Concepedia

Abstract

Recent research has demonstrated the utility of acoustic recording tags to assess the exposure and response of marine wildlife to sound [e.g., W. C. Burgess et al., Deep-Sea Res., Part II 45, 1327–1351 (1998)]. The experimental nature of these tags, however, has limited their adoption by the wider bioacoustical community. To enable broader use of acoustic recording tag technology, a new general-purpose tag is being developed. Miniaturization to a cylinder approximately 3 cm in diameter by 16 cm in length will allow application with a variety of species and attachment methods. Initial versions of the device will sample acoustics with 16-bit resolution at bandwidths up to 14 kHz, as well as temperature and depth with 12-bit resolution. Longevity will depend on the choice of sampling schedule; constant acoustic sampling at 2 kHz will fill the 288 MB solid-state flash disk in 21 h, but this lifetime can be extended by reducing resolution or by recording only during times of interest. Results from initial test deployments on free-ranging marine mammals are expected in late fall 2000. [Work supported by ONR.]