Exploring Vessel Noise off the Coast of Santa Barbara with Long-Term Passive Acoustic Monitoring

This study explores vessel noise off the coast of Santa Barbara, adjacent to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, using long-term passive acoustic monitoring to investigate potential strategies for reducing anthropogenic acoustic presence. Acoustic data from the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, collected between 2015 and 2023 by Scripps Institution of Oceanography UC San Diego, was synchronized with Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to identify the sources of specific noises. Further analysis with Maersk and CMA CGM vessels revealed positive linear relationships between speed and sound intensity, and vessel length and sound intensity. These findings suggest that reducing vessel speed and length could help minimize acoustic impacts.

Presentation Preference: Poster

Primary Presenter: Yovanni Fabian Bernardino, San Diego Miramar College (yovannifabian8@gmail.com)

Authors:

Yovanni Fabian Bernardino, San Diego Miramar College  (yovannifabian8@gmail.com)

Vanessa ZoBell, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego  (vmzobell@ucsd.edu)

Simone Baumann-Pickering, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego  (sbaumann@ucsd.edu)

Kaitlin Frasier, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego  (kfrasier@ucsd.edu)