EAGER: Collaborative Research: Acoustic Ecology of Foraging Antarctic Blue Whales in the Vicinity of Antarctic Krill

EAGER：合作研究：南极磷虾附近觅食南极蓝鲸的声学生态学

• 批准号: 1745930
• 负责人: Kathleen Stafford
• 金额: $ 13.3万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-10-01 至 2021-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1745930&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Collaborative; Research; Acoustic; Ecology

Understanding the interaction between blue whales and their prey is essential for understanding Antarctic ecosystem dynamics. In the austral summer of 2019 an international interdisciplinary research voyage will head to the Antarctic with the overall goal of mapping Antarctic krill and blue whale distributions to determine if foraging preferences of blue whales are dictated in part by the density and shape of Antarctic krill swarms. This research voyage will combine advanced research technologies (including autonomous underwater vehicles, short term-tags, photogrammetry, and ship-based, real-time passive listening and active echosounders) to answer questions about how the density, swarm shape and behavior of Antarctic krill influence Antarctic blue whales. U.S. participation on this voyage on an Australian research vessel will allow collection of concurrent predator and prey data through the use of passive listening and echosounders from a fixed mooring. By coupling moored data collection with the ship-based survey focusing on Antarctic blue whale behavior and krill dynamics, the project will contribute to the understanding of basic questions relating to the dynamics between blue whales and their prey as well as adding to the development of instrumentation and technologies that will enhance current capabilities for in situ observing on the continent and the surrounding ice-covered waters. The project will provide an educational platform for high school students and the general public to virtually experience Antarctica via "virtual sailing" through a project website and blog. Students and the general public also will be allowed the opportunity to participate in post-cruise data analysis. The Australian Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania will lead an international voyage to the Antarctic in the austral summer of 2019. The overall goal of the voyage will be to map Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) distributions to determine if the foraging preferences of blue whales are dictated in part by the density and shape of Antarctic krill swarms. US participation in voyage will entail the deployment of passive and active acoustic instrumentation on a fixed mooring in concert with real-time acoustic and visual tracking and localizing of blue whales that will then allow better directing of ship operations towards aggregations of animals such that fine-scale acoustic tracking and prey field mapping can be achieved. This approach will be the first time such an acoustic system is deployed in Antarctica and used in an integrative fashion to assess foraging behaviors and krill. Thus, the project will advance understanding of the relationships between the acoustic ecology of blue whales, krill abundance, and blue whale densities. The technology deployment and testing will also be used to assess its potential use in ice-covered waters for similar studies in the future. Broader impacts of this project will occur through outreach and education, as well as through the collaborations with the broader international scientific community. The project will provide educational platforms for high school students and general public to virtually experience Antarctica. Research findings will be communicated to both the scientific community and the wider public through peer-reviewed publications, presentations, student lectures, seminars and communication through appropriate media channels by institutional communications teams.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

了解蓝鲸与其猎物之间的相互作用对于了解南极生态系统动态至关重要。2019年夏季，一个国际跨学科研究航行将前往南极，其总体目标是绘制南极磷虾和蓝鲸的分布图，以确定蓝鲸的觅食偏好是否部分取决于南极磷虾群的密度和形状。本次研究航行将结合联合收割机先进的研究技术（包括自主水下航行器，短期标签，摄影测量和船基，实时被动侦听和主动回声测深仪），以回答有关南极磷虾的密度，群体形状和行为如何影响南极蓝鲸的问题。美国参加这次航行的澳大利亚研究船将允许收集并发捕食者和猎物的数据，通过使用被动监听和回声测深仪从一个固定的系泊。通过将系泊数据收集与侧重于南极蓝鲸行为和磷虾动态的船基调查相结合，该项目将有助于了解与蓝鲸及其猎物之间动态有关的基本问题，并有助于开发仪器和技术，以提高目前在南极大陆和周围冰封沃茨进行现场观测的能力。该项目将为高中生和公众提供一个教育平台，通过项目网站和博客，通过“虚拟航行”虚拟体验南极洲。学生和公众也将有机会参与巡航后的数据分析。澳大利亚南极分部和塔斯马尼亚大学将于2019年夏季领导一次前往南极的国际航行。这次航行的总体目标是绘制南极磷虾（Euphausia superba）和蓝鲸（Balaenoptera musculus）的分布图，以确定蓝鲸的觅食偏好是否部分取决于南极磷虾群的密度和形状。美国参与航行将需要在固定系泊上部署被动和主动声学仪器，与实时声学和视觉跟踪以及蓝鲸定位相一致，然后将允许更好地将船舶操作引导到动物聚集体，以便可以实现精细的声学跟踪和猎物场映射。 这种方法将是第一次在南极洲部署这种声学系统，并以综合方式用于评估觅食行为和磷虾。因此，该项目将促进对蓝鲸声学生态学、磷虾丰度和蓝鲸密度之间关系的理解。该技术的部署和测试也将用于评估其在未来类似研究中在冰覆盖的沃茨中的潜在用途。该项目将通过外联和教育以及与更广泛的国际科学界合作产生更广泛的影响。该项目将为高中生和公众提供虚拟体验南极洲的教育平台。研究成果将通过同行评议的出版物、演示文稿、学生讲座、研讨会和机构传播团队通过适当的媒体渠道进行的传播，向科学界和更广泛的公众传达。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

项目成果

A passive acoustic survey for marine mammals conducted during the 2019 Antarctic voyage on Euphausiids and Nutrient Recycling in Cetacean Hotspots (ENRICH)

2019 年南极航行期间对海洋哺乳动物进行的关于磷鲸类和鲸类热点营养物回收 (ENRICH) 的被动声学调查

• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Proceedings of ACOUSTICS 2019
• 作者: Miller, Brian S;Calderan, Susannah;Miller, Elanor J.;Širović, Ana;Stafford, Kathleen M.;Bell, Elanor;Double, Michael C.
• 通讯作者: Double, Michael C.

Source Level of Antarctic Blue and Fin Whale Sounds Recorded on Sonobuoys Deployed in the Deep-Ocean Off Antarctica

• DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.792651
• 发表时间: 2021-12-24
• 期刊: FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Miller, Brian S.;Calderan, Susannah;Double, Michael C.
• 通讯作者: Double, Michael C.