Development and Field testing of the DTAG for Deep-Diving Odontocetes
Abstract
This project has focused on developing reliable archival tags for short term (hours to day scale) non-invasive attachment. A specific goal has been to sample the orientation, depth, and sound environment of a tagged whale in sufficient detail as to be able to reconstruct its sub-surface movements at the scale of individual fluke-strokes. By recording orientation and sound synchronously and storing the data in a digital format, the relative timing of sounds and movements can be established with precision. A flexible hardware interface on the DTAG allows new physiological and movement sensors to be incorporated into the device as their level of integration makes it practical to do so. A key design decision has been to develop the tag as a fully integrated device avoiding the use of commercial sub-systems such as the widely-used Tattletail series of single-board computers. This has led to a device with dramatically improved capability and reliability as compared to currently-available tagging devices. An open and extensible set of data analysis tools written in the industry standard mathematical environment MATLAB provide powerful ways to visualize the multi-dimensional data collected by the tag. Tools for quality assurance have been developed hand-in-hand with the analysis tools to ensure data fidelity at each level. In the course of developing and field testing the DTAG, tags have been applied to a range of deep diving odontocetes, as well. as other marine mammal species. This has resulted in a substantial baseline data set archived in digital form at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This data not only sheds light on the foraging and social ecology of these traditionally difficult to study animals but provides a reference point for establishing the significance of any responses found in controlled sound exposure studies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 12, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA441195
Entities
People
- Mark P. Johnson
- Peter Tyack
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution