Estimating the Density of Blainville's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) in the Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) Using Passive Acoustics

Abstract

Techniques to detect and localize marine mammals including Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) using the bottom-mounted hydrophones of the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center have been developed. A series of verification tests using these passive acoustics techniques to determine the presence and position of vocalizing animals are being conducted. These acoustic 'sightings' are verified by a team of surface observers. Based on Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution tag data and the ongoing verification tests, vocalizations associated with M. densirostris appear to be distinct in type, frequency, and repetition rate. Group size estimates have been derived from these tests and from previous long-term observations. By acoustically mapping the distribution of animals and applying estimates of average group size an initial density estimate for M. densirostris is derived.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA494832

Entities

People

  • D. Moretti
  • J. Ward
  • N. Dimarzio
  • R. Morrissey
  • S. Jarvis

Organizations

  • Naval Undersea Warfare Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustics
  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Energy Bands
  • Hydrophones
  • Mammals
  • Marine Mammals
  • Oceans
  • Odontocetes
  • Statistics
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Tongue Of The Ocean
  • Verification Tests

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Marine Mammal Biology