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Reef Sounds

Four survey approaches are used plus some additional general observation work at the Project Reef - one of which is the use of a hydrophone (underwater microphone). The objective of the acoustic survey is to assess the acoustic diversity at the Project Reef.
"It is truly remarkable how noisy it is down [at Project Reef] - Dr. Craig Radford

A single hydrophone deployment records
28 hours , 31 minutes & 55 seconds of Project Reef noise*!

- *Results of May 4th Deployment

HYDROPHONE (Project Reef Life)

Four survey approaches are used plus some additional general observation work at the Project Reef - one of which is the use of a hydrophone!
Early-stage analysis of the hydrophone deployed at the Project Reef identified a humpback whale call and the ‘thunder’ of an aftershock from the large earthquake that struck Kaikoura in November 2016. The objective of the acoustic survey is to assess the acoustic diversity at the Project Reef and to share the array of sounds as part of our educational outreach.

 

Hydrophones deployed in the Taranaki region recorded blue whale calls on 99.7 percent of the days between January and December in 2016.

- ScienceDaily (link below) 

Whalesong
In Taranaki

"Sound is a way of life for whales, their survival has been dependent on the evolution of ear structures that are highly specialized for underwater hearing."

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- Zhexi Luo, assistant curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Q: WHEN'S THE REEF NOISIEST?

Dawn?

This video was taken on our insitu-camera at DAWN.
Is this the noisest time at Project Reef?

Play DAWN

Midday?

This video was taken on our insitu-camera at MIDDAY.
Is this the noisest time at Project Reef?

Play M-DAY

Dusk?

This video was taken on our insitu-camera at DUSK.
Is this the noisest time at Project Reef?

Play DUSK

Night?

This video was taken on our insitu-camera at NIGHT.
Is this the noisest time at Project Reef?

Play NIGHT

A: AT NIGHT!

A Humpback Call

Early-stage analysis (March 2017) of the hydrophone deployed at the Project Reef has identified a humpback whale call and the ‘thunder’ of an aftershock from the large earthquake that struck Kaikoura in November. The objective of the acoustic survey is to assess the acoustic diversity at the Project Reef.

Humpback Call

Kina Eating

The Project now works with Auckland University’s Dr Radford, an acoustic specialist, who has loaned a hydrophone for data capture at the Project Reef.
Our Hydrophone took a number of recordings... one of which was a Kina eating! Dr. Radford explains more on Science Learning Hub.

Do Fish Talk?

Underwater recordings of grunts, growls, chirps and pops at Leigh Marine Reserve, north of Auckland, have lead scientists to suspect fish use sound for a variety of functions including social interactions, interception and orientation – much like whales.

Great Sound Info

Marine animals use sound to sense their surroundings, communicate, locate food, and protect themselves underwater. Find out all about this and more on the wonderful 'Discovery of Sound in the Sea' website!
This is a wonderful resource for further learning.

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