Ambient soundscape of grey whale feeding grounds in British Columbia, Canada

The aim of this research is to investigate and quantify the ambient soundscape as it applies to marine mammals, specifically grey whales (Eschrichtius robustus). The use of vision is restricted underwater yet marine mammals are still able to navigate and find food without any noticeable difficulties. The use of sound, therefore, plays a key role in their survival. Our work focused specifically on grey whales due to their close association with the shallow water environment where there is a variety of environmental acoustic cues present. We examined their feeding grounds along the central coast of B.C., Canada, principally looking at how kelp beds effect the soundscape given their affiliation with grey whales. We also investigated the acoustic characteristics of surf noise on different sediment types. An ambient sound map was produced for a common feeding bay, highlighting acoustic bright and dark spots.