title: A Permanent Soundscape Monitoring System for the Care of Animals in Aquaria.
abstract: Sound pressure levels in facilities that house acoustically sensitive animals should be monitored on a regular basis as a standard component of animal care. Monitoring of noise levels in the pools housing Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (Pacific white-sided dolphins) at the Vancouver Aquarium during regular operations revealed average sound pressure levels (SPLs) across all frequency bins of 91.9 (range 87.0-104.5) dB re 1 μPa Root Mean Square (RMS). Sustained pressure levels were highest during cleaning, where ambient noise levels increased approximately 25 dB re 1 μPa RMS.
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Research Lab, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 3X8. kathy.heise@vanaqua.org.
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heise
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Research Lab, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 3X8. yurk@zoology.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yurk
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Research Lab, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 3X8. chad.nordstrom@vanaqua.org.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nordstrom
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Research Lab, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 3X8. lance.barrett-lennard@vanaqua.org.
authors.forename: Lance
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barrett-Lennard
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D004289:Dolphins / Q000502:physiology*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011312:Pressure; D013016:Sound
keywords: Animal care; Aquaculture; Aquariums; Dolphins; Sound monitoring; Underwater noise