Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores
TM is a member of CEA/UL (Funded by FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UID/MAT/00006/2013). Assessment of underwater noise is of particular interest given the increase in noise-generating human activities and the potential negative effects on marine mammals wh...
Published in: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2017
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11545 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 |
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ftstandrewserep:oai:research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk:10023/11545 |
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record_format |
openpolar |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftstandrewserep |
language |
English |
topic |
Underwater noise Ship noise Baleen whale MSFD Open ocean environment QH301 Biology GC Oceanography T-NDAS SDG 14 - Life Below Water QH301 GC |
spellingShingle |
Underwater noise Ship noise Baleen whale MSFD Open ocean environment QH301 Biology GC Oceanography T-NDAS SDG 14 - Life Below Water QH301 GC Romagosa, Miriam Cascão, Irma Merchant, Nathan D. Lammers, Marc O. Giacomello, Eva Marques, Tiago A. Silva, Mónica A. Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores |
topic_facet |
Underwater noise Ship noise Baleen whale MSFD Open ocean environment QH301 Biology GC Oceanography T-NDAS SDG 14 - Life Below Water QH301 GC |
description |
TM is a member of CEA/UL (Funded by FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UID/MAT/00006/2013). 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 1μPa found here (3.3 % at Condor), we woud expect limited behavioural 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. Publisher PDF Peer reviewed |
author2 |
University of St Andrews. School of Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Romagosa, Miriam Cascão, Irma Merchant, Nathan D. Lammers, Marc O. Giacomello, Eva Marques, Tiago A. Silva, Mónica A. |
author_facet |
Romagosa, Miriam Cascão, Irma Merchant, Nathan D. Lammers, Marc O. Giacomello, Eva Marques, Tiago A. Silva, Mónica A. |
author_sort |
Romagosa, Miriam |
title |
Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores |
title_short |
Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores |
title_full |
Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores |
title_fullStr |
Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores |
title_full_unstemmed |
Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores |
title_sort |
underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the azores |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11545 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 |
genre |
Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera musculus Balaenoptera physalus baleen whale baleen whales |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera musculus Balaenoptera physalus baleen whale baleen whales |
op_relation |
Frontiers in Marine Science Romagosa , M , Cascão , I , Merchant , N D , Lammers , M O , Giacomello , E , Marques , T A & Silva , M A 2017 , ' Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores ' , Frontiers in Marine Science , vol. 4 , 109 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 2296-7745 PURE: 250935965 PURE UUID: 7cd38117-56fe-4f41-a1cb-9d391d0081e7 RIS: urn:AF7C67D4A342075E5302952D1E73C349 Scopus: 85020093790 ORCID: /0000-0002-2581-1972/work/56861299 WOS: 000457690600109 http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11545 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 |
op_rights |
Copyright © 2017 Romagosa, Cascão, Merchant, Lammers, Giacomello, Marques and Silva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
4 |
_version_ |
1770271151676719104 |
spelling |
ftstandrewserep:oai:research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk:10023/11545 2023-07-02T03:31:45+02:00 Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores Romagosa, Miriam Cascão, Irma Merchant, Nathan D. Lammers, Marc O. Giacomello, Eva Marques, Tiago A. Silva, Mónica A. University of St Andrews. School of Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling 2017-08-25T13:30:07Z 14 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11545 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 eng eng Frontiers in Marine Science Romagosa , M , Cascão , I , Merchant , N D , Lammers , M O , Giacomello , E , Marques , T A & Silva , M A 2017 , ' Underwater ambient noise in a baleen whale migratory habitat off the Azores ' , Frontiers in Marine Science , vol. 4 , 109 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 2296-7745 PURE: 250935965 PURE UUID: 7cd38117-56fe-4f41-a1cb-9d391d0081e7 RIS: urn:AF7C67D4A342075E5302952D1E73C349 Scopus: 85020093790 ORCID: /0000-0002-2581-1972/work/56861299 WOS: 000457690600109 http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11545 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 Copyright © 2017 Romagosa, Cascão, Merchant, Lammers, Giacomello, Marques and Silva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Underwater noise Ship noise Baleen whale MSFD Open ocean environment QH301 Biology GC Oceanography T-NDAS SDG 14 - Life Below Water QH301 GC Journal article 2017 ftstandrewserep https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00109 2023-06-13T18:26:45Z TM is a member of CEA/UL (Funded by FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UID/MAT/00006/2013). 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 1μPa found here (3.3 % at Condor), we woud expect limited behavioural 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. Publisher PDF Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera musculus Balaenoptera physalus baleen whale baleen whales University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository Frontiers in Marine Science 4 |