Decadal Ocean Soundscapes Reveal Biological, Climatic, and Economic Fluctuations

Decadal variations of ocean soundscapes are closely linked to large-scale climatic and economic fluctuations. Our study revealed that sound levels associated with biological and ambient sound sources varied seasonally and correlated with large-scale climatic patterns and long-term oceanographic fluctuations. For instance, during marine heatwaves, baleen whale sound levels decreased in southern sites and increased in northern sites adjacent to the California Current. Ship sound levels at high-traffic sites reflected economic events such as recessions, labor shortages and negotiations, and changes to port activities. For this analysis we analyzed acoustic recordings spanning over a decade at each of six sites within the Southern California Bight to investigate the interannual, seasonal, and diel patterns. By examining acoustic energy from fin and blue whales along with ambient sound sources like ships and wind, we identified the changes in soundscape over time and space. Marine soundscapes offer an approach to assessing the ocean's condition amid ongoing climatic and economic fluctuations.

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Natalie Posdaljian, UC San Diego (nposdalj@ucsd.edu)

Authors:

Vanessa Zobell, UC San Diego  (vmzobell@ucsd.edu)

Natalie Posdaljian, UC San Diego  (nposdalj@ucsd.edu)

Kieran Lenssen, UC San Diego  (klenssen@ucsd.edu)

Sean Wiggins, UC San Diego  (swiggins@ucsd.edu)

John Hildebrand, UC San Diego  (jahildebrand@ucsd.edu)

Simone Baumann-Pickering, UC San Diego  (sbaumann@ucsd.edu)

Kaitlin Frasier, UC San Diego  (kfrasier@ucsd.edu)