Teams from the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and SeaSearch have placed two hydrophones in the V&A Waterfront harbour to record underwater sound across the New Year period, reports Cape {town} Etc.
One device sat near the harbour wall by the helicopter pad and the other in the basin in front of the Big Wheel at about 10 metres depth.
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The foundation said the instruments recorded for short bursts each hour to track how sound travels and changes during the busy season (Facebook).
The project used DVM Waves recorders and careful schedules, with devices secured on weighted moorings and recovered after the study.
‘We set up our hydrophone to learn how sound moves underwater and the effects it may have on the surrounding environment,’ the foundation wrote.
Researchers then applied machine learning to time windows of recordings to locate dolphin whistles and clicks and measure changes in activity across events.
Previous studies have shown that impulsive noises such as fireworks can carry into the water and alter marine animal behaviour, from increased calls to changes in vigilance.
The new monitoring aims to provide local evidence for better event planning and animal welfare at the Waterfront.
‘We then used machine learning to find periods of dolphin whistles and clicks,’ the team reported.
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Also read:
Say NO to fireworks this New Year: Choose kindness for animals
