Gulf of Mexico LISTEN

The goal of our collaborative project is to LISTEN which stands for long-term investigations into soundscapes, trends, ecosystems, and noise. We are collecting data from and deploying a network of underwater listening devices, or hydrophones, throughout the highly industrialized Gulf of Mexico. We are hoping to understand when and where marine mammals are found and monitor changes to their populations over time. This is particularly important in the face of climate change and the rapidly increasing human impacts on the Gulf of Mexico. Marine mammals are ecosystem sentinels, or indicators of ecosystem change. By monitoring their populations, we can also learn about changes in their ecosystem and better understand the ocean’s currents and water masses.

2021 Cruise Map
2021 Cruise Team
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Radiated Noise from Commercial Ships

We are supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to investigate the use of large commercial vessels as opportunistic sound sources for inference of local oceanographic conditions using deep learning algorithms to approximate traditional acoustic inversions. Two graduate students Vanessa ZoBell and Joe Walker are leveraging a large database of over 10,000 recorded commercial vessel transits through the Santa Barbara channel with associated sound speed profiles and AIS data. We are also working with a number of smaller agencies including the Port of Vancouver and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary to improve methods for quantifying and predicting sound emissions of cargo ships and other large vessels, to help understand and manage anthropogenic noise impacts on the marine environment.

Projects:

Passive Acoustic Tracking

Collaborators:

Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies
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Gulf of Mexico: Ecosystem and Human Impacts

"The Gulf of Mexico is a 218,000 square mile semi-enclosed, oceanic basin connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida and to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatan Channel. Many important watersheds, such as the Mississippi river, drain into the Gulf of Mexico. Many important species are found in the Gulf such as Sperm Whales, Risso's Dolphins and Rice's Whale.

Recreation, leisure, and tourism industries contribute significantly to the Gulf economy employing millions of people. The Gulf of Mexico supports some of the largest recreational and valuable commercial fisheries in the nation. These  benefits bring a rising population, creating notable pressures on the very natural resources that provide the economic engine for the region."                              source

ArcGIS Interactive Story Map

Created by:

Justin Funa, Masters of Advanced Study, MBC
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Detection, Classification and Density Estimation of High Frequency Signals Using Machine Learning

(TBD)

Projects:

Acoustics of Seismics and Explosions