Acoustic detections of blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin whale (B. physalus) sounds during a SURTASS LFA exercise

Acoustic data collected on the R/V Cory Chouest in February and March 1996 during an active operation of the U.S. Navy's surveillance-towed-array-sensor-system low-frequency-active (LFA) sonar were analyzed for blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin whale (B. physalus) sounds. Operational monitoring and mitigation protocols were implemented throughout the exercise to reduce the chances of an acoustic impact on marine mammals and sea turtles. The operational schedule did not include intentional "control" periods without transmissions but did include periods when the LFA sonar was not operating for other reasons (e.g., repairs). There were insufficient detections of blue whales for further analysis. Fin whale acoustic detection probabilities were calculated from the postprocessed data. A local-linear-regression analysis was used to compare fin whale detection probabilities from 2065 11-min intervals under conditions when the LFA sonar was and was not transmitting. There was an indication of a slightly higher probability of detecting fin whale sounds during periods when there were no LFA transmissions than during periods with transmissions. This may be the result of the following: 1) Reduced vocal activity by whales in response to LFA transmissions; 2) the effect of the mitigation protocols; or 3) some combination of 1) and 2). The data presently available do not allow one to distinguish definitively between these explanations, mainly because there were not enough data recorded for periods without LFA transmissions.     

CPOD successful in trial for detecting Māui dolphin outside harbours

Critically endangered Māui dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) are found exclusively off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. One important data gap troubling efforts to reduce the current unsustainable level of bycatch is the limited information on the offshore and alongshore limits of their range. Passive acoustic monitoring studies could address this data gap, but Māui dolphin habitat is dominated by a sandy substrate that can shift greatly in the strong local currents. In February 2016, a short pilot CPOD deployment was thus attempted as a first step to see if the equipment could be deployed and recovered in the area and if the data collected would be viable, with a second unit deployed inside a harbour for comparison with earlier TPOD data. The pilot was largely successful, and roughly 11% of all minutes in the core habitat location contained detections of clicks attributed to Māui dolphin. A visual inspection of the data suggests some trends with diel and tidal patterns. Further work of this type is thus recommended.     

基于图像处理的回声定位信号检测方法

鲸豚类海洋哺乳动物发出的回声定位信号是一种频率较高的短时脉冲信号,研究回声定位信号检测方法有助于快速、准确地检测海洋哺乳动物发声,进而更好地保护海洋哺乳动物.本文提出了一种基于图像处理的鲸豚类动物回声定位信号检测方法.该方法首先对收集到的数据进行分帧,计算每帧信号的时频图;使用Frangi滤波器对时频图进行滤波,以降低...     

Seasonal occurrence of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) around Kelvin Seamount in the Sargasso Sea in relation to oceanographic processes

Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are widely distributed in all oceans, but they are clumped geographically, generally in areas associated with high primary and secondary productivity. The warm, clear waters of the Sargasso Sea are traditionally thought to be low in productivity, however recent surveys have found large numbers of sperm whales there. The New England Seamount Chain bisects the north-western portion of the Sargasso Sea, and might influence the mesoscale eddies associated with the Gulf Stream; creating areas of higher productivity within the Sargasso Sea. We investigated the seasonal occurrence of sperm whales over Kelvin Seamount (part of the New England Seamount Chain) and how it is influenced by oceanographic variables. An autonomous recording device was deployed over Kelvin Seamount from May to June 2006 and November 2006 to June 2007. A total of 6505 hourly two-minute recordings were examined for the presence of sperm whale echolocation clicks. Sperm whales were more prevalent around Kelvin in the spring (April to June: mean=51% of recordings contained clicks) compared to the winter (November to March: mean=16% of recordings contained clicks). Sperm whale prevalence at Kelvin was related to chlorophyll-a concentration four weeks previous, eddy kinetic energy and month. The mesoscale activity associated with the Gulf Stream and the Gulf Stream׳s interaction with the New England Seamount Chain likely play an important role in sperm whale occurrence in this area, by increasing productivity and perhaps concentration of cephalopod species.     

