Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014

Genevieve E. Davis; Mark F. Baumgartner; Julianne M. Bonnell; Joel Bell; Catherine Berchok; Jacqueline Bort Thornton; Solange Brault; Gary Buchanan; Russell A. Charif; Danielle Cholewiak; Christopher W. Clark; Peter Corkeron; Julien Delarue; Kathleen Dudzinski; Leila Hatch; John Hildebrand; Lynne Hodge; Holger Klinck; Scott Kraus; Bruce Martin; David K. Mellinger; Hilary Moors-Murphy; Sharon Nieukirk; Douglas P. Nowacek; Susan Parks; Andrew J. Read; Aaron N. Rice; Denise Risch; Ana Širović; Melissa Soldevilla; Kate Stafford; Joy E. Stanistreet; Erin Summers; Sean Todd; Ann Warde; Sofie M. Van Parijs

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3

Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014

Genevieve E. Davis, Mark F. Baumgartner, Julianne M. Bonnell, Joel Bell, Catherine Berchok, Jacqueline Bort Thornton, Solange Brault, Gary Buchanan, Russell A. Charif, Danielle Cholewiak, Christopher W. Clark, Peter Corkeron, Julien Delarue, Kathleen Dudzinski, Leila Hatch, John Hildebrand, Lynne Hodge, Holger Klinck, Scott Kraus, Bruce MartinDavid K. Mellinger, Hilary Moors-Murphy, Sharon Nieukirk, Douglas P. Nowacek, Susan Parks, Andrew J. Read, Aaron N. Rice, Denise Risch, Ana Širović, Melissa Soldevilla, Kate Stafford, Joy E. Stanistreet, Erin Summers, Sean Todd, Ann Warde, Sofie M. Van Parijs

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

97 Scopus citations

Abstract

Given new distribution patterns of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis) population in recent years, an improved understanding of spatio-temporal movements are imperative for the conservation of this species. While so far visual data have provided most information on NARW movements, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was used in this study in order to better capture year-round NARW presence. This project used PAM data from 2004 to 2014 collected by 19 organizations throughout the western North Atlantic Ocean. Overall, data from 324 recorders (35,600 days) were processed and analyzed using a classification and detection system. Results highlight almost year-round habitat use of the western North Atlantic Ocean, with a decrease in detections in waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in summer and fall. Data collected post 2010 showed an increased NARW presence in the mid-Atlantic region and a simultaneous decrease in the northern Gulf of Maine. In addition, NARWs were widely distributed across most regions throughout winter months. This study demonstrates that a large-scale analysis of PAM data provides significant value to understanding and tracking shifts in large whale movements over long time scales.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	13460
Journal	Scientific reports
Volume	7
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3
State	Published - Dec 1 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General

Access to Document

10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3

Cite this

Davis, G. E., Baumgartner, M. F., Bonnell, J. M., Bell, J., Berchok, C., Bort Thornton, J., Brault, S., Buchanan, G., Charif, R. A., Cholewiak, D., Clark, C. W., Corkeron, P., Delarue, J., Dudzinski, K., Hatch, L., Hildebrand, J., Hodge, L., Klinck, H., Kraus, S., ... Van Parijs, S. M. (2017). Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014. Scientific reports, 7(1), [13460]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3

Davis, GE, Baumgartner, MF, Bonnell, JM, Bell, J, Berchok, C, Bort Thornton, J, Brault, S, Buchanan, G, Charif, RA, Cholewiak, D, Clark, CW, Corkeron, P, Delarue, J, Dudzinski, K, Hatch, L, Hildebrand, J, Hodge, L, Klinck, H, Kraus, S, Martin, B, Mellinger, DK, Moors-Murphy, H, Nieukirk, S, Nowacek, DP, Parks, S, Read, AJ, Rice, AN, Risch, D, Širović, A, Soldevilla, M, Stafford, K, Stanistreet, JE, Summers, E, Todd, S, Warde, A & Van Parijs, SM 2017, 'Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014', Scientific reports, vol. 7, no. 1, 13460. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3

