Kernel density estimation of conditional distributions to detect responses in satellite tag data
Abstract
As levels of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment rise, it is crucial to quantify potential associated effects on marine mammals. Yet measuring responses is challenging because most species spend the majority of their time submerged. Consequently, much of their sub-surface behavior is difficult or impossible to observe and it can be difficult to determine if—during or following an exposure to sound—an observed dive differs from previously recorded dives. We propose a method for initial assessment of potential behavioral responses observed during controlled exposure experiments (CEEs), in which animals are intentionally exposed to anthropogenic sound sources. To identify possible behavioral responses in dive data collected from satellite-linked time–depth recorders, and to inform the selection and parameters for subsequent individual and population-level response analyses, we propose to use kernel density estimates of conditional distributions for quantitative comparison of pre- and post-exposure behavior.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Sep 27, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1186/s40317-022-00299-7
Entities
People
- Alan E. Gelfand
- Brandon L. Southall
- Joshua Hewitt
- Nicola J. Quick
- Robert S Schick
- Stacy L. DeRuiter
- William R Cioffi
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy