30 research outputs found
An automated, real time classification system for biological and anthropogenic sounds from fixed ocean observatories
The automated, real time classification of acoustic events in the marine
environment is an important tool to study anthropogenic sound pollution, marine
mammals and for mitigating human activities that are potentially harmful.
We present a real time classification system targeted at many important groups of
acoustic events (clicks, buzzes, calls, whistles from several cetacean species, tonal
and impulsive shipping noise and explosions). The achieved classification performance
indicates that the system will be useful to pre-process the very large data
volume that can be gathered during long term acoustic monitoring campaigns or
to detect the presence of cetaceans in real time for mitigation.Peer Reviewe
Acoustics in water: synergies with marine biology
This paper presents some of the bioacoustics related analysis that was performed on the ANTARES data, focussing on the year 2014. The data was processed for sperm whale, dolphin and shipping presence and grouped by hour of the day. It seemed that dolphins were more socially active during the day and foraging during the night. Sperm whales were mostly foraging during the day, but they may have been moving to other areas during the night. The most intense shipping noise came from a ferry that passed the platform twice a day. Although beaked whales were expected to be present in the area, so far their biosonar signal has not been conclusively found.Postprint (published version
Architecture for the real-time monitoring of noise pollution and marine mammal activity
As acoustic pollution in the oceans is increasing, it is becoming more important
to monitor it, with special attention on its effects on the behaviour of cetaceans.
In the near future governments may require constant monitoring during sea
construction projects or operations. One major construction activity in the coming
years will be the construction of wind farms. Not only will these farms produce a
constant low level noise in their direct environment while operating, but the building
of the foundations necessary to support the wind mills will produce impulsive
noise dangerous to any cetaceans in the area and lethal to, for example, fish larvae.
For these reasons, noise monitoring has become one of the objectives of the
European Seafloor Observation Network (ESONET), to investigate the level of noise
produced around European coastlines and its impact on the environment and cetaceans
especially.
Presented is the architecture for noise and marine mammal monitoring as it is currently
implemented in ESONET through the LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment)
project. LIDO will detect in real-time changes in the background noise
levels and register acoustic events (natural, biological and anthropogenic), and
identify and track the sources when possible. As the system will be implemented in
varying environments, a modular design is used that can be adapted easily, based
on local requirements. While the system will most often run from a shore station, a
more limited version is developed that can run autonomously with minimal power
requirements.Peer Reviewe
A novel approach to real-time range estimation of underwater acoustic sources using supervised machine learning
© 2017 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.The proposed paper introduces a novel method for range estimation of acoustic sources, both cetaceans and industrial sources, in deep sea environments using supervised learning with neural networks in the contex of a single sensor, a compact array, or a small aperture towed array. The presented results have potential both for industrial impact and for the conservation and density estimation of cetaceans. With an average error of 4.3% for ranges up to 8 kilometers and typically below 300 meters, those results are challenging and to our knowledge they are unprecedented for an automated real-time solution.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Modeling the underwater noise associated to the construction and operation of offshore wind turbines
The operation and in particular the construction of offshore wind converters
induce considerable underwater noise emissions. It is assumed that small
whales and seals can be affected by noise from machines and vessels, piling and
installation of the wind turbines. Piling, in particular using hydraulic hammers
creates impulsive noise with considerable high energy levels. Currently, only little
knowledge about the effects of different noises to marine life is available. Here, we
present the objectives of the ongoing project of the Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics
(Technical University of Catalonia): to simulate the generation, radiation and
propagation of underwater noise; to develop forecasting hydro sound models of
offshore wind converters and future noise reduction methods during pile driving;
to determine the impact area of offshore wind farms; to allow the formulation of
recommendations for acoustic emission thresholds; and to develop standard procedures
for the determination and assessment of noise emissions.Peer Reviewe
Modelling the underwater noise associated to the construction and operation of offshore wind turbines
The operation and in particular the construction of
offshore wind converters induce considerable underwater noise
emissions. It is assumed that small whales and seals can be
affected by noise from machines and vessels, piling and
installation of the wind turbines. Piling, in particular using
hydraulic hammers creates impulsive noise with considerable
high energy levels. Currently, only little knowledge about the
effects of different noises to marine life is available. Here, we
present an ongoing project from the Laboratory of Applied
Bioacoustics (Technical University of Catalonia): to simulate the
generation, radiation and propagation of underwater noise; to
develop forecasting hydro sound models of offshore wind
converters and future noise reduction methods during pile
driving; to determine the impact area of offshore wind farms; to
allow the formulation of recommendations for acoustic emission
thresholds; and to develop standard procedures for the
determination and assessment of noise emissions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
Best practices in management, assessment and control of underwater noise pollution
The origin of this work can be found in the project âEffects and Control of Anthropogenic Noise in Marine Ecosystemsâ in the part relative to legal initiatives. In the first phase of the Report on this Project (December 2008) it was concluded that the level of complexity of marine issues, united by the fact that wide scientific gaps and difficulties still need to be covered and resolved, counseled against the immediate drawing up of legal projects concerning underwater acoustic pollution. Nevertheless, it was suggested that a document of âBest Practicesâ be elaborated to focus on the âstate of the artâ of this issue, and that it be used by public administrations and promoters of projects that will cause acoustic pollution, as much within the framework of environmental impact assessments as in management development plans in protected marine areas. It is of vital importance that activities, which generate acoustic
pollution in the oceans, be monitored. Accordingly, this document could derive, in the short term, a Protocol of Applications which will in its own time open the way for the preparation of, if necessary, legislative initiatives within their own right.Preprin
Low-Frequency sounds induce acoustic trauma in cephalopods
There is currently relatively little information on how marine organisms process and analyze sound, making assessments about the impacts of artificial sound sources in the marine environment difficult. However, such assessments have become a priority because noise is now considered as a source of pollution that increasingly affects the natural balance of marine ecosystems. We present the first morphological and ultrastructural evidence of massive acoustic trauma, not compatible with life, in four cephalopod species subjected to lowâfrequency controlledâexposure experiments. Exposure to lowâfrequency sounds resulted in permanent and substantial alterations of the sensory hair cells of the statocysts, the structures responsible for the animals' sense of balance and position. These results indicate a need for further environmental regulation of human activities that introduce highâintensity, lowâfrequency sounds in the world's oceans