Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys
In order to mitigate against possible impacts of seismic surveys on baleen whales it is important to know as much as possible about the presence of whales within the vicinity of seismic operations. This study expands on previous work that analyzes single seismic streamer data to locate nearby callin...
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ftcolumbiauniv:oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/D8X35368 2023-05-15T15:36:53+02:00 Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys Abadi, Shima H. Tolstoy, Maya Wilcock, William S. D. 2017 https://doi.org/10.7916/D8X35368 English eng Public Library of Science https://doi.org/10.7916/D8X35368 Seismic reflection method Whales--Behavior Baleen whales Conservation biology Wildlife conservation Articles 2017 ftcolumbiauniv https://doi.org/10.7916/D8X35368 2019-04-04T08:15:49Z In order to mitigate against possible impacts of seismic surveys on baleen whales it is important to know as much as possible about the presence of whales within the vicinity of seismic operations. This study expands on previous work that analyzes single seismic streamer data to locate nearby calling baleen whales with a grid search method that utilizes the propagation angles and relative arrival times of received signals along the streamer. Three dimensional seismic reflection surveys use multiple towed hydrophone arrays for imaging the structure beneath the seafloor, providing an opportunity to significantly improve the uncertainty associated with streamer-generated call locations. All seismic surveys utilizing airguns conduct visual marine mammal monitoring surveys concurrent with the experiment, with powering-down of seismic source if a marine mammal is observed within the exposure zone. This study utilizes data from power-down periods of a seismic experiment conducted with two 8-km long seismic hydrophone arrays by the R/V Marcus G. Langseth near Alaska in summer 2011. Simulated and experiment data demonstrate that a single streamer can be utilized to resolve left-right ambiguity because the streamer is rarely perfectly straight in a field setting, but dual streamers provides significantly improved locations. Both methods represent a dramatic improvement over the existing Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) system for detecting low frequency baleen whale calls, with ~60 calls detected utilizing the seismic streamers, zero of which were detected using the current R/V Langseth PAM system. Furthermore, this method has the potential to be utilized not only for improving mitigation processes, but also for studying baleen whale behavior within the vicinity of seismic operations. Article in Journal/Newspaper baleen whale baleen whales Marine Mammal Monitoring Alaska Columbia University: Academic Commons Langseth ENVELOPE(15.668,15.668,68.338,68.338) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Columbia University: Academic Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftcolumbiauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Seismic reflection method Whales--Behavior Baleen whales Conservation biology Wildlife conservation |
spellingShingle |
Seismic reflection method Whales--Behavior Baleen whales Conservation biology Wildlife conservation Abadi, Shima H. Tolstoy, Maya Wilcock, William S. D. Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys |
topic_facet |
Seismic reflection method Whales--Behavior Baleen whales Conservation biology Wildlife conservation |
description |
In order to mitigate against possible impacts of seismic surveys on baleen whales it is important to know as much as possible about the presence of whales within the vicinity of seismic operations. This study expands on previous work that analyzes single seismic streamer data to locate nearby calling baleen whales with a grid search method that utilizes the propagation angles and relative arrival times of received signals along the streamer. Three dimensional seismic reflection surveys use multiple towed hydrophone arrays for imaging the structure beneath the seafloor, providing an opportunity to significantly improve the uncertainty associated with streamer-generated call locations. All seismic surveys utilizing airguns conduct visual marine mammal monitoring surveys concurrent with the experiment, with powering-down of seismic source if a marine mammal is observed within the exposure zone. This study utilizes data from power-down periods of a seismic experiment conducted with two 8-km long seismic hydrophone arrays by the R/V Marcus G. Langseth near Alaska in summer 2011. Simulated and experiment data demonstrate that a single streamer can be utilized to resolve left-right ambiguity because the streamer is rarely perfectly straight in a field setting, but dual streamers provides significantly improved locations. Both methods represent a dramatic improvement over the existing Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) system for detecting low frequency baleen whale calls, with ~60 calls detected utilizing the seismic streamers, zero of which were detected using the current R/V Langseth PAM system. Furthermore, this method has the potential to be utilized not only for improving mitigation processes, but also for studying baleen whale behavior within the vicinity of seismic operations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Abadi, Shima H. Tolstoy, Maya Wilcock, William S. D. |
author_facet |
Abadi, Shima H. Tolstoy, Maya Wilcock, William S. D. |
author_sort |
Abadi, Shima H. |
title |
Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys |
title_short |
Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys |
title_full |
Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys |
title_fullStr |
Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys |
title_full_unstemmed |
Estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys |
title_sort |
estimating the location of baleen whale calls using dual streamers to support mitigation procedures in seismic reflection surveys |
publisher |
Public Library of Science |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7916/D8X35368 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(15.668,15.668,68.338,68.338) |
geographic |
Langseth |
geographic_facet |
Langseth |
genre |
baleen whale baleen whales Marine Mammal Monitoring Alaska |
genre_facet |
baleen whale baleen whales Marine Mammal Monitoring Alaska |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.7916/D8X35368 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7916/D8X35368 |
_version_ |
1766367316914733056 |