南海岛礁航空摄影常见问题及对策

为解决远离大陆的海岛礁地形测绘的技术难题,在西沙群岛应用IMU/DGPS辅助海岛礁无控航空摄影技术进行了作业,经实测成果检验,影像精度满足大比例尺航测要求。基于试验分析,对在南海岛礁进行航空摄影常见问题提出了解决建议,有助于航空摄影测量技术在海岛礁测绘中的应用推广。     

Experimental detection and reception performance for uplink underwater acoustic communication using a remote, in-air, acousto-optic sensor

Covert communications between underwater and aerial platforms would increase the flexibility of surface and air vehicles engaged in undersea warfare by providing a new netcentric warfare communications capability and could have a variety of commercial and oceanographic applications. Research into an acousto-optic sensor shows promise as a means for detecting acoustic data projected toward the water surface from a submerged platform. The laser-based sensor probes the water surface to detect perturbations caused by an impinging acoustic pressure field. Experimental studies were conducted to demonstrate acousto-optic sensor feasibility for obtaining accurate phase preserved recordings of communication signals across the air-water interface. The recorded surface velocity signals were transferred to an acoustic communications receiver that used conventional acoustic telemetry algorithms such as adaptive equalization to decode the signal. The detected, equalized, and decoded bit error rate performance is presented for hydrostatic and more realistic, hydrodynamic water surface conditions.     

无人机海洋航磁测量技术进展与展望

无人机海洋航磁测量具有操作简单、作业效率高、数据分辨率高等诸多特点,是船载海洋磁力测量和航空磁力测量的有效补充,有望成为一种新的海洋磁测技术手段。在详细介绍国内外无人机海洋航磁测量技术及装备发展现状的基础上,基于海洋航磁测量现实需求,提出了开展无人机海洋航磁测量技术的主要难点,为下一步开展技术研究指明方向。     

Hector's dolphin movement patterns in response to height and direction of ocean swell

A central question to any understanding of ecology is how animals use their habitat, and how habitat use is influenced by temporally changing features of the environment. Previous research on Hector's dolphins at Akaroa Harbour, New Zealand suggested that dolphins leave inshore, harbour environments during or after rough weather. To test this hypothesis, visual sightings (2000–2012) and acoustic detections (2007–2008) of Hector's dolphins in Akaroa Harbour were modelled to test for a relationship with swell height and swell direction. Sighting rates and acoustic detection rates in Akaroa Harbour were significantly lower on days after big swell events and in some linear models after swell events from the south. These results indicate that swell events influence Hector's dolphin movements in and around Akaroa Harbour. Possible reasons for this behaviour are diverse and need further investigation. However, this information can be used both to predict daily dolphin movement for conservation and research purposes, and to suggest how dolphins may react in future if extreme weather events are becoming frequent.     

GPS导航的技术改进

在完善ＧＰＳ导航方式的过程中，引入重要目标点的概念，并以此为思想指导，修改原导航程序，使之多个目标点明确、直观地显示于驾驶台及船上各实验室的计算机显示屏幕上。从而提高船舶停靠站位的精度，并使船舶停靠原站位具可重复性。这样，满足了海上地质勘测和石油化探中多点间歇采样的需要，同时，亦提高了工作效率并有利于船舶航行安全。     

An exploration for deep-sea fish sounds off Vancouver Island from the NEPTUNE Canada ocean observing system

Our understanding of the significance of sound production to the ecology of deep-sea fish communities has improved little since anatomical surveys in the 1950s first suggested that sound production is widespread among slope-water fishes. The recent implementation of cabled ocean observatory networks around the world that include passive acoustic recording instruments provides scientists an opportunity to search for evidence of deep-sea fish sounds. We examined deep-sea acoustic recordings made at the NEPTUNE Canada Barkley Canyon Axis Pod (985 m) located off the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Northeast Pacific between June 2010 and May 2011 to determine the presence of fish sounds. A subset of over 300 5-min files was examined by selecting one day each month and analyzing one file for each hour over the 24 h day. Despite the frequent occurrence of marine mammal sounds, no examples of fish sounds were identified. However, we report examples of isolated unknown sounds that might be produced by fish, invertebrates, or more likely marine mammals. This finding is in direct contrast to recent smaller studies in the Atlantic where potential fish sounds appear to be more common. A review of the literature indicates 32 species found off British Columbia that potentially produce sound could occur in depths greater than 700 m but of these only Anoplopoma fimbria and Coryphaenoides spp. have been previously reported at the site. The lack of fish sounds observed here may be directly related to the low diversity and abundance of fishes present at the Barkley Canyon site. Other contributing factors include possible masking of low amplitude biological signals by self-generated noise from the platform instrumentation and ship noise. We suggest that examination of data both from noise-reduced ocean observatories around the world and from dedicated instrument surveys designed to search for deep-sea fish sounds to provide a larger-scale, more conclusive investigation into the role, or potential lack thereof, of sound production.     

