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Content:
Bill Lang
Pagemasters:
OEMM Web Team
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SWSS Chronicles
Special Reports from the SWSS Scientists |
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Chronicle
10 - June 27, 2005
Bill Burgess
Senior Research Engineer and SWSS Acoustics Team
Greeneridge Sciences
Santa Barbara, CA
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Figure 1 |
In addition to the satellite and
depth tags placed on whales, this year an additional tag type will
be deployed as part of the SWSS program. The B-Probe, or bioacoustic
probe (Figure 1) will be attached to a small number of whales to
record acoustic data and time-depth profiles.
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The B-probe is attached to the whale using suction
cups (Figure 2) and typically stays on the animal for between 2-4
hours.
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Figure 2 |
Figure 3 |
After it pops off the whale, and floats to the
surface, researchers retrieve it using a radio signal which provides
location information (Figure 3). |
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Like
the depth tags, the B-Probe records the animal’s depth as it dives.
Beyond that, however, the
B-Probe records sounds that the animal
makes and hears as well as its orientation (pitch and roll). These
data allow researchers to investigate details of the whales’
vocalizing, diving and feeding behavior on a scale of seconds rather
than days.
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