Abstract
Anthropogenic noise may interfere with active echolocation, which is the primary foraging tool for odontocete cetaceans. Our work on temporary threshold shifts (Mooney et al. 2009a; Nachtigall et al. 2003, 2004) has shown that either lower levels of anthropogenic noise presented for long time periods or intense sonar pings for short time periods (Mooney et al. 2009b) can produce a temporary reduction in hearing sensitivity and temporary threshold shifts. Intense sounds intended to disrupt echolocation can also reduce echolocation performance (Mooney et al. 2009c). Our measurements of hearing during echolocation have shown that self-generated intense outgoing signals are managed by the whale’s auditory system using a number of mechanisms (Nachtigall and Supin 2008; Supin et al. 2007, 2008, 2009) based on measurements of the auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) associated with what the animal hears of its own echolocation signals and echoes while echolocating (Supin et al. 2003, 2004).
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References
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Nachtigall, P.E., Supin, A.Y., Breese, M. (2012). Hearing, Noise, and Echolocating Odontocetes. In: Popper, A.N., Hawkins, A. (eds) The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 730. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7311-5_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7311-5_10
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