mapping the southern residents’ acoustic habitat increasing awareness of anthropogenic noise brett...
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Mapping the Southern Residents’
Acoustic Habitat
Mapping the Southern Residents’
Acoustic Habitat
Increasing awareness of anthropogenic noise
Brett BeckerBellingham, Washington
Increasing awareness of anthropogenic noise
Brett BeckerBellingham, Washington
Recent studies on sound in the marine
environment
Recent studies on sound in the marine
environment
• Significant amount of research is being done attempting to characterize human made marine noise and its effects on sea creatures.
• Workshop on the Effects of Anthropogenic Noise in the Marine Environment (Gisner 1998)
Oceans of Noise: A Whale Dolphin Conservation report (Simmonds, Dolman & Weilgart 2004)
What is Anthropogenic
noise?
What is Anthropogenic
noise?• Human pollution of the acoustic
environment is on the rise in recent decades.
• Industrial noise.
• Noise ordinance laws reflect general cultural dissatisfaction with increased levels of noise pollution.
What else do humans have to add?
Interactive research
Interactive research
• Peter Beamish
• “Rhythm Based Communication” (RBC)
• Jim Nolman
• Music as a means to inter-species communication
• David Dunn
Humans are a part of the larger “eco-systemic mental structure”
Effects of noise on humans
Effects of noise on humans
• Increased stress hormones
• Higher blood pressure
• Learned helplessness
Masking
Sound in waterSound in water
• Sound travels 5 times as fast in water than in air
• Electromagnetic waves like light do not travel well in water
Underwater organisms rely on sound waves the way we do light waves.
Passive use of sound by marine fauna
Passive use of sound by marine fauna
• Detection of predators
• location and detection of prey.
• Proximity perception of co-species in school
• Perception of changing environmental conditions
“Acoustic illumination” akin to daylight vision
Active use of sound by marine fauna
Active use of sound by marine fauna
• Communication with co-species for breeding and feeding.
• Territorial and social relations
• Echolocation
• Stunning and apprehending prey
• Alarm calls
• Long distance navigation
Defense
Sources of anthropogenic
noise
Sources of anthropogenic
noise• Vessel traffic (tankers, cargo, fishing, whale
watching, recreational)
• “single largest contributor to the total acoustic budget of the ocean” (Gisner 1998)
• Other sources• Sonar• Seismic surveys• Drilling, Pile Driving
Explosions
attempts to map noise
attempts to map noise
• Tend to visual orientation
• Tend to limit focus to physical properties properties of sound (intensity, frequency)
• Limits
• Easily forgotten
Over simplification
frequency mapfrequency map
Loudness mapLoudness map
New tools for a new day
New tools for a new day
• Listening is important
• Provides direction experience
• Presents whole acoustic ecosystem
• Internet & satellite GPS
Help create ‘global village’
Puget Soundscape map
Puget Soundscape map• Integrates actual recordings
• Locates recordings in GPS coordinates
• Available for all anthros with internet
Allows for further recordings to be added
the processthe process• Utilized all recordings made by crew
• Files selection technique• sample as microcosm• 30 seconds• mp3 compression
Google Maps API
The mapThe map
http://homepage.mac.com/brettbecker/soundscape/pugetsoundscape.html
What i heardWhat i heard
• There is a massive amount of boat noise out there
• It is monotonous
• Low information content
People are unaware of or have grown apathetic of noise pollution
The message = hope
The message = hope
• Increases global awareness of marine noise
• public awareness = noise ordinance?
• Remember the other higher life forms
• Listen more
What are we contributing to global chorus?