[MARMAM] New publication: humpback calling, whale-watching impacts & the Covid pandemic
once again, seems like there was an issue with the text of this message a few days ago: Dear MARMAMers, My co-authors and I are pleased to share with you our new publication in Marine Ecology Progress Series "Impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale calling behavior on an Icelandic foraging ground during the Covid-19 pandemic" (https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v701/p159-173/). We have listened to an Icelandic foraging ground for humpback whales (Skjálfandi Bay) before and during the Covid pandemic. Interestingly, it wasn't much quieter over all during the pandemic, but we could still here the whales a lot more often. We had the opportunity to show, that the whales seem to call less often when there is vessel noise around. If you want to know more, check out the abstract below and email me (amelie-la...@gmx.de) if you would like a copy of the paper. TITLE: Impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale calling behavior on an Icelandic foraging ground during the Covid-19 pandemic AUTHORS: Amelie Laute, Thomas J. Grove, Marianne H. Rasmussen, Adam Smith, Olli Loisa, Michelle E. H. Fournet ABSTRACT: Whale-watching vessels contribute to elevated ambient sound levels in marine habitats. The reduction in maritime tourism activities during the Covid-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity to study the acoustic response of marine mammals to noise associated with whale-watching activities. In this study, we used acoustic recordings, visual observations, and Automatic Identification System data to determine the changes in humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae calling behavior associated with whale-watching vessels on a foraging ground in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland. We compared pre-pandemic summer months (2018) with pandemic (2020) conditions to quantify reductions in vessel activity and determine changes in calling behavior. Broadband ambient sound pressure levels were low in both years (median ~90 dBRMS (25-1300 Hz) re 1 µPa). During the Covid-19 pandemic (2020), the number of whale-watching trips was reduced by 68.6%. The number of humpback whale call detections increased nearly 2-fold. Ambient sound pressure levels stayed the same. We found that humpback whales reduce their calling effort in the presence of vessel sound independent of the overall ambient sound. As whale-watching vessel traffic rebounds and continues to grow, demonstrating behavioral responses should inform management plans such as vessel codes of conduct and marine spatial planning. Best Amelie Laute (amelie-la...@gmx.de) ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] New publication: Acoustic identification and classification of four dolphin species in the Brazilian marine area affected by the largest tailings dam failure disaster.
Dear MARMAM community, On behalf of my co-authors I am pleased to announce the following publication in JASA: Amorim, T.O.S., Castro, F.R., Ferreira, G.A., Neri, F.M., Duque, B.R., Mura, J.P., Andriolo, A. (2022). "Acoustic identification and classification of four dolphin species in the Brazilian marine area affected by the largest tailings dam failure disaster", The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (Vol.152, Issue 6). You can find the article here: https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0016358 Abstract Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is an increasingly used technique to access the occurrence, distribution, and abundance of cetaceans that may be visually unavailable most of the time. The largest tailings dam failure disaster occurred on 5 November 2015, when the Fundão dam collapsed, releasing over 50 million cubic meters of tailings into the Doce River basin; 14 days later, the tailings plume reached the Atlantic Ocean. PAM was implemented in the concerned area and cetacean species were acoustically identified. Whistles and clicks of visual and acoustic matches were used to predict and classify exclusive acoustic records through random forest models. The identified species were Guiana, rough-toothed, and bottlenose dolphins. Additionally, the franciscana, the most threatened cetacean in the western South Atlantic Ocean, was also acoustically identified. The whistle classifier had 86.9% accuracy with final frequency, duration, and maximum frequency ranked as the most important parameters. The clicks classifier had 86.7% accuracy with peak frequency and 3 dB bandwidth as the most important parameters for classifying species. Considering the potential effect of the increase in turbidity on sound transmission, such as attenuation, the presented classifier should be continuously improved with novel data collected from long-term acoustic monitoring. Please feel free to email me at amo...@aqualie.org for a pdf copy. Kind regards, Thiago Amorim * Programa de Pós Graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza - Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. Laboratório de Bioacústica e Ecologia Comportamental - LABEC Instituto Aqualie http://www.aqualie.org.br ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Postdoctoral fellowship in network ecology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
Dear Colleagues, We invite candidates to apply for the Earth Commons Postdoctoral Fellowship in collaboration with the research groups of Shweta Bansal, Janet Mann, and Lisa Singh. To read more about this position, see here: https://apply.interfolio.com/116657. Successful applicants will develop statistical network models using highly-resolved social data from two long-term bottlenose dolphin studies to understand the impact of anthropogenic stressors and reverse zoonotic disease risk. The ideal candidate has a Ph.D. in ecology, or a related field with previous experience in statistical or dynamical modeling of networks preferred. Georgetown University is a vibrant scientific community, and the successful applicant will be afforded many opportunities for professional development. Washington D.C. offers a rich cultural and intellectual life in the heart of the U.S. domestic and international policy scene. Georgetown University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Fellowship applicants must submit a CV, cover letter, and brief abstract at the link above by December 22nd. Following the initial review, a small number of applications will be invited to submit a full proposal in early Spring. Applicants should reach out to Shweta Bansal ( shweta.ban...@georgetown.edu) or Janet Mann (man...@georgetown.edu) to discuss project ideas before submission. ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
