The Lombard effect in singing humpback whales: Source levels increase as ambient ocean noise levels increase.

Many animals increase the intensity of their vocalizations in increased noise. This response is known as the Lombard effect. While some previous studies about cetaceans report a 1 dB increase in the source level (SL) for every dB increase in the background noise level (NL), more recent data have not supported this compensation ability. The purpose of this study was to calculate the SLs of humpback whale song units recorded off Hawaii and test for a relationship between these SLs and background NLs. Opportunistic recordings during 2012-2017 were used to detect and track 524 humpback whale encounters comprised of 83 974 units on the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility hydrophones. Received levels were added to their estimated transmission losses to calculate SLs. Humpback whale song units had a median SL of 173 dB re 1 µPa at 1 m, and SLs increased by 0.53 dB/1 dB increase in background NLs. These changes occurred in real time on hourly and daily time scales. Increases in ambient noise could reduce male humpback whale communication space in the important breeding area off Hawaii. Since these vocalization changes may be dependent on location or behavioral state, more work is needed at other locations and with other species.

Dolphin echo-delay resolution measured with a jittered-echo paradigm.

Biosonar echo delay resolution was investigated in four bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using a "jittered" echo paradigm, where dolphins discriminated between electronic echoes with fixed delay and those whose delay alternated (jittered) on successive presentations. The dolphins performed an echo-change detection task and produced a conditioned acoustic response when detecting a change from non-jittering echoes to jittering echoes. Jitter delay values ranged from 0 to 20 µs. A passive listening task was also conducted, where dolphins listened to simulated echoes and produced a conditioned acoustic response when signals changed from non-jittering to jittering. Results of the biosonar task showed a mean jitter delay threshold of 1.3 µs and secondary peaks in error functions suggestive of the click autocorrelation function. When echoes were jittered in polarity and delay, error functions shifted by approximately 5 µs and all dolphins discriminated echoes that jittered only in polarity. Results were qualitatively similar to those from big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and indicate that the dolphin biosonar range estimator is sensitive to echo phase information. Results of the passive listening task suggested that the dolphins could not passively detect changes in timing and polarity of simulated echoes.

Lombard effect: Minke whale boing call source levels vary with natural variations in ocean noise.

Minke whales were acoustically detected, localized, and tracked on the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility from 2012 to 2017. Animal source levels (SLs) were estimated by adding transmission loss estimates to measured received levels of 42 159 individual minke whale boings. Minke whales off Hawaii exhibited the Lombard effect in that they increased their boing call intensity in increased background noise. Minke whales also decreased the variance of the boing call SL in higher background noise levels. Although the whales partially compensated for increasing background noise, they were unable or unwilling to increase their SLs by the same amount as the background noise. As oceans become louder, this reduction in communication space could negatively impact the health of minke whale populations. The findings in this study also have important implications for acoustic animal density studies, which may use SL to estimate probability of detection.

Active downward propulsion by oyster larvae in turbulence.

Oyster larvae (Crassostrea virginica) could enhance their settlement success by moving toward the seafloor in the strong turbulence associated with coastal habitats. We characterized the behavior of individual oyster larvae in grid-generated turbulence by measuring larval velocities and flow velocities simultaneously using infrared particle image velocimetry. We estimated larval behavioral velocities and propulsive forces as functions of the kinetic energy dissipation rate ε, strain rate γ, vorticity ξ and acceleration α. In calm water most larvae had near-zero vertical velocities despite propelling themselves upward (swimming). In stronger turbulence all larvae used more propulsive force, but relative to the larval axis, larvae propelled themselves downward (diving) instead of upward more frequently and more forcefully. Vertical velocity magnitudes of both swimmers and divers increased with turbulence, but the swimming velocity leveled off as larvae were rotated away from their stable, velum-up orientation in strong turbulence. Diving speeds rose steadily with turbulence intensity to several times the terminal fall velocity in still water. Rapid dives may require a switch from ciliary swimming to another propulsive mode such as flapping the velum, which would become energetically efficient at the intermediate Reynolds numbers attained by larvae in strong turbulence. We expected larvae to respond to spatial or temporal velocity gradients, but although the diving frequency changed abruptly at a threshold acceleration, the variation in propulsive force and behavioral velocity was best explained by the dissipation rate. Downward propulsion could enhance oyster larval settlement by raising the probability of larval contact with oyster reef patches.

Migrating eastern North Pacific gray whale call and blow rates estimated from acoustic recordings, infrared camera video, and visual sightings.

During the eastern North Pacific gray whale 2014-2015 southbound migration, acoustic call recordings, infrared blow detections, and visual sightings were combined to estimate cue rates, needed to convert detections into abundance. The gray whale acoustic call rate ranged from 2.3-24 calls/whale/day during the peak of the southbound migration with an average of 7.5 calls/whale/day over both the southbound and northbound migrations. The average daily calling rate increased between 30 December-13 February. With a call rate model, we estimated that 4,340 gray whales migrated south before visual observations began on 30 December, which is 2,829 more gray whales than used in the visual estimate, and would add approximately 10% to the abundance estimate. We suggest that visual observers increase their survey effort to all of December to document gray whale presence. The infrared camera blow rate averaged 49 blows/whale/hour over 5-8 January. Probability of detection of a whale blow by the infrared camera was the same at night as during the day. However, probability of detection decreased beyond 2.1 km offshore, whereas visual sightings revealed consistent whale densities up to 3 km offshore. We suggest that future infrared camera surveys use multiple cameras optimised for different ranges offshore.

Migratory behavior of eastern North Pacific gray whales tracked using a hydrophone array.

Eastern North Pacific gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling from their summer feeding areas in the Bering and Chukchi Seas to their wintering areas in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Although a significant body of knowledge on gray whale biology and behavior exists, little is known about their vocal behavior while migrating. In this study, we used a sparse hydrophone array deployed offshore of central California to investigate how gray whales behave and use sound while migrating. We detected, localized, and tracked whales for one full migration season, a first for gray whales. We verified and localized 10,644 gray whale M3 calls and grouped them into 280 tracks. Results confirm that gray whales are acoustically active while migrating and their swimming and acoustic behavior changes on daily and seasonal time scales. The seasonal timing of the calls verifies the gray whale migration timing determined using other methods such as counts conducted by visual observers. The total number of calls and the percentage of calls that were part of a track changed significantly over both seasonal and daily time scales. An average calling rate of 5.7 calls/whale/day was observed, which is significantly greater than previously reported migration calling rates. We measured a mean speed of 1.6 m/s and quantified heading, direction, and water depth where tracks were located. Mean speed and water depth remained constant between night and day, but these quantities had greater variation at night. Gray whales produce M3 calls with a root mean square source level of 156.9 dB re 1 µPa at 1 m. Quantities describing call characteristics were variable and dependent on site-specific propagation characteristics.