Variation of ocean acoustic environments along the western North Atlantic coast: A case study in context of the right whale migration route

Rice, Aaron N.; Tielens, Jamey T.; Estabrook, Bobbi J.; Muirhead, Charles A.; Rahaman, Ashakur; Guerra, Melania; Clark, Christopher W.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.01.005

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The species included in our study are exposed to increasing anthropogenic noise levels not only while in our study area but, for coastal migratory species such as right whales and humpback whales, across their migratory range along the eastern seaboard as well (Rice et al 2014). The effects of noise and the loss of CS may have significant biological consequences, which is particularly worrisome for endangered species that rely on these habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communicating amidst the noise: modeling the aggregate influence of ambient and vessel noise on baleen whale communication space in a national marine sanctuary

Cholewiak¹,

Clark²,

Ponirakis³

et al. 2018

Endang. Species. Res.

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Anthropogenic noise negatively impacts many species. One of the more insidious effects of elevated noise levels is the reduction in area over which animals are able to acoustically communicate, often termed communication masking. This study utilizes modeling approaches to evaluate relative levels of masking for 4 baleen whale species from the combination of current ambient noise conditions and noise from discrete vessels operating in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Acoustic data were collected using bottom-mounted autonomous recorders. One day was analyzed for each of 5 different species-specific sound types, corresponding to peaks in occurrence of fin and humpback whale songs, humpback whale social sounds, minke whale pulse trains and North Atlantic right whale gunshots. Source levels for animals and 3 categories of vessels were calculated empirically; sound propagation was modeled using Bellhop ray tracing. An agent-based modeling framework was used to calculate changes in communication space (CS) in comparison to reference conditions (10 dB lower than current ambient noise). In these singleday snapshots, current ambient noise and noise from vessels for which automatic identification system (AIS) data were available contribute most heavily to loss of CS, followed by whale-watching and fishing vessels. Right whale gunshots experience the least amount of masking, while fin, humpback and minke whale signals experience masking levels of 80% or more. While these results incorporate several simplifying assumptions, this study further develops the framework by which to comparatively quantify masking, providing information on the relative degree of masking experienced between species and allowing for important insights on the relative contributions of different anthropogenic sound sources. KEY WORDS: Communication space · Baleen whales · Communication masking · Anthropogenic noiseContribution to the Theme Section '21st century paradigms for measuring and managing the effects of anthropogenic ocean noise'

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communicating amidst the noise: modeling the aggregate influence of ambient and vessel noise on baleen whale communication space in a national marine sanctuary

Cholewiak¹,

Clark²,

Ponirakis³

et al. 2018

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…This agrees with findings of previous studies. Soundscape studies in New Zealand (Radford et al, 2010), Pacific Panama (Kennedy et al, 2010), the U.S. east coast (Rice et al, 2014) and Taiwan (Guan et al, 2015) have also noted site-specific sound fields at locations several kilometers apart, generally as the result of biotic or anthropogenic activities. Additionally, there was considerable temporal variation within sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anthropogenic noise has the potential to degrade habitat through a loss of "acoustic space." In areas which experience high levels of anthropogenic noise, habitat fragmentation may even occur if animals are unable or unwilling to transit through noisy areas in order to reach necessary habitat (Rice et al, 2014). Thus, it would be beneficial to document the structure and source levels of dolphin whistles and human activities at multiple sites throughout the Swan River to see if differences exist in "noisy" vs. "quiet" habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that the underwater soundscape contains sounds driven by weather conditions, environmental variables, and the presence of both marine fauna and human activities, it follows that an acoustic habitat will not be static in its composition. Consequently, whilst generalizations may be made about the acoustic characteristics of some underwater environments, many marine habitats will also display spatial and temporal variability in their acoustic components (Parks et al, 2009;Radford et al, 2010;McWilliam and Hawkins, 2013;Rice et al, 2014;Erbe et al, 2015;Guan et al, 2015;Marley et al, 2016a). Thus, to understand the role acoustic characteristics may play in driving the habitat use of cetaceans, there is a need to quantify the marine soundscape over large areas and across long periods of time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such baseline studies involve describing the habitat in terms of prominent sound sources, levels of acoustic energy in particular frequency bands, and patterns of ambient and anthropogenic noise (e.g., Parks et al, 2009;Erbe et al, 2014;Rice et al, 2014;Guan et al, 2015). Once identified, the acoustic characteristics of critical cetacean habitats can be further examined to determine the potential impact of man-made noise.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Acoustic Habitat of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) within a Highly Urbanized Estuary

et al. 2017

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Seasonal acoustic occurrence of blue, fin, and North Atlantic right whales in the New York Bight

Muirhead

Warde

Biedron

et al. 2018

Aquatic Conservation

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1. The New York Bight is an extremely busy maritime region, with extensive shipping traffic and commercial fishing activity. It is part of the migratory ranges of a number of cetacean species, and includes threats from ship strikes, noise exposure, and line entanglements. Previous cetacean surveys of the Bight offer limited information on cetacean occurrence and distribution in the region, having been restricted to visual sightings with limited temporal coverage. A passiveacoustic monitoring survey was conducted over a 258-day period to broaden understanding of the seasonal occurrences of blue (Balaenoptera musculus), fin (Balaenoptera physalus), and North Atlantic right (Eubalaena glacialis) whales during late summer, autumn, winter, and early spring. Stationary acoustic recorders were positioned near the entrance to New York Harbour and as a linear transect extending from Long Island to the continental shelf edge.3. Blue, fin, and right whales were detected on 11%, 100%, and 16% of the survey days, respectively. Blue whales were detected offshore during January, February, and March. Fin whales were detected offshore every day, and less often near-shore. Right whales occurred sporadically during every month, but were most often detected at near-shore recorders between late February and mid-May.4. Based on the acoustic data alone, it is unclear exactly how these species are using this habitat, although it is clear that they occur in the area longer than was previously thought. Thus, management practices should incorporate this extended seasonal presence to mitigate any effects on the whales from shipping and fishing activities.

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Variation of ocean acoustic environments along the western North Atlantic coast: A case study in context of the right whale migration route

Cited by 21 publications

References 34 publications

Communicating amidst the noise: modeling the aggregate influence of ambient and vessel noise on baleen whale communication space in a national marine sanctuary

Communicating amidst the noise: modeling the aggregate influence of ambient and vessel noise on baleen whale communication space in a national marine sanctuary

Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Acoustic Habitat of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) within a Highly Urbanized Estuary

Seasonal acoustic occurrence of blue, fin, and North Atlantic right whales in the New York Bight

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