Responses of Whales to Experimental Playback of Low Frequency Sound from the Navy SURTASS LFA
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to characterize the responses of whales to experimental playback of low frequency sounds from the SURTASS LFA sound source. The study involved three different field studies: the first phase involved fin and blue whales feeding in the Southern California Bight, the second phase involved gray whales migrating past the California coast and the third phase involved humpback whales singing offshore of the Big island of Hawaii. Observers on shore and on the source vessel tracked the movement patterns of whale groups with respect to the sound source. Fin and blue whales and singing humpback whales were followed by an observation vessel and tracked acoustically in order to monitor vocal responses to playback. We have presented preliminary results from each phase in several meetings and in quick look reports (the quick look report for phase III is just being completed). The remaining tasks for next year are completing analyses and writing up results for submission to peer reviewed scientific journals.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 24, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA353341
Entities
People
- Peter Tyack
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution