Sonic Patterns I: The Noise - Soundscape Ecology: Principles, Patterns, Methods and Applications - page 155

Fig. 6.8 Map of the study area locations and relationship between sound level received in the
200-400 Hz band and special sensor microwave imagers (SSM/Is) wind speed (Reproduced with
permission from Curtis et al. 1999 )
investigation in tropical waters near Australia, finding great variability caused by
local conditions in terms of wind but also shipping traffic.
• Marine life. This source is extremely variable, from infrasound to ultrasound.
At the moment there is very little information about the marine soundscape, but
every trait of the coastal or offshore parts of seas and oceans has a specific sound
signature. Different soundscapes can have an important role for pelagic larval reef
fishes and decapods to orient toward coastal ranges. The importance of this charac-
ter is growing rapidly in research investigations.
For instance, Radford et al. ( 2010 ) have demonstrated that there are differences
in the spectral and temporal composition of the sonic environment in three coastal
habitats: a macroalgae-dominated reef, a sea urchin-dominated reef, and a sandy
beach, all localized in northeastern New Zealand.
The sea urchin-dominated reef had an intense sound (800-2,500 Hz) when
compared with the other two habitats (Fig. 6.9 ). The sound produced by snapping
shrimp was higher on the sea urchin-dominated reef. The two coral reefs had higher
activity at dusk than at noon time. These authors have stressed that the soundscape
has an “immense value to the pelagic larval stage of a coastal organism.”
Recently Staatermasn et al. ( 2013 ) have collected data about the distinct sonic
signature between two coral reefs, one located in the Tropical Eastern Pacific
(Panama) and one in the Caribbean (Florida Keys) which showed that in Panama
the acoustic energy (biophonies) was higher than in Florida. In Panama, the
snapping shrimp band was very active, indicating the greater activity of this species.
Shrimp live in dead or fragmented corals, and we must use this acoustic evidence