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spelling ftstandrewserep:oai:research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk:10023/2458 2024-06-23T07:54:22+00:00 Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar Tyack, Peter L. Zimmer, Walter M. X. Moretti, David Southall, Brandon L. Claridge, Diane E. Durban, John W. Clark, Christopher W. D'Amico, Angela DiMarzio, Nancy Jarvis, Susan McCarthy, Elena Morrissey, Ronald Ward, Jessica Boyd, Ian L. University of St Andrews. School of Biology University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews. Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland University of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews. Sound Tags Group University of St Andrews. Bioacoustics group 2012-03-24T00:44:18Z 15 4568058 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10023/2458 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017009 eng eng PLoS ONE 4926242 debf5fbd-60b6-4931-99c1-1025ad886135 000288512400008 79952631754 Tyack , P L , Zimmer , W M X , Moretti , D , Southall , B L , Claridge , D E , Durban , J W , Clark , C W , D'Amico , A , DiMarzio , N , Jarvis , S , McCarthy , E , Morrissey , R , Ward , J & Boyd , I L 2011 , ' Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar ' , PLoS ONE , vol. 6 , no. 3 , e17009 , pp. - . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017009 1932-6203 ORCID: /0000-0002-8409-4790/work/60887813 https://hdl.handle.net/10023/2458 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017009 Mesoplodon-europeus Killer whales Orcinus-orca Noise Behavior Echolocation Sea QL Zoology QL Journal article 2012 ftstandrewserep https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017009 2024-06-11T23:58:14Z Beaked whales have mass stranded during some naval sonar exercises, but the cause is unknown. They are difficult to sight but can reliably be detected by listening for echolocation clicks produced during deep foraging dives. Listening for these clicks, we documented Blainville's beaked whales, Mesoplodon densirostris, in a naval underwater range where sonars are in regular use near Andros Island, Bahamas. An array of bottom-mounted hydrophones can detect beaked whales when they click anywhere within the range. We used two complementary methods to investigate behavioral responses of beaked whales to sonar: an opportunistic approach that monitored whale responses to multi-day naval exercises involving tactical mid-frequency sonars, and an experimental approach using playbacks of simulated sonar and control sounds to whales tagged with a device that records sound, movement, and orientation. Here we show that in both exposure conditions beaked whales stopped echolocating during deep foraging dives and moved away. During actual sonar exercises, beaked whales were primarily detected near the periphery of the range, on average 16 km away from the sonar transmissions. Once the exercise stopped, beaked whales gradually filled in the center of the range over 2-3 days. A satellite tagged whale moved outside the range during an exercise, returning over 2-3 days post-exercise. The experimental approach used tags to measure acoustic exposure and behavioral reactions of beaked whales to one controlled exposure each of simulated military sonar, killer whale calls, and band-limited noise. The beaked whales reacted to these three sound playbacks at sound pressure levels below 142 dB re 1 mu Pa by stopping echolocation followed by unusually long and slow ascents from their foraging dives. The combined results indicate similar disruption of foraging behavior and avoidance by beaked whales in the two different contexts, at exposures well below those used by regulators to define disturbance. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository PLoS ONE 6 3 e17009
institution Open Polar
collection University of St Andrews: Digital Research Repository
op_collection_id ftstandrewserep
language English
topic Mesoplodon-europeus
Killer whales
Orcinus-orca
Noise
Behavior
Echolocation
Sea
QL Zoology
QL
spellingShingle Mesoplodon-europeus
Killer whales
Orcinus-orca
Noise
Behavior
Echolocation
Sea
QL Zoology
QL
Tyack, Peter L.
Zimmer, Walter M. X.
Moretti, David
Southall, Brandon L.
Claridge, Diane E.
Durban, John W.
Clark, Christopher W.
D'Amico, Angela
DiMarzio, Nancy
Jarvis, Susan
McCarthy, Elena
Morrissey, Ronald
Ward, Jessica
Boyd, Ian L.
Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar
topic_facet Mesoplodon-europeus
Killer whales
Orcinus-orca
Noise
Behavior
Echolocation
Sea
QL Zoology
QL
description Beaked whales have mass stranded during some naval sonar exercises, but the cause is unknown. They are difficult to sight but can reliably be detected by listening for echolocation clicks produced during deep foraging dives. Listening for these clicks, we documented Blainville's beaked whales, Mesoplodon densirostris, in a naval underwater range where sonars are in regular use near Andros Island, Bahamas. An array of bottom-mounted hydrophones can detect beaked whales when they click anywhere within the range. We used two complementary methods to investigate behavioral responses of beaked whales to sonar: an opportunistic approach that monitored whale responses to multi-day naval exercises involving tactical mid-frequency sonars, and an experimental approach using playbacks of simulated sonar and control sounds to whales tagged with a device that records sound, movement, and orientation. Here we show that in both exposure conditions beaked whales stopped echolocating during deep foraging dives and moved away. During actual sonar exercises, beaked whales were primarily detected near the periphery of the range, on average 16 km away from the sonar transmissions. Once the exercise stopped, beaked whales gradually filled in the center of the range over 2-3 days. A satellite tagged whale moved outside the range during an exercise, returning over 2-3 days post-exercise. The experimental approach used tags to measure acoustic exposure and behavioral reactions of beaked whales to one controlled exposure each of simulated military sonar, killer whale calls, and band-limited noise. The beaked whales reacted to these three sound playbacks at sound pressure levels below 142 dB re 1 mu Pa by stopping echolocation followed by unusually long and slow ascents from their foraging dives. The combined results indicate similar disruption of foraging behavior and avoidance by beaked whales in the two different contexts, at exposures well below those used by regulators to define disturbance. Peer reviewed
author2 University of St Andrews. School of Biology
University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute
University of St Andrews. Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences
University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland
University of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Unit
University of St Andrews. Sound Tags Group
University of St Andrews. Bioacoustics group
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Tyack, Peter L.
Zimmer, Walter M. X.
Moretti, David
Southall, Brandon L.
Claridge, Diane E.
Durban, John W.
Clark, Christopher W.
D'Amico, Angela
DiMarzio, Nancy
Jarvis, Susan
McCarthy, Elena
Morrissey, Ronald
Ward, Jessica
Boyd, Ian L.
author_facet Tyack, Peter L.
Zimmer, Walter M. X.
Moretti, David
Southall, Brandon L.
Claridge, Diane E.
Durban, John W.
Clark, Christopher W.
D'Amico, Angela
DiMarzio, Nancy
Jarvis, Susan
McCarthy, Elena
Morrissey, Ronald
Ward, Jessica
Boyd, Ian L.
author_sort Tyack, Peter L.
title Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar
title_short Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar
title_full Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar
title_fullStr Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar
title_full_unstemmed Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar
title_sort beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar
publishDate 2012
url https://hdl.handle.net/10023/2458
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017009
genre Killer Whale
Orca
Orcinus orca
Killer whale
genre_facet Killer Whale
Orca
Orcinus orca
Killer whale
op_relation PLoS ONE
4926242
debf5fbd-60b6-4931-99c1-1025ad886135
000288512400008
79952631754
Tyack , P L , Zimmer , W M X , Moretti , D , Southall , B L , Claridge , D E , Durban , J W , Clark , C W , D'Amico , A , DiMarzio , N , Jarvis , S , McCarthy , E , Morrissey , R , Ward , J & Boyd , I L 2011 , ' Beaked whales respond to simulated and actual navy sonar ' , PLoS ONE , vol. 6 , no. 3 , e17009 , pp. - . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017009
1932-6203
ORCID: /0000-0002-8409-4790/work/60887813
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/2458
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017009
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017009
container_title PLoS ONE
container_volume 6
container_issue 3
container_start_page e17009
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