Publication Date:
2022-05-25
Description:
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2018. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Pollution Bulletin 136 (2018): 282-290, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.09.009.
Description:
Sound-sensitive organisms are abundant on coral reefs. Accordingly, experiments
suggest that boat noise could elicit adverse effects on coral reef organisms. Yet, there are few
data quantifying boat noise prevalence on coral reefs. We use long-term passive acoustic
recordings at nine coral reefs and one sandy comparison site in a marine protected area to
quantify spatio-temporal variation in boat noise and its effect on the soundscape. Boat noise was
most common at reefs with high coral cover and fish density, and temporal patterns reflected
patterns of human activity. Boat noise significantly increased low-frequency sound levels at the
monitored sites. With boat noise present, the peak frequencies of the natural soundscape shifted
from higher frequencies to the lower frequencies frequently used in fish communication. Taken
together, the spectral overlap between boat noise and fish communication and the elevated boat
detections on reefs with biological densities raises concern for coral reef organisms.
Description:
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation Biological Oceanography
Program (award OCE-1536782) and the WHOI Summer Student Fellowship Program.
Keywords:
Bioacoustics
;
Noise pollution
;
Soundscapes
;
Ecoacoustics
;
Coral reefs
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Preprint
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