Using accelerometers to determine the calling behavior of tagged baleen whales
Author
Goldbogen, J.A.
Stimpert, A.K.
DeRuiter, S.L.
Calambokidis, J.
Friedlaender, A.S.
Schorr, G.S.
Moretti, D.J.
Tyack, P.L.
Southall, B.L.
Date
2014Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Low-frequency acoustic signals generated by baleen whales can
propagate over vast distances, making the assignment of calls to
specific individuals problematic. Here, we report the novel use of
acoustic recording tags equipped with high-resolution accelerometers
to detect vibrations from the surface of two tagged fin whales that
directly match the timing of recorded acoustic signals. A tag deployed
on a buoy in the vicinity of calling fin whales and a recording from a
tag that had just fallen off a whale were able to detect calls
acoustically but did not record corresponding accelerometer signals
that were measured on calling individuals. Across the hundreds of
calls measured on two tagged fin whales, the accelerometer
response was generally anisotropic across all three axes, appeared
to depend on tag placement and increased with the level of received
sound. These data demonstrate that high-sample rate accelerometry
can provide important insights into the acoustic behavior of baleen
whales that communicate at low frequencies. This method helps
identify vocalizing whales, which in turn enables the quantification of
call rates, a fundamental component of models used to estimate
baleen whale abundance and distribution from passive acoustic
monitoring.
Description
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.103259
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
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