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Tracking sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) dive profiles using a towed passive acoustic array.

¹Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California 92093-0205, USA. thode@mpl.ucsd.edu

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

|August 7, 2004

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This study presents a passive acoustic method for tracking sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) dive profiles using hydrophones. The technique analyzes sound reflections to determine whale depth and range, aiding marine mammal research and seismic survey mitigation.

Area of Science:

Marine Biology
Acoustics
Bioacoustics

Background:

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) dive behavior is crucial for understanding their ecology.
Tracking dive profiles traditionally requires complex equipment and data processing.
Passive acoustic monitoring offers a non-invasive approach to study marine mammals.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a passive acoustic method for tracking sperm whale dive profiles.
To simplify data processing for sperm whale acoustic data analysis.
To provide a tool for both fundamental research and real-time mitigation strategies.

Main Methods:

Utilizing two or three hydrophones in vertical or towed arrays.
Analyzing relative arrival times of direct and surface-reflected acoustic paths.

Related Experiment Videos

Independently measuring hydrophone depths for accurate localization.

Employing ship noise for time-aligning acoustic data in towed array deployments.

Validating results with single-hydrophone localizations using ocean bottom reflections.

Main Results:

Successful tracking of sperm whale dive profiles using the passive acoustic method.
Demonstrated effectiveness of surface reflection analysis for determining animal range and depth.
Experimental validation from deployments in the Gulf of Mexico (2002, 2003).
Simplified data processing through automated analysis of acoustic paths.

Conclusions:

The passive acoustic method provides an efficient way to track sperm whale dive profiles.
This technique reduces the number of hydrophones needed and enhances automation.
The method has potential applications in marine mammal research and seismic airgun survey mitigation.