Publication Date:
2016-01-04
Description:
Mitigating the contingent effects of anthropogenic noise frequently
relies on the continuous surveillance of the acoustic source’s environs.
Recent advances in ship-based perimeter surveillance, using a state-of-theart
360° IR-scanner to generate a thermographic video stream, now allow
automatic real-time detection of whales, facilitating effective observations both
night and day. So far, tests proved the system’s reliable performance at
ranges up to ca. 5 km in polar, sub-polar and temperate environments (waters
cooler than 16°C), under low visibility (particularly night-time), and at high sea
states (corresponding to Beaufort 7). Additional recent studies in subtropical
waters confirm for waters up to 22°C the discriminability of whale blows at
somewhat reduced, yet still sufficient, ranges. The system’s current
implementation provides automatic detection, localisation, documentation and
real-time verification, serving as assistant to the marine mammal observers
who are thereby relieved from the bulk of their protocolling duties. Noteworthy
features are the system’s unwavering alertness 24/7, its quasi-360° coverage,
and its highest possible thermal sensitivity (and hence long detection ranges)
due to a cryogenically cooled sensor head.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Book
,
peerRev
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