@article{09082957b5854c0d8ae0e85c99cb27cc,

title = "Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014",

abstract = "Given new distribution patterns of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis) population in recent years, an improved understanding of spatio-temporal movements are imperative for the conservation of this species. While so far visual data have provided most information on NARW movements, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was used in this study in order to better capture year-round NARW presence. This project used PAM data from 2004 to 2014 collected by 19 organizations throughout the western North Atlantic Ocean. Overall, data from 324 recorders (35,600 days) were processed and analyzed using a classification and detection system. Results highlight almost year-round habitat use of the western North Atlantic Ocean, with a decrease in detections in waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in summer and fall. Data collected post 2010 showed an increased NARW presence in the mid-Atlantic region and a simultaneous decrease in the northern Gulf of Maine. In addition, NARWs were widely distributed across most regions throughout winter months. This study demonstrates that a large-scale analysis of PAM data provides significant value to understanding and tracking shifts in large whale movements over long time scales.",

author = "Davis, {Genevieve E.} and Baumgartner, {Mark F.} and Bonnell, {Julianne M.} and Joel Bell and Catherine Berchok and {Bort Thornton}, Jacqueline and Solange Brault and Gary Buchanan and Charif, {Russell A.} and Danielle Cholewiak and Clark, {Christopher W.} and Peter Corkeron and Julien Delarue and Kathleen Dudzinski and Leila Hatch and John Hildebrand and Lynne Hodge and Holger Klinck and Scott Kraus and Bruce Martin and Mellinger, {David K.} and Hilary Moors-Murphy and Sharon Nieukirk and Nowacek, {Douglas P.} and Susan Parks and Read, {Andrew J.} and Rice, {Aaron N.} and Denise Risch and Ana {\v S}irovi{\'c} and Melissa Soldevilla and Kate Stafford and Stanistreet, {Joy E.} and Erin Summers and Sean Todd and Ann Warde and {Van Parijs}, {Sofie M.}",

note = "Funding Information: We thank Daniel Woodrich, Taylor Broadhead, Margaret Daly, and Alyssa Scott for help in data analysis for this project. We thank Chris Pelkie, David Wiley, Michael Thompson, Chris Tessaglia-Hymes, Lance Garrison, and Anurag Kumar for help with project planning, field work support, and data management. For all the support and advice, thanks to the NEFSC Protected Species Branch, specifically Dana Gerlach, Annamaria DeAngelis, Heather Heenehan, Jenni Stanley, Josh Hatch, Eric Matzen, Chris Tremblay, and Samara Haver. Thanks to the many field and crew teams on all of the ships that helped in the numerous deployments and recoveries. This research was funded and supported by many organizations, specified by projects as follows: Data recordings from region 1 were provided by K. Stafford and this research effort was funded by the National Science Foundation #NSF-ARC 0532611. Region 2 data were provided by D. K. Mellinger and S. Nieukirk, funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) #N00014–03–1–0099, NOAA #NA06OAR4600100, US Navy #N00244-08-1-0029, N00244-09-1-0079, and N00244-10-1-0047. Region 3A data were provided by D. Risch, funded by NOAA and Navy N45 programs. Region 3 data were provided primarily by H. Moors-Murphy, the Whitehead Lab of Dalhousie University for data from the eastern Scotian Shelf and Emerald Basin. A. Cogswell, J. Bartholette, A. Hartling, and the crew of vessel CCGS Hudson provided logistical support and assistance with the eastern Scotian Shelf instrument deployments. Eastern Scotian Shelf and Roseway Basin Guardbuoy data were supported through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Oceans and Coastal Management, Species at Risk Management, and Strategic Program for Ecosystem-Based Research and Advice (SPERA) funds. Emerald Bank and Roseway Basin data were provided by D. K. Mellinger and S. Nieukirk, funded by NOAA. Region 4 data were provided by S. Parks, funded by NOAA and Cornell University and E. Summers, S. Todd, J. Bort Thornton, A. N. Rice, and C. W. Clark, funded by Maine Department of Marine Resources, NOAA #NA09NMF4520418, and #NA10NMF4520291. Region 5 data were provided by S. M. Van Parijs, D. Cholewiak, L. Hatch, C. W. Clark, D. Risch, and D. Wiley, funded by National Oceanic Partnership Program (NOPP), NOAA, and Navy N45. Region 6 data were provided by S. M. Van Parijs and D. Cholewiak, funded by Navy N45 and Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) AMAPPS (Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species) program. Region 7 data were provided by A. N. Rice, H. Klinck, A. Warde, B. Martin, J. Delarue, and S. Kraus, funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and BOEM. Region 8 data were provided by G. Buchanan, and K. Dudzinski, funded by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Clean Energy Fund as well as by A. N. Rice, C. W. Clark, and H. Klinck, funded by the Bioacoustics Research Program at Cornell University and BOEM. Region 9 data were provided by J. E. Stanistreet, J. Bell, D. P. Nowacek, A. J. Read, and S. M.Van Parijs, funded by NOAA and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC). Region 10 data were provided by L. Garrison, M. Soldevilla, C. W. Clark, R. A. Chariff, A. N. Rice, H. Klinck, J. Bell, D. P. Nowacek, A. J. Read, J. Hildebrand, A. Kumar, L. Hodge, and J. E. Stanistreet, funded by NAVFAC, BOEM, NOAA, and NOPP. Region 11 data were provided by C. Berchok as part of a collaborative project led by the Fundacion Dominicana de Estudios Marinos, Inc. (Dr. Idelisa Bonnelly de Calventi), with funding support from The Nature Conservancy (Elianny Dominguez), by D. Risch, funded by World Wildlife Fund, NOAA, and Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and by A. {\v S}irovi{\'c} and J. Hildebrand, funded by NOAA (with support from Dr. Jason Gedamke). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 The Author(s).",

