Internet Explorer lacks support for the features of this website. For the best experience, please use a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.
Passive Acoustic Monitoring in the Southeast United States
We use innovative passive acoustic technologies to record ocean sounds, including those produced by whales and dolphins, in the Southeast region.
All marine mammals produce sounds underwater to navigate, hunt, and communicate with each other, and scientists can listen to these sounds to learn more about them. The Passive Acoustic Ecology Program at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center uses underwater recording instruments to listen to, record, and detect all types of sounds in the ocean, including the sounds produced by whales and dolphins (cetaceans). These recordings and detections of vocalizing cetaceans help us to understand their distribution, abundance, habitat use, seasonal and longer term movement patterns, and calling behavior. All of this information contributes to management and conservation efforts.
Image
Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) from the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: NOAA Fisheries (MMPA Permit No.779-1633)
We conduct large-scale short-term surveys using towed acoustic instruments during our ship-based offshore population assessments. We also conduct stationary long-term surveys using moored instruments that remain on the seafloor for long periods of time. These passive acoustic surveys are complementary to our visual surveys. They improve our ability to assess the population status of many marine mammal species inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico, the southeast U.S. waters of the North Atlantic, and the Caribbean.
Technologies We Use
Our scientists use a variety of passive acoustic technologies to record ocean sounds, including those produced by marine mammals.
During ship-based surveys, we may:
Tow a hydrophone array (underwater microphones) to record and localize sounds from toothed whales and dolphins (odontocetes)
Deploy animal-borne tags to understand call and dive behavior of marine mammals
For longer term monitoring of ocean and marine mammal sounds, we use moored autonomous acoustic recorders. They provide insights into marine mammal seasonal occurrence and distribution.
Research Projects
The Southeast Center conducts a variety of research using passive acoustic methods, in combination with other research methods, to assess populations and improve our understanding of cetaceans in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. waters of the North Atlantic.
Vessel-based surveys incorporate passive acoustic monitoring to add complementary information on whales and dolphins for a broader understanding of their ecology. Some examples of this include:
Passive acoustic monitoring requires specialized equipment and produces a lot of data. These data require computer intensive analyses to discover all the important information about marine mammals and their acoustic habitats contained in the underwater sound recordings. The Southeast Center collaborates with many institutions within and outside NOAA to help us achieve these goals.
Right whale #3853 swimming north offshore of South Carolina on Jan. 20, 2011 with a series of fresh propeller wounds running across its back. The whale was observed 5 days previously offshore of Georgia without propeller wounds. It is unknown whether the whale survived its wounds or not, as it has not been re-sighted since. Vessel collisions are a leading cause of right whale mortality. Credit: EcoHealth Alliance (NOAA permit #594-1759).
An oceanic whitetip shark swims near the surface of the water. Photo courtesy of John Carlson.
Right whale #3853 swimming north offshore of South Carolina on Jan. 20, 2011 with a series of fresh propeller wounds running across its back. The whale was observed 5 days previously offshore of Georgia without propeller wounds. It is unknown whether the whale survived its wounds or not, as it has not been re-sighted since. Vessel collisions are a leading cause of right whale mortality. Credit: EcoHealth Alliance (NOAA permit #594-1759).