title: Radiated noise from commercial ships in the Gulf of Maine: implications for whale/vessel collisions.
abstract: To understand mysticete acoustic-based detection of ships, radiated noise from high-speed craft, cruise ships, catamarans and fishing vessels was recorded June-September 2009. Calibrated acoustic data (<2500 Hz) from a vertical hydrophone array was combined with ship passage information. A cruise ship had the highest broadband source level, while a fishing vessel had the lowest. Ship noise radiated asymmetrically and varied with depth. Bow null-effect acoustic shadow zones were observed for all ship classes and were correlated with ship-length-to-draft-ratios. These shadow zones may reduce ship detection by near-surface mysticetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maine, 219 Boardman Hall, Orono, Maine 04469, USA. jessica.k.allen@umit.maine.edu
authors.forename: J Kaitlyn
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: George V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Sharrard
authors.forename: Dana L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Sean K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Todd
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics / Q000295:instrumentation; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017753:Ecosystem; D009038:Motion; D009624:Noise, Transportation; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012767:Ships; D013016:Sound; D013017:Sound Localization; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D014159:Transducers; D014867:Water; D014907:Whales / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D014867:Water