Marine Ecology Progress Series
MEPS is a leading hybrid research journal on all aspects of marine, coastal and estuarine ecology. Priority is given to outstanding research that advances our ecological understanding.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14771
copiedHabitat utilization by beaked whales in the western North Atlantic Ocean using passive acoustics
- Annamaria I. DeAngelis
- Annabel Westell
- Simone Baumann-Pickering
- Joel Bell
- Danielle Cholewiak
- Peter J. Corkeron
- Melissa S. Soldevilla
- Alba Solsona-Berga
- Jennifer S. Trickey
- Sofie M. Van Parijs
ABSTRACT: Beaked whales (family Ziphiidae) are cryptic, deep-diving cetaceans found offshore. Passive acoustic monitoring of this family allows identification to species level and is instrumental in expanding knowledge of their behavior, distribution, and habitat use. From 28 June to 25 August 2016, 2 broadscale shipboard surveys towed a hydrophone array in the western North Atlantic. Concurrently, 11 bottom-mounted recorders collected continuous passive acoustic data along the 1000 m contour during July and August 2016. Five beaked whale species (goose-beaked, Ziphius cavirostris; Gervais’, Mesoplodon europaeus; True’s, M. mirus; Sowerby’s, M. bidens; and Blainville’s, M. densirostris) were present in both data sets. Beaked whales were commonly detected at the bottom-mounted sites (71% total days present), with sites off the US Mid-Atlantic Bight containing the greatest species diversity. Overall, daily co-occurrence was uncommon (35% of study period). Using the towed array, Blainville’s and Gervais’ beaked whales were found in the Gulf Stream, True’s beaked whales were more common in abyssal waters, and Sowerby’s beaked whales were more common on the continental slope. Goose-beaked whales were present throughout. Using multipath reflections, click depths were examined for 192 beaked whale detection events. Among 3 species tested (goose-beaked, Gervais’, and True’s), only goose-beaked whales were found to significantly forage in proximity to the seafloor. This is the first study of its kind to provide a comprehensive overview of how these whales utilize their habitat across latitudes, longitudes, and depths.
KEYWORDS
Annamaria I. DeAngelis (Corresponding Author)
- Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
Annabel Westell (Co-author)
- Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
- Integrated Statistics Inc., Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
Simone Baumann-Pickering (Co-author)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Joel Bell (Co-author)
- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic, Norfolk, VA 23508, USA
Danielle Cholewiak (Co-author)
- Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
Peter J. Corkeron (Co-author)
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia
Melissa S. Soldevilla (Co-author)
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL 33149, USA
Alba Solsona-Berga (Co-author)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Jennifer S. Trickey (Co-author)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Sofie M. Van Parijs (Co-author)
- Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA