Mid-Frequency Sonar Interactions With Beaked Whales

The top-level goal of this project is to build an interactive online modeling and visualization system, called the Virtual Beaked Whale, to enable users to predict mid-frequency sonar-induced acoustic fields inside beaked whales and other marine mammals. Another high-level goal is to acquire new high-resolution morphometric and physical-property data on beaked whales for use in the model. It is hoped that the availability of such a system, together with high-quality data, will give researchers insight into the nature of sonar interactions with beaked whales, and may prove useful in evaluating alternate sonar transmit signals that retain the required information content but with less effect.
Prepared in collaboration with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA; Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY; and Applied Research Laboratory, Washington DC Area Offices, Pennsylvania State University, Arlington, VA.