathias et al, 2016). Soundscapes are intrinsically characterized by large multi-scale variability over space and time that makes their comparison difficult and dependent of the angle of view of the observer and the comparison metrics (cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%