Document type
Journal articles
Document subtype
Full paper
Title
Source Levels of 20 Hz Fin Whale Notes Measured as Sound Pressure and Particle Velocity from Ocean-Bottom Seismometers in the North Atlantic
Participants in the publication
Andreia Pereira (Author)
IDL
Miriam Romagosa (Author)
Carlos Corela (Author)
Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749–016, Lisboa, Portugal
IDL
IDL
Mónica A. Silva (Author)
Luis Matias (Author)
Dep. Engenharia Geográfica, Geofísica e Energia
IDL
Summary
Source level is one factor that determines the effectiveness of animal signal transmissions and their acoustic communication active space. Ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) are platforms of opportunity to monitor marine species because they record data as pressure fluctuations in the water using a hydrophone and/or as particle velocity of the seabed using a seismometer. This study estimates source levels of 20 Hz fin whale notes recorded simultaneously in these two OBS channels and in two areas of the North Atlantic (Azores and southwest Portugal). It also discusses factors contributing to the variability of the estimates, namely geographical (deployment areas), instrumental (recording channels and sample size), and temporal factors (month of detected notes, inter-note interval, and diving duration). The average source level was 196.9 dB re 1 µPa m for the seismometer (derived from particle velocity measurements) and 186.7 dB re 1 µPa m for the hydrophone. Variability was associated with sample size, instrumental characteristics, acoustic propagation, and month of recordings. Source level estimates were very consistent throughout sequences, and there was no indication of geographical differences. Understanding what causes variation in animal sound source levels provides insights into the function of sounds and helps to assess the potential effects of increasing anthropogenic noise.
Date of Submisson/Request
2021-05-07
Date of Acceptance
2021-06-08
Date of Publication
2021-06-10
Institution
Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749–016, Lisboa, Portugal
Where published
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Publication Identifiers
ISSN - 2077-1312
Edition
9
Volume
6
Number
646
Number of pages
15
Starting page
1
Last page
15
Document Identifiers
DOI -
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9060646
Rankings
SCOPUS Q2 (2019) - 1.8 - Ocean Engineering
SCIMAGO Q2 (2019) - 0.544 - Ocean Engineering (Q2)
Keywords
geophysical instruments
bioacoustics of marine mammals
underwater acoustic propagation
animal communication
geophysical instruments
bioacoustics of marine mammals
underwater acoustic propagation
animal communication
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