Listening for whales remotely
5 January 2006
by Carina
Lee
|
Autonomous hydrophones, used to detect unique clicks, pulses and calls of different whales, have been used by researchers in order to study endangered whale species. Among these species are the uncommon right whales, they have been observed in the Gulf of Alaska. From Oregon's State University, Hatfield Marine Science Centre, David K. Mellinger explains "There has been only one confirmed sighting of a right whale in the Gulf of Alaska since 1980, so discovering them is not only surprising, it is fairly significant." The main purpose of studying the different sounds or calls emitted by these whale species is to examine the different populations and their respective behaviour. Findings from the past 5 years of research are published in the Journal BioScience. Before hydrophones were used to study communication of these marine mammals, they were used to monitor submarine activity during the Cold War. Hydrophones are not only useful for studying whales, but can also be used to listen to undersea earthquakes. |
 |
Related Links
Original press release EurekAlert
Nature
& Science News
ClearlyExplained.com