Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Cetaceans

by Walter M. X. Zimmer

Overview

Passive acoustic monitoring is increasingly used by the scientific community to study, survey and census marine mammals, especially cetaceans, many of which are easier to hear than to see. PAM is also used to support efforts to mitigate potential negative effects of human activities such as ship traffic, military and civilian sonar and offshore exploration. Walter Zimmer provides an integrated approach to PAM, combining physical principles, discussion of technical tools and application-oriented concepts of operations. Additionally, relevant information and tools necessary to assess existing and future PAM systems are presented, with Matlab code used to generate figures and results so readers can reproduce data and modify code to analyse the impact of changes. This allows the principles to be studied whilst discovering potential difficulties and side effects. Aimed at graduate students and researchers, the book provides all information and tools necessary to gain a comprehensive understanding of this interdisciplinary subject.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521193429
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/21/2011
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Walter M. X. Zimmer holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Regensburg, Germany. He is currently a Scientist in the Applied Research Department of the NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC) in La Spezia, Italy and a Guest Investigator at the Biology Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Woods Hole, MA, USA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Underwater Acoustics (The Basics): 1. Principles of underwater sound; 2. Cetacean sounds; 3. Sonar equation; Part II. Signal Processing (Designing the Tools): 4. Detection methods; 5. Classification methods; 6. Localisation and tracking; Part III. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (Putting It All Together): 7. Applications of PAM; 8. Detection functions; 9. Simulating sampling strategies; 10. PAM systems; 11. References and literature; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This book is unusual in that it combines underwater acoustics, signal processing and ecology in practical applications of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to both marine mammals and anthropogenic noise … It also sets the benchmark for a similar approach to PAM in air.
Two useful practical aspects of the book make PAM more accessible … First, explicit description, and examples of the use of, the programme MatLab clarify the processing underlying PAM. Second, detailed discussion of the hardware and software requirements increase the chances of successful deployment.
… a “must read” for anyone involved in, or considering, the use of PAM … Anyone with an interest in marine mammals, whether this interest is in acoustics, ecology, behavior or conservation, will gain an insight into the important role of sound in the life of marine mammals and how sound can give a much-needed, yet unobtrusive, window on the marine world."
Peter McGregor, Cornwall College

"Sound is the medium of choice to sense things in the ocean. Cetaceans evolved acoustic senses to take advantage of ocean sound, but even a decade ago, humans required a ship full of electronics to do so. Now all a student needs is a laptop connected to some hydrophones. Zimmer’s book is the first to provide the critical knowledge to enable you to understand the methods required to detect, classify, locate and track marine mammal vocalizations. It is a must have for anyone interested in this growing research area.
Peter L. Tyack, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

"Walter Zimmer has recently published the first comprehensive text on the use of passive acoustics to study cetaceans. This text is intended for graduate students an researchers who are interested in PAM studies of cetaceans, but I would broaden that to include acoustic studies of pinnipeds and other aquatic animals as well. I do believe that anyone who can work through and understand the concepts presented in this book will be well-prepared to make significant contributions to the field."
Jay Barlow, Marine Mammal Science

"This book provides an invaluable, cutting-edge, analytical foundation that will have immediate benefits to those applying passive acoustic tools and analyses in these areas. Overall, this hands-on volume is clearly a major contribution to the field and must be regarded as required reading for those using passive listening methods to study these amazing acoustic animals and mitigate the effects of human activities on wild populations."
Brandon L. Southall, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, California for The Quarterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher