A remotely-piloted acoustic array for studying sperm whale vocal behaviour

Authors

  • Tyler Schulz Dept. of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4J1, Canada
  • Hal Whitehead Dept. of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4J1, Canada
  • Luke Rendell Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St. Andrew's, Fife, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom

Keywords:

Acoustic noise, Hydrophones, Sailing vessels, Remotely-piloted vessels (RPV), Sperm whales, Time-of-arrival-differences (TOAD)

Abstract

The vocal behavior of sperm whales was investigated using a remotely-piloted acoustic array. Acoustic array consisting of remotely-piloted vessels (RPVs) and hydrophones was deployed from a stationary 12-m sailboat and positioned as to form a favorable array geometry around a group of sperm whales. Two metal pipes were suspended from a wood plank with a distance of 1.5 m between them and hung over the sides of dinghy. The dinghy was rowed through the array and a hammer was used to strike the pipes to generate impulsive sound sources of different frequencies. Using time-of-arrival-differences (TOADs) between hydrophones, the position of GPS receivers, and the speed of sound in water, the location of a detected sound was calculated. It was observed that the hydrophone of RPV offered accurate estimate of the sound source's location. Result shows that the acoustic array offer an accuracy of 0.5 m within the array for differentiating the coda vocalizations exchanged between sperm whales.

Additional Files

Published

2006-12-01

How to Cite

1.
Schulz T, Whitehead H, Rendell L. A remotely-piloted acoustic array for studying sperm whale vocal behaviour. Canadian Acoustics [Internet]. 2006 Dec. 1 [cited 2024 Apr. 19];34(4):54-5. Available from: https://jcaa.caa-aca.ca/index.php/jcaa/article/view/1863

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 4 (2006)

Section

Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada

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