Remote acoustic sensing is a powerful method of studying biological activity in the marine environment. It is particularly valuable for the study of cetaceans and pinnipeds, who use sound to mediate critical life functions such as foraging, navigation and reproduction, and are ecologically important both as predators and prey in many marine habitats. This combination makes cetaceans and pinnipeds ideal subjects for studying the impact of changing conditions in marine ecosystems resulting from natural and anthropogenic factors. Technological advances in instrumentation, data processing, modeling and visualization have revolutionized recent efforts to use remote acoustic sensing to investigate the ecology, behavior and population trends of many cetacean and pinniped species. Thus, there is an unprecedented opportunity to significantly advance our understanding of these taxa and their role in marine ecosystems.
The aim of this Research Topic is to capture the state of the art of current efforts using remote acoustic sensing methods in the study of cetacean and pinniped populations. All contributions in this area are welcome, but a special emphasis will be placed on efforts examining the ecological role of these taxa and/or their response to changing environmental conditions. Moreover, a broad definition of ‘remote acoustic sensing’ will be applied to include passive, active, mobile, stationary and/or bio-logging acoustic methods.
Areas to be covered in this Research Topic on remote acoustic sensing to study cetaceans and pinnipeds may include, but are not limited to:
• Spatial and temporal trends in occurrence and habitat use
• Habitat degradation and climate change impacts
• Responses to anthropogenic stressors
• Trends in population abundance
• Advances in behavioral ecology
• Understanding trophic relationships
Remote acoustic sensing is a powerful method of studying biological activity in the marine environment. It is particularly valuable for the study of cetaceans and pinnipeds, who use sound to mediate critical life functions such as foraging, navigation and reproduction, and are ecologically important both as predators and prey in many marine habitats. This combination makes cetaceans and pinnipeds ideal subjects for studying the impact of changing conditions in marine ecosystems resulting from natural and anthropogenic factors. Technological advances in instrumentation, data processing, modeling and visualization have revolutionized recent efforts to use remote acoustic sensing to investigate the ecology, behavior and population trends of many cetacean and pinniped species. Thus, there is an unprecedented opportunity to significantly advance our understanding of these taxa and their role in marine ecosystems.
The aim of this Research Topic is to capture the state of the art of current efforts using remote acoustic sensing methods in the study of cetacean and pinniped populations. All contributions in this area are welcome, but a special emphasis will be placed on efforts examining the ecological role of these taxa and/or their response to changing environmental conditions. Moreover, a broad definition of ‘remote acoustic sensing’ will be applied to include passive, active, mobile, stationary and/or bio-logging acoustic methods.
Areas to be covered in this Research Topic on remote acoustic sensing to study cetaceans and pinnipeds may include, but are not limited to:
• Spatial and temporal trends in occurrence and habitat use
• Habitat degradation and climate change impacts
• Responses to anthropogenic stressors
• Trends in population abundance
• Advances in behavioral ecology
• Understanding trophic relationships