Comparison of estimated 20-Hz pulse fin whale source levels from the tropical Pacific and Eastern North Atlantic Oceans to other recorded populations

D.H. was funded by the Office of Naval Research (Award: N00014-16-1-2364). J.M.O. was funded under Award: N00014-16-1-2860 also from the Office of Naval Research. Passive acoustic monitoring, mitigation, animal density estimation, and comprehensive understanding of the impact of sound on marine anim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Main Authors: Miksis-Olds, Jennifer L., Harris, Danielle V., Heaney, Kevin D.
Other Authors: University of St Andrews. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
QH301 Biology
3rd-DAS
SDG 14 - Life Below Water
QH301
Fin whale
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10023/18854
https://doi.org/10.1121/1.5126692
Description
Summary:D.H. was funded by the Office of Naval Research (Award: N00014-16-1-2364). J.M.O. was funded under Award: N00014-16-1-2860 also from the Office of Naval Research. Passive acoustic monitoring, mitigation, animal density estimation, and comprehensive understanding of the impact of sound on marine animals all require accurate information on vocalization source level to be most effective. This study focused on examining the uncertainty related to passive sonar equation terms that ultimately contribute to the variability observed in estimated source levels of fin whale calls. Differences in hardware configuration, signal detection methods, sample size, location, and time were considered in interpreting the variability of estimated fin whale source levels. Data from Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean and off Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean provided the opportunity to generate large datasets of estimated source levels to better understand sources of uncertainty leading to the observed variability with and across years. Average seasonal source levels from the Wake Island dataset ranged from 175 to 188 dB re 1 μPa m, while the 2007–2008 seasonal average detected off Portugal was 189 dB re 1 μPa m. Owing to the large inherent variability within and across this and other studies that potentially masks true differences between populations, there is no evidence to conclude that the source level of 20-Hz fin whale calls are regionally or population specific. Peer reviewed

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