Dynamics of soundscape in a shallow water marine environment: A study of the habitat of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
Journal
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Journal Volume
137
Journal Issue
5
Pages
2939-2949
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Abstract
The underwater acoustic field is an important ecological element for many aquatic animals. This research examines the soundscape of a critically endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population in the shallow water environment off the west coast of Taiwan. Underwater acoustic recordings were conducted between late spring and late fall in 2012 at Yunlin (YL), which is close to a shipping lane, and Waisanding (WS), which is relatively pristine. Site-specific analyses were performed on the dynamics of the temporal and spectral acoustic characteristics for both locations. The results highlight the dynamics of the soundscape in two major octave bands: 150-300z and 1.2-2.4z. The acoustic energy in the former frequency band is mainly associated with passing container vessels near YL, while the latter frequency band is from sonic fish chorus at nighttime in both recording sites. In addition, large variation of low frequency acoustic energy throughout the study period was noticed at WS, where the water depths ranged between 1.5 and 4.5 depending on tidal cycle. This phenomenon suggests that besides certain sound sources in the environment, the coastal soundscape may also be influenced by its local bathymetry and the dynamics of the physical environment. © 2015 Acoustical Society of America.
SDGs
Other Subjects
Acoustic fields; Animals; Dolphins (structures); Dynamics; Frequency bands; Tidal power; Acoustic characteristic; Critically endangered; Humpback dolphins; Latter frequency; Low frequency acoustic; Marine environment; Physical environments; Shallow water environment; Underwater acoustics; water; acoustics; adverse effects; animal; dolphin; ecosystem; endangered species; environmental monitoring; motion; noise; procedures; season; signal processing; sound; sound detection; time factor; Acoustics; Animals; Dolphins; Ecosystem; Endangered Species; Environmental Monitoring; Motion; Noise; Seasons; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Sound; Sound Spectrography; Time Factors; Water
Type
journal article