Buried Sphere Detection Using a Synthetic Aperture Sonar

This paper presents observations of a buried sphere detected with a low-frequency (5–35-kHz) synthetic aperture sonar (SAS). These detections were made with good signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) at both above and below the critical grazing angle. The raw data for the below-critical-grazing angle detection shows that the acoustic penetration is skewed by the 29$^{circ}$ offset of the ripple field relative to the sonar path. This observed skew is in agreement with T-matrix calculations carried out to model penetration into the bottom via ripple diffraction. Additionally, measured SNRs over different frequency bands are compared to predictions made using both first- and second-order perturbation theory for ripple diffraction. Both the data and the models indicate a peak detection region around 25 kHz for the environmental conditions present during the test. These results confirm that ripple diffraction can play a critical role in long range (subcritical angle) buried target detection.      

Benefits of swath mapping for the identification of marine habitats in the New Caledonia Economic Zone

The ZoNéCo programme is devoted to the evaluation of the marine resources of the Economic Zone of New Caledonia. The results are essentially dependent on the quality of the seafloor mapping. From 1993 to 1996, four geological and geophysical surveys using the EM12 DUAL multibeam echosounder provided swath-mapping and acoustic imagery data of the seafloor of selected sites on the northern and southern parts of the Norfolk ridge, the Loyalty basin, around the Loyalty islands and in the westernmost part of the Economic Zone of New Caledonia. The accuracy of these documents shows the morphology of the seafloor in detail and allows rocky substratum to be differentiated from muddy bottom. It allows favorable emplacements of future exploratory fishing surveys to be determined. The benefits of swath mapping are illustrated by the Halipro 2 deep sea trawling cruise (1996) which used the swath mapping data of ZoNéCo 1 cruise (1993) on the southern prolongation of the New Caledonia mainland and Loyalty Islands.     

Evaluation of Laser Scanning and Stereo Photography Roughness Measurement Systems Using a Realistic Model Seabed Surface

The topography of the seabed is influenced by sediment transport due to wave motion, current disturbance, and biological activities. The bottom roughness generated by these processes can substantially alter acoustic wave penetration into and scattering from the bottom, and therefore, it is essential to make accurate measurements of the bottom roughness for such acoustic applications. Methods to make direct measurements of bottom roughness include stereo photography, laser line scanning, and sediment conductivity. Roughness can also be measured indirectly using high-frequency sound backscatter. For optically-based methods, the accuracy of these measurements is typically evaluated using the elevations, lengths, or diameters of simple surface features of known dimensions. However, for acoustic applications, the statistical characteristics of the surface, e.g., the roughness spectrum, are more meaningful. In this paper, we present a fabricated rough surface milled into a 40 $,times ,$60 cm $^{2}$ plastic block for use as a benchmark in the assessment of two in situ roughness measurement systems: a laser scanning system and a digital stereo photography system. The surface has a realistic roughness power spectrum that is derived from the bottom roughness measured during the 1999 Sediment Acoustics Experiment (SAX99) and was fabricated by a computer numerical controlled milling machine. By comparing the fabricated surface spectrum to the measured spectrum, a determination of the accuracy of the roughness measurement is evaluated, which is of direct relevance to acoustic applications.      

Seabed characterization from broad-band acoustic echosounding with scattering models

Acoustic echoes obtained during high-resolution shallow marine seismic surveys contain information about the statistical nature of the sedimentary bottom and its spatial variability. Use of a broad-band seismic source and an appropriately chosen data acquisition window makes the acoustic responses particularly amenable to quantitive analysis. The work reported utilizes experimental frequency-domain spatial coherence functions of along-track acoustic echoes as empirical metrics of bottom character, and by virtue of their correlation with known sediment types, as objective bases for remote sediment classification. Theoretical relationships between parameters describing sediment surface topographies and echo coherence are derived for the case of dominant water-sediment interface acoustic scattering. The diverse experimental data base was acquired from the Grand Banks of Newfoundland using a 1- to 10-kHz Huntec DTS system. Bottom photographs, cores, and grab samples combined with expert geological synthesis provide qualitative and quantitative control.     

声学探测技术在海底石油管线铺设后调查中的应用

海底石油管线铺设后可能多会出现不同程度的损伤、变形、冲刷、偏移、悬跨等情况,这通常是铺设过程中管线受到物理、化学、机械等因素的影响造成的。为避免作业风险和海洋环境污染,需要在管线铺设后对其铺设状态进行完工后调查,以便及时了解海底管线的实际情况,并根据调查结果采取相应的维护措施。本文根据管线后调查的工作需求,从声学探测技术的工作原理出发,研究并比较分析了4种声探测技术的优势与局限性,提出在海底管道检测时将各种探测手段配合使用,使各手段“取长补短”,可有效提高探测效率。并利用工程实例验证方法的有效性与可行性;在实例验证过程中,还明确给出了相关数据的处理分析方法,得出将多种声学探测设备得到的数据进行综合分析并相互校核,可有效提高测量数据精度。结果表明应用水声探测设备开展后调查的方法同时满足准确和高效率要求,可有效支撑海底管线铺设后状态评价工作。     

