Seasonal presence of cetaceans and ambient noise levels in polar waters of the North Atlantic

In 2009 two calibrated acoustic recorders were deployed in polar waters of the North Atlantic to study the seasonal occurrence of blue, fin, and sperm whales and to assess current ambient noise levels. Sounds from these cetaceans were recorded at both locations in most months of the year. During the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2012-09, Vol.132 (3), p.EL176-EL181
Main Authors: KLINCK, Holger, NIEUKIRK, Sharon L, MELLINGER, David K, KLINCK, Karolin, MATSUMOTO, Haruyoshi, DZIAK, Robert P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics
Animals
Atlantic Ocean
Balaenoptera - physiology
Cetacea - physiology
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Exact sciences and technology
Fin Whale - physiology
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Industry
Noise
Oil and Gas Fields
Physics
Seasons
Sound Spectrography
Sperm Whale - physiology
Underwater sound
Vocalization, Animal
Water
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Summary:In 2009 two calibrated acoustic recorders were deployed in polar waters of the North Atlantic to study the seasonal occurrence of blue, fin, and sperm whales and to assess current ambient noise levels. Sounds from these cetaceans were recorded at both locations in most months of the year. During the summer months, seismic airguns associated with oil and gas exploration were audible for weeks at a time and dominated low frequency noise levels. Noise levels might further increase in the future as the receding sea ice enables extended human use of the area.
ISSN:0001-4966
1520-8524
DOI:10.1121/1.4740226