overview of the ways that acoustic monitoring is being used by researchers and agencies to asses populations, guide policy, and monitor effects of human noise on wildlife

1. AESS Annual Meeting 2009 Environment: The Interdisciplinary Challenge Acoustic Habitats:Sound Monitoring and Effects on Wildlife Jim Cummings cummings@acousticecology.org AcousticEcology.org

2. Acoustic monitoring Sound budgets Effects of noise Future directions

3. Acoustic monitoringPopulation distribution studiesMany species far easier to hear than to see

4. Acoustic monitoringWho is present? Seasonal patterns? Annual changes? Aug to May Frog Calls, by Species Blue Whale Calls VaryThrough Feeding Season Elk Bugling Week by Week in Fall Annual variation

5. Acoustic monitoringStudying baseline behavior patternsin species of concern Beaked whales Especially sensitive to Navy sonar Dive and vocalizing patterns

6. Acoustic monitoringStudying baseline behavior patternsin species of concern Elephants Social interactions Long-range low frequency communication Habitat use / population distribution

7. Acoustic monitoringAgencies play key role NPS Internal Contractors Volunteers Navy Funding academics Instrumented ranges SOSUS data NOAA Research funding, regulatory oversight, international research coordination

8. Sound BudgetsWhat is the mix of natural and human sounds?Where/when are various sounds present? Hear more fromDenise Risch

9. Sound BudgetsBiophony: A measure of the health of habitat Hear more fromStuart Gage

10. Sound BudgetsIdentifying areas where “natural quiet” remains Desert parks: overflights, backcountry vehicles Antarctica: increasing cruise ships

11. Sound BudgetsIdentifying areas where “natural quiet” remains Current BC study: Popups recording ambient sound levels for several months in areas with different amounts of development, shipping

12. Sound BudgetsMetrics and Protocols for assessing noise impacts Key metrics: Percent Time Audible Noise-free interval Protocols: Observers and/or recordings, noting as they are audible: Vehicles Sources of natural sound:birds, water, wind, rain, etc. Voices of hikers Note: Data from 2000,before snowmobile limits Hear more fromFrank Turina

13. Effects of noise on wildlifeIncreasing scientific interest & regulatory scrutinySome behaviors/species affected at audibility/near ambientOthers seemingly more adaptable/resilient

14. Effects on terrestrial wildlifeAcoustic impacts on the research/regulatory agenda Initial intrusions into “natural quiet” Acoustic edge effects Interference with key behavior or exclusion from territory

15. Effects on terrestrial wildlifeMasking: Affects prey and predators Importance of sounds at limits of audibility: Moderate ambient background noise has measurable impact on animals’ energy budgets Lost opportunities Increased vigilance Can’t hear soft rustling of prey Work harder to hear predators approach

16. Effects of ocean noise5-10 yrs ago: physical impacts (injury/death)Very rare, but dramatic Sonar strandings spur public outcry and better Navy observation/mitigation procedures Much legal and research effort on apparent anomalies — yet serves to draw attention to these loud sounds, with deaths being just tip of iceberg

17. Effects of ocean noisePast 2-3 yrs: awareness of subtler behavioral effectsFar more common, widespread — larger long-term impacts New acoustic tags to record received levelsand how that changes dive profiles IMO, NMFS, EU address shipping noise Series of reports on behavioral responses to noise: IWC, DFO, EU, NOAA

18. Effects of ocean noiseShipping: Decreasing whale communication ranges Global background ambient rising3-5dB/decade 10x-100x increase since 1950 IMO ship quieting: loudest 10% —> 50-90% of total noise? NOAA Int’l Workshop/IWC target: 3dB reduction in 10 years

19. Effects of NoiseKey research questions and challenges Difficult research issues: data interpretation This chart compiles all studies of behavioral responses of baleen whales to airguns and sonar No cleardose-responseto noise 120dB: dramatic increase/concentration of fairly significant changes Yet also…. 150-160dB: responses range 0 to 7 on the severity scale 160+dB: severity of response clusters at 0 and 6

20. Effects of NoiseKey research questions and challenges Subtle yet high-impact physiological effects Synergistic effects Foraging disruptions 3x-higher energy cost (less energy intake) than energy spent in avoiding noise Noise-induced stress increases physiological effectsof toxins, nutritional deficits, etc.

21. Future Directions in Acoustic Monitoring Polar Bears Low-frequency construction noise in dens Freshwater fish Detecting species Population assessments

22. Future Directions in Acoustic Monitoring Wind Farms Identifying conditions that lead to clusters of complaints Topography / Geology Atmospheric conditions Setback distances

23. Future Directions in Acoustic Monitoring Ocean Gliders 1000-2500 km range Months on own at sea Easy, cheap platform for ocean sound budget research

24. Future Directions in Acoustic Monitoring Ever cheaper autonomous recording systems Flash-based recorders: low power, long field operation Improving automated call recognition algorithms Can add valuable acoustic perspective in many types of restoration projects, habitat studies

25. Thanks!NPSNOAAWCPRWWAONCOCRUSNAEUBWFAEDFOWDCSNRDCAESS Jew's/Judas/jelly earAuricularia auricula-judae Listen close, the sound gets better Gary Snyder, Mountains and Rivers Without End