Assessing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact on marine mammal population through acoustics: Endangered sperm whales

Ackleh, Azmy S.; Ioup, George E.; Ioup, Juliette W.; Ma, Bao‐Qing; Newcomb, J.; Pal, Nabendu; Sidorovskaia, Natalia A.; Tiemann, Christopher O.

doi:10.1121/1.3682042

Cited by 38 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…These types of population estimations from passive acoustics have been done with other large cetaceans [46]–[48]. A more comprehensive knowledge of North Atlantic right whale population flux in a specific habitat would provide insight into the basis of observed seasonal acoustic trends.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote Acoustic Monitoring of North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) Reveals Seasonal and Diel Variations in Acoustic Behavior

2014

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Remote acoustic monitoring is a non-invasive tool that can be used to study the distribution, behavior, and habitat use of sound-producing species. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is an endangered baleen whale species that produces a variety of stereotyped acoustic signals. One of these signals, the “gunshot” sound, has only been recorded from adult male North Atlantic right whales and is thought to function for reproduction, either as reproductive advertisement for females or as an agonistic signal toward other males. This study uses remote acoustic monitoring to analyze the presence of gunshots over a two-year period at two sites on the Scotian Shelf to determine if there is evidence that North Atlantic right whales may use these locations for breeding activities. Seasonal analyses at both locations indicate that gunshot sound production is highly seasonal, with an increase in the autumn. One site, Roseway West, had significantly more gunshot sounds overall and exhibited a clear diel trend in production of these signals at night. The other site, Emerald South, also showed a seasonal increase in gunshot production during the autumn, but did not show any significant diel trend. This difference in gunshot signal production at the two sites indicates variation either in the number or the behavior of whales at each location. The timing of the observed seasonal increase in gunshot sound production is consistent with the current understanding of the right whale breeding season, and our results demonstrate that detection of gunshots with remote acoustic monitoring can be a reliable way to track shifts in distribution and changes in acoustic behavior including possible mating activities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote Acoustic Monitoring of North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) Reveals Seasonal and Diel Variations in Acoustic Behavior

2014

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“…Sperm whales have been recorded off the US east coast [324][325][326][327][328], off Nova Scotia [329,330], around the Bahamas [331][332][333], around Bermuda [334], in the Caribbean [335][336][337][338][339], in the Gulf of Mexico [340][341][342][343], in Alaska [344][345][346][347][348], in the northeast Pacific [349], off Japan [350,351] around Hawaii [352], at the Galapagos Islands [173,353,354], at the Azores [355], off Scotland [356], off Norway [357][358][359][360][361], in the Mediterranean [362][363][364][365][366], in the South Pacific [367], in New Zealand [368][369]<...>…”

Section: Physeter Macrocephalus-sperm Whalementioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Underwater and In-Air Sounds Emitted by Australian and Antarctic Marine Mammals

et al. 2017

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The study of marine soundscapes is a growing field of research. Recording hardware is becoming more accessible; there are a number of off-the-shelf autonomous recorders that can be deployed for months at a time; software analysis tools exist as shareware; raw or preprocessed recordings are freely and publicly available. However, what is missing are catalogues of commonly recorded sounds. Sounds related to geophysical events (e.g. earthquakes) and weather (e.g. wind and precipitation), to human activities (e.g. ships) and to marine animals (e.g. crustaceans, fish and marine mammals) commonly occur. Marine mammals are distributed throughout Australia's oceans and significantly contribute to the underwater soundscape. However, due to a lack of concurrent visual and passive acoustic observations, it is often not known which species produces which sounds. To aid in the analysis of Australian and Antarctic marine soundscape recordings, a literature review of the sounds made by marine mammals was undertaken. Frequency, duration and source level measurements are summarised and tabulated. In addition to the literature review, new marine mammal data are presented and include recordings from Australia of Omura's whales (Balaenoptera omurai), dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima), common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), long-finned pilot whales (G. melas), Fraser's dolphins (Lagenodelphis hosei), false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and spinner dolphins (S. longirostris), as well as the whistles and burst-pulse sounds of Australian pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata). To date, this is the most comprehensive acoustic summary for marine mammal species in Australian waters.

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“…Several field studies to date have investigated the direct impacts of crude oil on native wildlife species and the immediate impacts that followed the disaster [3]–[5]. Field studies are crucial for offering insights about risk to resident species within an ecologically realistic context [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic and Genotoxic Responses to Controlled Weathered-Oil Exposures Confirm and Extend Field Studies on Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Native Killifish

et al. 2014

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To understand the ecotoxicological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, field studies provide a context for ecological realism but laboratory-based studies offer power for connecting biological effects with specific causes. As a complement to field studies, we characterized genome-wide gene expression responses of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) to oil-contaminated waters in controlled laboratory exposures. Transcriptional responses to the highest concentrations of oiled water in the laboratory were predictive of field-observed responses that coincided with the timing and location of major oiling. The transcriptional response to the low concentration (∼10-fold lower than the high concentration) was distinct from the high concentration and was not predictive of major oiling in the field. The high concentration response was characterized by activation of the molecular signaling pathway that facilitates oil metabolism and oil toxicity. The high concentration also induced DNA damage. The low concentration invoked expression of genes that may support a compensatory response, including genes associated with regulation of transcription, cell cycle progression, RNA processing, DNA damage, and apoptosis. We conclude that the gene expression response detected in the field was a robust indicator of exposure to the toxic components of contaminating oil, that animals in the field were exposed to relatively high concentrations that are especially damaging to early life stages, and that such exposures can damage DNA.

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Assessing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact on marine mammal population through acoustics: Endangered sperm whales

Cited by 38 publications

References 14 publications

Remote Acoustic Monitoring of North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) Reveals Seasonal and Diel Variations in Acoustic Behavior

Remote Acoustic Monitoring of North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) Reveals Seasonal and Diel Variations in Acoustic Behavior

Review of Underwater and In-Air Sounds Emitted by Australian and Antarctic Marine Mammals

Genomic and Genotoxic Responses to Controlled Weathered-Oil Exposures Confirm and Extend Field Studies on Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Native Killifish

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