Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School Marine
Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School Marine Bioacoustics course, FHL July 31 - August 1, 2007 Scott Veirs | scott@beamreach. org | (206) 251 -5554
• My background – – Stanford Earth Systems, 1992 MS, UW Oceanography, 1997 SFSU (web) and SEA (boat), 1999 Ph. D, UW Oceanography, 2003 • Beam Reach history – Founded 2003; Fall 2005 & 2006 terms – Environmental, Northwest, boat-based school
Talk with me if you’re interested in studying or teaching with Beam Reach! Outline • • • Lecture 1: Fixed and towed hydrophone arrays Lecture 2: Killer whales and the ESA Lecture 3: Orca bioacoustics and soundscape
Fixed and towed arrays • 1 fixed hydrophone (directional) • 2 fixed hydrophones (“ears”) • 3+ fixed hydrophones – Orcasound – Au+ • Towed arrays – Flow noise – Cable noise – Signal processing
Talk with me if you’re interested in studying or teaching with Beam Reach! Outline • • • Lecture 1: Fixed and towed hydrophone arrays Lecture 2: Killer whales and the ESA Lecture 3: Orca bioacoustics and soundscape
Whale sail video • Friday, October 21, 2005 • SE of Victoria, headed ENE • 1 ITC hydrophone towed at 4. 8 kt under sail • Filmed/edited by Brett • Science with integrity?
Killer whales: Orcinus orca • • • Distributed world-wide Matriarchal pods Specialized group foraging Fe/males live >50 y, 30 y Sexual dimorphism – males larger – 2 m tall dorsal fin • Sexual maturity at 10 -15 y, menopause at ~40 y • 17 mo gestation; 18 mo nursing • ~5 calves/reproductive female, but infant mortality ~50%
North Pacific ecotypes • Offshores – Squid, sharks, ? ? • Transients – Marine mammals • Residents (2000? ) – – – Western AK Prince Williams Southeast AK Northern Southern Courtesy Lynne Barre, NOAA
Distinct phenotypes and scars Killer Whales, Bigg et al.
Frequency (Hz) Distinct dialects (acoustic clans) Time • semi-stable through time • SR’s have 1 clan, NR 3 and SAR 2
Southern residents – – – 70 -125+ whales Photo-identification enabled census since ~1970 3 or 4 pods (J, K, L, and maybe L 10) Inter-pod breeding, superpods, ceremonies Chinook salmon, bottom fish • What evidence? • Scales, stomach, DNA, POPs, cams, TDR – ~32 calls in unique dialect – Salish Sea in Apr-Oct; winter distribution unknown
SRKW population dynamics • Pre-census history: – ‘Hunted’ by military and fishers, 1945 -1967 – Aquarium trade capture 1965 -1972 – Then K~125; Now N=86. • Risk factors: – Catastrophe (oil, disease) – Vessel interactions – Prey availability – Persistant pollutants
Listing as endangered “species” • May 2001: Population decline inspires CBD petition • A distinct population segment (DPS)? – Genetically distinct (beyond taxonomy) – Unique niche (fish, not mammals) – Culturally unique (range, behaviors, & dialect) • Dec 2005 listed; critical habitat being defined… • A novel test of the ESA? – Primary prey is also an endangered icon (Chinook+)
Talk with me if you’re interested in studying or teaching with Beam Reach! Outline • • • Lecture 1: Fixed and towed hydrophone arrays Lecture 2: Killer whales and the ESA Lecture 3: Orca bioacoustics and soundscape
Ceremony video: sonic culture? • • October 4, 2005, ~ 5 pm West side of San Juan Island 2 ITC hydrophones, 3 m depth Parts of J and L pod Laura Madden, 2005
Southern resident sound gallery • Calls (S 1, S 16, S 19) • Echolocation • Whistles • • Harbor seals SCUBA divers Transients Humpbacks • Ships • Boats • Sonar • • Rain Pile driving Seismic… Masking?
Beam Reach research • Student projects – Laura Madden, 2005: Diurnal vocal activity – Brett Becker, 2005: Puget Soundscape – Peggy Foreman, 2006: Localized calls • Development of hydrophone networks – Calibrated levels of sources – Ambient noise monitoring – Automated sound detection (winter distribution)
Vocal patterns I (Laura M. )
Vocal patterns II (Laura M. )
Vocal activity over 1 hr (Laura M. )
Puget Soundscape (Brett) Explore via link at http: //beamreach. org/051/
Call localization (Peggy F. )
Results from a regional hydrophone network
Proven monitoring system • Monitors continuously Hydrophones: ITC-4066 • Detects and records automatically Bandwidth: 100 Hz – 15 k. Hz • Computes statistical summaries Digitizing rate: 44, 100 sec-1 Averaging time: 2 seconds • Localizes sound sources Reporting interval: 30 minutes
Extant and proposed nodes in Haro Strait Collaboration with Val Veirs (Colorado College/TWM) 4+ phones, ~30 m offshore, ~10 m depth Calibrated to measure sound pressure levels 5+ year lifetimes 18+ months (4/0411/05)results Orcasound Lime Kiln Victoria Haro Strait San Juan Island
How loud are the calls of southern residents? 445 orca calls within 400 m of Orca. Sound hydrophones Source level bandwidth: 100 Hz – 10 k. Hz
24 hours of ambient sound in Haro Strait 24 hrs
Winter ambient sound Jan 11 – Jan 13, 2005 Day date Night 1/11 d. B 120 100 120 1/12 100 120 1/13 100 8 am 8 pm ~ 20 Large Commercial Ships Pass Each Day 8 am
Summer ambient sound Day date Jul 03 – Jul 06, 2004 Night d. B 120 7/3 100 120 7/4 100 120 7/5 100 120 7/6 100 8 am 8 pm Recreational boats dominate during day 8 am Commercial ships dominate at night
Monthly pattern of ambient noise June 2004 – November 2005
Diurnal pattern of ambient Non-summer is October-April | Summer is July-August noise
Conclusions about ambient noise in Haro Strait • Overall SPL: minimum ~95 d. B; average ~115 d. B. • Typical maximum SPL~130 d. B; maximum~144. • Ships are dominant source during winters and during summer nights (raising average ~20 d. B above minimum). • Boats make significant contribution during summer days (raise average by ~2 d. B during summer afternoons)
EXTRA SLIDES
Future research: expand the hydrophone network Testing node at Port Townsend Marine Science Center [link] Deploying node at Seattle Aquarium in Elliot Bay USGS
Call duration (Celia B. ) Perhaps SRKWs don’t modify their calls significantly in response to vessel noise? S 1
Echolocation rate (Wilfredo S. ) 1. Foraging 10 min sample (Oct. 6) Avg: 416. 2 clicks/min Max: 582 clicks/min 2. Traveling 10 min sample (Oct. 21) Avg: 15. 5 clicks/min Max: 28 clicks/min 3. Rare pattern of clicks observed during foraging, not traveling
- Slides: 36