Effects of two decades of rising sea surface temperatures on sublittoral macrobenthos communities in Northern Ireland,UK

We examined whether two decades of rising sea surface temperatures have resulted in significant changes in the benthic community and frequency of occurrence of Northern and Southern species in three areas of Northern Ireland, using visual census data collected by SCUBA surveys undertaken during two periods: pre-1986 and post-2006. We found little evidence to suggest that rising sea surface temperatures have contributed to the changes in benthic assemblage structure between the pre-1986 and post-2006 surveys. However, there were slight but not significant declines in extreme Northern species at Rathlin Island, and increases in the mean number and frequency of occurrence of extreme Southern species in all three areas. There were also substantial declines in the spatial presence of 7 extreme Northern species and notable increases in distribution of 19 extreme Southern species. In contrast, there were no clear trends in the intermediate to Northern and intermediate to Southern species. These results suggest that rising sea surface temperatures have had significant impacts on the occurrence of rarer marine invertebrate species at the edges of their biogeographic range however the trends differed between areas in Northern Ireland.     

胜利埕岛海域海底松软沉积物声学探测方法探讨

胜利埕岛海域位于复杂的黄河三角洲沉积体系中．由于黄河的断流,在风浪和海流作用下原三角洲体系受到侵蚀．在部分海底具有松散沉积物沉积。采用侧扫声纳、双频测深仪及浅地层剖面仪3种海上物探方法,对埕岛海域海底松软沉积物进行声学探测,确定了浮泥、软土层顶、海底界面及浮泥和软土层和海底界面及浮泥和软土层的厚度,研究了埕岛海域海底松软沉积物的基本分布变化规律,为今后海洋工程地质勘察海底松软沉积物奠定了基础。     

IMU/DGPS在海洋独立岛屿测量中的应用分析

在传统海洋航空摄影测量中,由于外业控制点和航线连接点的选取困难,使大比例尺独立岛屿的测量精度无法保证.将IMU/DGPS在海洋航空摄影测量中加以运用,通过无控或稀少控制的辅助空中三角测量解算方法,探讨在大比例尺独立岛屿测量中的控制点布设要求,为海岛(礁)的外业控制点布设提供参考.     

渤海海峡及周边海域浅地层结构及地层声速的拾取

通过系统分析渤海海峡及周边海域的高分辨率浅地层剖面与3口钻孔的资料,将研究区地层自上而下划分为T0、T1、T2、T3、T4、T5、T6、T7、T8共9个反射界面及SU11、SU12、SU13、SU2、SU3、SU41、SU42、SU43、SU5共9个声学地层单元,SU1地层单元对应全新世海相沉积,其底界为一海进侵蚀面,削蚀对应晚更新世晚玉木冰期陆相沉积的SU2地层单元。SU3地层单元对应晚更新世晚玉木间冰期的海相沉积,通过侵蚀间断面与上覆SU2呈不整合接触。SU41地层单元对应晚更新世早玉木冰期晚期的陆相沉积,SU42地层单元对应晚更新世早玉木亚间冰期的海相沉积,与上覆SU41呈侵蚀不整合接触,SU43地层单元对应晚更新世早玉木冰期早期的陆相沉积,其顶界面为海进侵蚀面,与下伏地层呈不整合接触,SU5对应晚更新世玉木—里斯间冰期的海相沉积。对比分析浅地层剖面地层单元与钻孔沉积地层,确定了研究区海底面之下不同地层单元对应的平均声学速度,为后续的地层层序的研究奠定了基础。研究区"海侵-海退-海侵-海退-高水位"的沉积过程,决定了地层平均声速随深度自下而上呈现由高-低-高-低的变化模式。     

KSS31M型海洋重力仪动态性能的分析

采用海上实测数据对KSS31M(SN 036)海洋重力仪的阻尼延迟时间和可靠性做了分析,提出采用船只机动转向时重力数据和定位数据、厄特渥斯值的响应时间差来确定在该海况和仪器滤波系数时重力仪的阻尼延迟时间。得到的2级海况滤波系数下的阻尼延迟时间为60 s,比厂方提供的理论值更接近实际。本方法有助于提高海洋重力测量的精度。同时重力读数与厄特渥斯值变化的相位和振幅吻合,表明KSS31M海洋重力仪具有很高的可靠性和准确性。