Abstract

Passive acoustic monitoring of ocean soundscapes can provide information on ecosystem status for those tasked with protecting marine resources. In 2015, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established a long-term, continuous, low-frequency (10 Hz-2 kHz) passive acoustic monitoring site in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (CBNMS), located offshore of the central United States of America (U.S.) west coast, near San Francisco, CA. The California Current flows southward along the coast in this area, supporting a diverse community of marine animals, including several baleen whale species. Acoustic data analysis revealed that both large vessels and vocalizing baleen whales contribute to the ambient soundscape of the CBNMS. Sound levels fluctuated by month with the highest levels in the fall and lowest levels in the summer. Throughout the year, very low-frequency (10-100 Hz) sound levels were most variable. Vessels and whales overlap in their contributions to ambient sound levels within this range, although vessel contributions were more omnipresent, while seasonal peaks were associated with vocalizing whales. This characterization of low-frequency ambient sound levels in the CBNMS establishes initial baselines for an important component of this site's underwater soundscape. Standardized monitoring of soundscapes directly supports NOAA's ability to evaluate and report on conditions within national marine sanctuaries.

Highlights

  • The soundscape of an underwater environment is composed of acoustic contributions from biotic and abiotic natural sources, and often includes sounds generated by anthropogenic activities; these latter sources may be harmful to sound-sensitive species (Erbe et al, 2019; Popper and Hawkins, 2019; Williams et al, 2015)

  • Acoustic data analysis revealed that both large vessels and vocalizing baleen whales contribute to the ambient soundscape of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (CBNMS)

  • Between 50 Hz and 2 kHz, sound level variations were generally broadband. The exceptions to this consistency were the increased sound levels observed at $60 and $80 Hz from September to December, which were likely driven by blue whale vocalizations (B-call harmonics and A-calls, respectively), as well as between 200 and 500 Hz from November to January, which were driven by humpback whale song (Figs. 2 and 3)

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Summary

Introduction

The soundscape of an underwater environment is composed of acoustic contributions from biotic and abiotic natural sources, and often includes sounds generated by anthropogenic activities; these latter sources may be harmful to sound-sensitive species (Erbe et al, 2019; Popper and Hawkins, 2019; Williams et al, 2015). Data collected through long-term passive acoustic monitoring efforts can provide critical information about the status of an ecosystem and help record changes over time to inform those tasked with protecting marine resources (Buxton et al, 2019; Hatch et al, 2016; Van Parijs et al, 2015)

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