SRKW acoustic response - Investigating noise effects on the acoustic signals and behavior of Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca)

In this study, vocal compensation is being investigated in Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) calls to determine the degree to which whales can adjust to increased background noise levels. In addition, whale and vessel behavior data are also collected to determine what contribution vessel traffic has on noise levels and how noise levels influence whale behavior. The work was part of an NRC-postdoctoral project led by Marla Holt, and includes Dawn Noren (Adams) and Candice Emmons as internal collaborators. The specific work includes experimental design, data collection, data analysis, and writing for submission to peer-reviewed journals. This is a one-time project, and addresses key risk factors (vessel and noise interactions) of SRKW.

Measurements of vocal behavior, whale behavioral states, background noise measurements, vessel counts and other attributes.

Addresses Legal Mandate

Raw/field data

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 4726, 09-09-2013 14:37

Subject to Public Access to Research Results (PARR): Yes

Peer Reviewed Publication: Holt et al. (2012). An investigation into sound use and behavior in a killer whale populatoin to inform passive acoustic sonar studies. Marine Mammal Science..

Peer Reviewed Publication: Holt, M.M., Noren, D., Veirs, V., Emmons, C., and Veirs, S. 2009. Speaking up: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) increase their call amplitude in response to vessel noise. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (JASA) Express Letters. 125: EL27-EL32..

Peer Reviewed Publication: Holt, M.M., Noren, D., and Emmons, C. 2011. The effects of noise levels and call types on the source levels of killer whale calls. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 130: 3100-3106..

Presentation: Holt, M.M., Noren, D., & Emmons, C. 2012. Does Vessel Noise Limit Foraging in Killer Whales? Pages 327-330. In A.N. Popper and A. Hawkins (eds.), The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 730. Springer, New York..

Tech Memo: Holt, M.M. 2008. Sound exposure and Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca): A review of current knowledge and data gaps. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-89, 59 p..

At this time, contact the Data Manager for information on obtaining access to this data set. In the near future, the NWFSC will strive to provide all non-sensitive data resources as a web service in order to meet the NOAA Data Access Policy Directive (https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/PD.DA.php).

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Spreadsheet

Medium

These data were collected and processed in accordance with established protocols and best practices under the direction of the project’s Principal Investigator. Contact the dataset Data Manager in section 3 for full QA/QC methodology.

No Delay

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center facilitates backup and recovery of all data and IT components which are managed by IT Operations through the capture of static (point-in-time) backup data to physical media. Once data is captured to physical media (every 1-3 days), a duplicate is made and routinely (weekly) transported to an offsite archive facility where it is maintained throughout the data's applicable life-cycle.

These data were collected and processed in accordance with established protocols and best practices under the direction of the project’s Principal Investigator. Contact the dataset Data Manager in section 3 for full QA/QC methodology.