unit_167-20130911T0027

Shipboard observations of marine mammal distribution and habitat are expensive and logistically challenging to collect in Arctic waters. Port facilities are minimal and access to appropriate vessels for spending extended periods of time at sea is extremely limited. Autonomous platforms like gliders provide the capability to collect both oceanographic and passive acoustic data for far longer periods of time (weeks to months) and at significantly reduced costs than traditional shipboard or aerial surveys. We have developed a system to record, detect, classify, and remotely report Arctic and sub-Arctic marine mammal calls in real time from Slocum ocean gliders based on the digital acoustic monitoring (DMON) instrument and the low-frequency detection and classification system (LFDCS). The system was successfully demonstrated for Arctic research during three AOOS-funded studies in the Chukchi Sea during September 2013 and 2014 and from 11 July – 8 September 2015. The joint acoustic-oceanographic data were used to examine the distribution, occurrence, and habitat of marine mammals using in-situ passive acoustic and oceanographic data collected by the glider, and to demonstrate the near real-time detection and reporting capability of the system.