title: Addressing Challenges in Studies of Behavioral Responses of Whales to Noise.
abstract: Studying the behavioral response of whales to noise presents numerous challenges. In addition to the characteristics of the noise exposure, many factors may affect the response and these must be measured and accounted for in the analysis. An adequate sample size that includes matching controls is crucial if meaningful results are to be obtained. Field work is thus complicated, logistically difficult, and expensive. This paper discusses some of the challenges and how they are being met in a large-scale multiplatform project in which humpback whales are exposed to the noise of seismic air guns.
authors.affiliation: Maritime Division, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Institute of Marine Science, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, 44, Pyrmont, NSW, 2009, Australia. doug.cato@syndey.edu.au.
authors.forename: Douglas H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cato
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, 4343, Australia. r.dunlop@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, 4343, Australia. mnoad@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Noad
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia. R.McCauley@cmst.curtin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: McCauley
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia. Eric.Kniest@newcastle.edu.au.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kniest
authors.affiliation: Blue Planet Marine, Canberra, ACT, 2614, Australia. Dave.Paton@blueplanetmarine.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paton
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, 4343, Australia. a.kavanagh@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ailbhe S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D050640:Humpback Whale / Q000502:physiology*; D009622:Noise; D012767:Ships
keywords: Behavioral response; Impacts of noise; Seismic; Underwater noise; Whales