Processing advances for localization of beaked whales using time difference of arrival

J Acoust Soc Am. 2013 Jun;133(6):4065-76. doi: 10.1121/1.4798675.

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the localization of clicking Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) using an array of widely spaced bottom-mounted hydrophones. A set of signal and data processing advances are presented that together make reliable tracking a possibility. These advances include a species-specific detector, elimination of spurious time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) estimates, improved tracking of TDOA estimates, positive association of TDOA estimates using different hydrophone pairs, and joint localization of multiple whales. A key innovation in three of these advances is the principle of click-matching. The methods are demonstrated using real data.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustics / instrumentation*
  • Algorithms*
  • Animals
  • Echolocation
  • Geographic Information Systems / instrumentation*
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Sound Spectrography / instrumentation*
  • Species Specificity
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Time Factors
  • Vocalization, Animal*
  • Whales*