year = "2017",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "7",

journal = "Scientific Reports",

issn = "2045-2322",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014

AU - Davis, Genevieve E.

AU - Baumgartner, Mark F.

AU - Bonnell, Julianne M.

AU - Bell, Joel

AU - Berchok, Catherine

AU - Bort Thornton, Jacqueline

AU - Brault, Solange

AU - Buchanan, Gary

AU - Charif, Russell A.

AU - Cholewiak, Danielle

AU - Clark, Christopher W.

AU - Corkeron, Peter

AU - Delarue, Julien

AU - Dudzinski, Kathleen

AU - Hatch, Leila

AU - Hildebrand, John

AU - Hodge, Lynne

AU - Klinck, Holger

AU - Kraus, Scott

AU - Martin, Bruce

AU - Mellinger, David K.

AU - Moors-Murphy, Hilary

AU - Nieukirk, Sharon

AU - Nowacek, Douglas P.

AU - Parks, Susan

AU - Read, Andrew J.

AU - Rice, Aaron N.

AU - Risch, Denise

AU - Širović, Ana

AU - Soldevilla, Melissa

AU - Stafford, Kate

AU - Stanistreet, Joy E.

AU - Summers, Erin

AU - Todd, Sean

AU - Warde, Ann

AU - Van Parijs, Sofie M.

N1 - Funding Information: We thank Daniel Woodrich, Taylor Broadhead, Margaret Daly, and Alyssa Scott for help in data analysis for this project. We thank Chris Pelkie, David Wiley, Michael Thompson, Chris Tessaglia-Hymes, Lance Garrison, and Anurag Kumar for help with project planning, field work support, and data management. For all the support and advice, thanks to the NEFSC Protected Species Branch, specifically Dana Gerlach, Annamaria DeAngelis, Heather Heenehan, Jenni Stanley, Josh Hatch, Eric Matzen, Chris Tremblay, and Samara Haver. Thanks to the many field and crew teams on all of the ships that helped in the numerous deployments and recoveries. This research was funded and supported by many organizations, specified by projects as follows: Data recordings from region 1 were provided by K. Stafford and this research effort was funded by the National Science Foundation #NSF-ARC 0532611. Region 2 data were provided by D. K. Mellinger and S. Nieukirk, funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) #N00014–03–1–0099, NOAA #NA06OAR4600100, US Navy #N00244-08-1-0029, N00244-09-1-0079, and N00244-10-1-0047. Region 3A data were provided by D. Risch, funded by NOAA and Navy N45 programs. Region 3 data were provided primarily by H. Moors-Murphy, the Whitehead Lab of Dalhousie University for data from the eastern Scotian Shelf and Emerald Basin. A. Cogswell, J. Bartholette, A. Hartling, and the crew of vessel CCGS Hudson provided logistical support and assistance with the eastern Scotian Shelf instrument deployments. Eastern Scotian Shelf and Roseway Basin Guardbuoy data were supported through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Oceans and Coastal Management, Species at Risk Management, and Strategic Program for Ecosystem-Based Research and Advice (SPERA) funds. Emerald Bank and Roseway Basin data were provided by D. K. Mellinger and S. Nieukirk, funded by NOAA. Region 4 data were provided by S. Parks, funded by NOAA and Cornell University and E. Summers, S. Todd, J. Bort Thornton, A. N. Rice, and C. W. Clark, funded by Maine Department of Marine Resources, NOAA #NA09NMF4520418, and #NA10NMF4520291. Region 5 data were provided by S. M. Van Parijs, D. Cholewiak, L. Hatch, C. W. Clark, D. Risch, and D. Wiley, funded by National Oceanic Partnership Program (NOPP), NOAA, and Navy N45. Region 6 data were provided by S. M. Van Parijs and D. Cholewiak, funded by Navy N45 and Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) AMAPPS (Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species) program. Region 7 data were provided by A. N. Rice, H. Klinck, A. Warde, B. Martin, J. Delarue, and S. Kraus, funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and BOEM. Region 8 data were provided by G. Buchanan, and K. Dudzinski, funded by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Clean Energy Fund as well as by A. N. Rice, C. W. Clark, and H. Klinck, funded by the Bioacoustics Research Program at Cornell University and BOEM. Region 9 data were provided by J. E. Stanistreet, J. Bell, D. P. Nowacek, A. J. Read, and S. M.Van Parijs, funded by NOAA and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC). Region 10 data were provided by L. Garrison, M. Soldevilla, C. W. Clark, R. A. Chariff, A. N. Rice, H. Klinck, J. Bell, D. P. Nowacek, A. J. Read, J. Hildebrand, A. Kumar, L. Hodge, and J. E. Stanistreet, funded by NAVFAC, BOEM, NOAA, and NOPP. Region 11 data were provided by C. Berchok as part of a collaborative project led by the Fundacion Dominicana de Estudios Marinos, Inc. (Dr. Idelisa Bonnelly de Calventi), with funding support from The Nature Conservancy (Elianny Dominguez), by D. Risch, funded by World Wildlife Fund, NOAA, and Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and by A. Širović and J. Hildebrand, funded by NOAA (with support from Dr. Jason Gedamke). Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s).

PY - 2017/12/1

Y1 - 2017/12/1

N2 - Given new distribution patterns of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis) population in recent years, an improved understanding of spatio-temporal movements are imperative for the conservation of this species. While so far visual data have provided most information on NARW movements, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was used in this study in order to better capture year-round NARW presence. This project used PAM data from 2004 to 2014 collected by 19 organizations throughout the western North Atlantic Ocean. Overall, data from 324 recorders (35,600 days) were processed and analyzed using a classification and detection system. Results highlight almost year-round habitat use of the western North Atlantic Ocean, with a decrease in detections in waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in summer and fall. Data collected post 2010 showed an increased NARW presence in the mid-Atlantic region and a simultaneous decrease in the northern Gulf of Maine. In addition, NARWs were widely distributed across most regions throughout winter months. This study demonstrates that a large-scale analysis of PAM data provides significant value to understanding and tracking shifts in large whale movements over long time scales.

AB - Given new distribution patterns of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis) population in recent years, an improved understanding of spatio-temporal movements are imperative for the conservation of this species. While so far visual data have provided most information on NARW movements, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was used in this study in order to better capture year-round NARW presence. This project used PAM data from 2004 to 2014 collected by 19 organizations throughout the western North Atlantic Ocean. Overall, data from 324 recorders (35,600 days) were processed and analyzed using a classification and detection system. Results highlight almost year-round habitat use of the western North Atlantic Ocean, with a decrease in detections in waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in summer and fall. Data collected post 2010 showed an increased NARW presence in the mid-Atlantic region and a simultaneous decrease in the northern Gulf of Maine. In addition, NARWs were widely distributed across most regions throughout winter months. This study demonstrates that a large-scale analysis of PAM data provides significant value to understanding and tracking shifts in large whale movements over long time scales.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031905229&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85031905229&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3

DO - 10.1038/s41598-017-13359-3

M3 - Article

C2 - 29044130

AN - SCOPUS:85031905229

SN - 2045-2322

VL - 7

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

IS - 1

M1 - 13460

ER -

Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this