Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Annabel Westell, Taiki Sakai, Robert Valtierra, Sofie M. Van Parijs, Danielle Cholewiak, Annamaria DeAngelis
Summary: Sperm whales are an ideal species for studying with passive acoustic technology, and using acoustic line transect data can improve abundance estimation and provide population-level insights into their foraging ecology.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Clara Lerebourg, Oliver Boisseau, Vincent Ridoux, Auriane Virgili
Summary: This study used acoustic data to investigate the habitat and distribution of Mediterranean sperm whales and estimated their population. The results showed that sperm whales were mainly distributed in the western Mediterranean, with a higher concentration in summer and lower in the eastern part. The study encourages more use of acoustic data to study the distribution of sperm whales, in order to improve their conservation.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Francesca Grossi, Elise Lahaye, Aurelie Moulins, Anna Borroni, Massimiliano Rosso, Paola Tepsich
Summary: The Pelagos Sanctuary, the only pelagic marine protected area in the Mediterranean Sea, faces significant impact from human activities, particularly marine traffic, with ship strikes being a major threat to fin whales and sperm whales. By mapping hotspots of distribution and predicting hotspots occurrence, effective conservation measures can be implemented to protect these species in the high-risk areas identified along shipping lanes with high vessel traffic.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Acoustics
M. Sanguineti, J. Alessi, M. Brunoldi, G. Cannarile, O. Cavalleri, R. Cerruti, N. Falzoi, F. Gaberscek, C. Gili, G. Gnone, D. Grosso, C. Guidi, A. Mandich, C. Melchiorre, A. Pesce, M. Petrillo, M. G. Taiuti, B. Valettini, G. Viano
Summary: The sperm whale, one of the largest marine mammals, is facing anthropogenic threats such as ship strikes, especially in the Mediterranean. To address this issue, an interference avoidance system was developed to detect and track sperm whales in order to prevent collisions and other risks by issuing real-time warning messages to ships.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Delphine Durette-Morin, Clair Evers, Hansen D. Johnson, Katie Kowarski, Julien Delarue, Hilary Moors-Murphy, Emily Maxner, Jack W. Lawson, Kimberley T. A. Davies
Summary: This study used passive acoustic monitoring data to characterize the spatial and temporal variation in the distribution of North Atlantic right whales (NARW). The results show that the population mainly resides in temperate latitudinal ranges and the northward range shift is likely driven by energetic requirements to minimize the distance between foraging habitat and calving grounds.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Isabel Cristina Avila, Nohelia Farias-Curtidor, Luisa Castellanos-Mora, Karina Bohrer do Amaral, Dalia C. Barragan-Barrera, Carlos Andres Orozco, Jorge Leon, Vladimir Puentes
Summary: This study combines data from offshore surveys and literature to describe the potential distribution of sperm whales in the Colombian Caribbean for the first time. The study suggests that the Colombian Caribbean may be an important tropical habitat for sperm whales.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Steven J. Rowland, Paul A. Sutton, George A. Wolff
Summary: Ambrein is produced in vivo through enzymatic cyclisation of squalene, exhibiting a different biosynthetic mechanism from co-occurring sterols. Bacterial production of bicyclic polypodenols may be involved in the in vivo biosynthesis of ambrein under certain conditions.
NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Richard E. Danielson, Hui Shen, Jing Tao, William Perrie
Summary: Coherent filaments at the ocean surface are transient watermass boundaries that exhibit enhanced biological activity in the upper water column. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) allows for the observation of these filaments, with a proposed wind speed adjustment to account for filament length. By examining dependence measures, an inverse relationship between SAR contrast and wind speed is quantified, providing insights for the search of prey aggregations of the North Atlantic right whale in specific regions.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kaitlin E. Frasier, Lance P. Garrison, Melissa S. Soldevilla, Sean M. Wiggins, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: The study demonstrates that combining various data types can improve the understanding of temporal and spatial distribution trends of cetacean populations in the Gulf of Mexico, with the use of stationary passive acoustic monitoring data significantly enhancing predictive capabilities.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Acoustics
Shahideh Kiehbadroudinezhad, S. Bruce Martin, Joanna Mills Flemming
Summary: Estimates of marine mammal abundance based on passive acoustic recordings are increasingly employed due to the difficulty of attaining absolute abundance in the open ocean. This study demonstrates that passive acoustic monitoring using a single hydrophone can provide sufficient information to estimate relative population abundance of North Atlantic minke whales. The analysis of a 2-year dataset from the Atlantic Deepwater Ecosystem Observatory Network project on the U.S. east coast confirms the presence of minke whales with the highest abundance offshore of Savannah, Georgia from December to April annually.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Leanna P. Matthews, Susan E. Parks
Summary: Baseline understanding of communicative signals and perceptual abilities is crucial for understanding a species' life history, especially for at-risk species. Marine mammals communicate primarily through acoustic modalities, which are impacted by ambient noise levels in their underwater environment. Noise pollution poses a threat to acoustically communicating marine mammal species, highlighting the importance of monitoring and conservation efforts.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicole Pegg, Irene T. Roca, Danielle Cholewiak, Genevieve E. Davis, Sofie M. Van Parijs
Summary: Soundscape analyses offer an integrative approach to studying the presence and complexity of sounds in long-term acoustic data sets, with a focus on baleen whales. A novel method combining AM with supervised machine learning was developed to understand the presence and species richness of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The model showed high accuracy in detecting species absence and presence, providing a promising complement to current methodologies for studying marine mammals.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Kun Li, Natalia A. Sidorovskaia, Thomas Guilment, Tingting Tang, Christopher O. Tiemann
Summary: Passive acoustic monitoring has been successfully used to study deep-diving marine mammal populations and understand the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on sperm whale populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Results show a habitat preference shift for sperm whales after the spill, with higher activity levels at sites farther away from the spill site. The long-term abundance of sperm whales in the region did not fully recover to pre-spill levels, highlighting the importance of spatially distributed acoustic monitoring for understanding population changes and environmental stressor impacts.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Acoustics
Yvonne M. Barkley, Eva-Marie Nosal, Erin M. Oleson
Summary: Passive acoustic monitoring using towed line arrays is a standard method for localizing cetaceans during surveys, but most existing methods do not account for uncertainties in the acoustic data, leading to biased estimates for deep-diving cetaceans. A model-based three-dimensional localization approach provides more accurate estimates by incorporating sources of error and considering sound propagation effects.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Toxicology
Miriam C. Poirier, Letizia Marsili, Maria Cristina Fossi, Celine A. J. Godard-Codding, Elena E. Hernandez-Ramon, Nancy Si, Kathyayini Divi, Rao L. Divi, Iain Kerr, John Pierce Wise, Catherine F. Wise, Sandra S. Wise, Abou El-Makarim Aboueissa, James T. F. Wise
Summary: The study compared skin biopsies collected from Gulf of Mexico sperm whales in 2012 with those collected from sperm whales in the Pacific Ocean in 1999-2001, showing that Gulf of Mexico whales had significantly higher PAH-DNA adducts compared to Pacific Ocean whales.
TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joshua M. Jones, Kaitlin E. Frasier, Kristin H. Westdal, Alex J. Ootoowak, Sean M. Wiggins, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: This study compares the characteristics of beluga and narwhal clicks by analyzing acoustic recordings from the Chukchi Sea and Eclipse Sound. The results show that the frequency spectra and inter-click interval distribution can be used to distinguish between these two species.
Correction
Environmental Sciences
Edward D. Weber, Toby D. Auth, Simone Baumann-Pickering, Timothy R. Baumgartner, Eric P. Bjorkstedt, Steven J. Bograd, Brian J. Burke, Jose L. Cadena-Ramirez, Elizabeth A. Daly, Martin de la Cruz, Heidi Dewar, John C. Field, Jennifer L. Fisher, Ashlyn Giddings, Ralf Goericke, Eliana Gomez-Ocampo, Jose Gomez-Valdes, Elliott L. Hazen, John Hildebrand, Cheryl A. Horton, Kym C. Jacobson, Michael G. Jacox, Jaime Jahncke, Mati Kahru, Raphe M. Kudela, Bertha E. Lavaniegos, Andrew Leising, Sharon R. Melin, Luis Erasmo Miranda-Bojorquez, Cheryl A. Morgan, Catherine F. Nickels, Rachael A. Orben, Jessica M. Porquez, Elan J. Portner, Roxanne R. Robertson, Daniel L. Rudnick, Keith M. Sakuma, Jarrod A. Santora, Isaac D. Schroeder, Owyn E. Snodgrass, William J. Sydeman, Andrew R. Thompson, Sarah Ann Thompson, Jennifer S. Trickey, Josue Villegas-Mendoza, Pete Warzybok, William Watson, Samantha M. Zeman
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Margaret A. Morris, Petr Krysl, Isabel C. Rivera-Collazo, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: Acoustic methods can be used to search for submerged archaeological sites, as concentrations of knapped flint produce a visible acoustic response. The signal is caused by acoustic resonances of the flaked stone. Simulation and measurement of resonant acoustic signatures show that the strongest resonant signal occurs between 8 and 16 kHz.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
John A. Hildebrand, Andrew L. York
Summary: Beach sand dredging projects off the coast of Southern California provide valuable data on early Holocene sediments and potential underwater archaeological materials. The project examines the origin and deposition process of stone bowls found in the region, offering insights into their function and how they ended up in lagoonal sediments.
GEOARCHAEOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Natalie Posdaljian, Caroline Soderstjerna, Joshua M. Jones, Alba Solsona-Berga, John A. Hildebrand, Kristin Westdal, Alex Ootoowak, Simone Baumann-Pickering
Summary: This study investigates the spatiotemporal distribution of sperm whales near Eclipse Sound. While there were no records of sightings outside of 2014 and 2018, acoustic data showed that sperm whales were present yearly from 2015 to 2019, mainly in late summer and fall. Their presence was closely related to the minimum sea ice concentration each year.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Acoustics
Amanda A. Leu, John A. Hildebrand, Ally Rice, Simone Baumann-Pickering, Kaitlin E. Frasier
Summary: Three killer whale ecotypes in the Northeastern Pacific have distinct pulsed call repertoires that can be discriminated in passive acoustic data. The echolocation clicks of resident and offshore ecotypes have specific frequency patterns, while the transient ecotype has lower peak frequencies. Distinguishing these ecotypes based on their echolocation clicks is feasible, but the transient echolocation may not be suitable for monitoring applications.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rebecca E. Cohen, Kaitlin E. Frasier, Simone Baumann-Pickering, Sean M. Wiggins, Macey A. Rafter, Lauren M. Baggett, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: This study utilized a combination of machine learning and expert analyst review to analyze 32 years of acoustic data collected at 11 autonomous monitoring sites in the western North Atlantic between 2016 and 2019. The aim was to detect odontocete echolocation clicks, identify dominant click types, and classify clicks. The research identified previously-described click types for eight known odontocete species or genera, as well as six novel delphinid echolocation click types. By considering the spatiotemporal distribution of these unidentified click types and comparing them to historical sighting data, the study was able to attribute probable species identity to three of the new click types.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Simone Baumann-Pickering, Jennifer S. Trickey, Alba Solsona-Berga, Ally Rice, Erin M. Oleson, John A. Hildebrand, Kaitlin E. Frasier
Summary: Understanding the distribution and population structure of cetacean species is crucial for conservation and management. In this study, acoustic recordings were used to investigate whether differences in echolocation click peak frequency could indicate population structure in Blainville's beaked whale. The results suggest a possible acoustic delineation of populations, with a correlation between signal peak frequency and latitude.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Morgan A. A. Ziegenhorn, John A. A. Hildebrand, Erin M. M. Oleson, Robin W. W. Baird, Sean M. M. Wiggins, Simone Baumann-Pickering
Summary: Successful conservation and management of marine top predators depend on detailed documentation of their spatiotemporal behavior. This study uses long-term labeled passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) data to examine the spatiotemporal patterning of toothed whale species in the Hawaiian Islands. The results show species composition differences among sites and highlight the importance of considering season in survey design. The study emphasizes the value of long-term PAM records in documenting spatiotemporal patterns and contributes insights into the lives of top predators.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Acoustics
Junsu Jang, Florian Meyer, Eric Snyder, Sean Wiggins, Simone Baumann-Pickering, John Hildebrand
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
Junsu Jang, Florian Meyer, Eric R. Snyder, Sean M. Wiggins, Simone Baumann-Pickering, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: This paper proposes a method of automatically detecting and tracking marine animals using their bioacoustic signals, based on processing the acoustic signals recorded by multiple hydrophones. The method extracts time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) measurements using generalized cross-correlation and tracks odontocetes in the TDOA domain using a graph-based multi-target tracking (MTT) method. The tracking capability of the method is demonstrated on acoustic data of Cuvier's beaked whales.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vanessa M. ZoBell, Martin Gassmann, Lee B. Kindberg, Sean M. Wiggins, John A. Hildebrand, Kaitlin E. Frasier
Summary: The container shipping line Maersk underwent a Radical Retrofit to improve energy efficiency of twelve sister container ships. This study investigated the potential noise reduction benefits of the retrofitting effort. Analysis of a passive acoustic recording dataset from the Santa Barbara Channel revealed that the post-retrofit G-Class ships had significantly lower monopole source levels in the low-frequency band, likely resulting from a reduction in cavitation due to changes in propeller and bow design.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Annebelle C. M. Kok, Maya J. Hildebrand, Maria MacArdle, Anthony Martinez, Lance P. Garrison, Melissa S. Soldevilla, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: Rice's whales, an endangered species with a small population, display unique foraging behavior, primarily lunge-feeding near the sea bottom. Their feeding dives involve circling the prey before one or two feeding lunges. The whales' lower lunge rate per dive suggests a possible preference for fish over krill and highlights potential differences in foraging conditions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rebecca E. Cohen, Kaitlin E. Frasier, Simone Baumann-Pickering, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: This study used passive acoustic data to investigate toothed whale species in the western North Atlantic, revealing strong regional preferences and clear patterns of spatiotemporal separation. Some species may undergo seasonal migrations and their activity patterns are influenced by both seasonal and lunar cycles. The study provides new insights into habitat partitioning among toothed whale species and highlights the importance of natural cycles in shaping their behavior.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joshua M. Jones, Kristin H. Westdal, Alexander J. Ootoowak, Sean M. Wiggins, John A. Hildebrand
Summary: This study investigates the impact of increased ship traffic on the marine soundscape in Eclipse Sound, Canadian Arctic. Through the analysis of ship tracks and underwater sound recordings, the study identifies patterns of ship traffic and estimates the levels of underwater noise generated by ships.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)