Table of Contents

• Coverage
• Dataset Description
  • Methods & Sampling
  • Data Processing Description
• Data Files
• Related Publications
• Parameters
• Instruments
• Deployments
• Project Information
• Funding

Related dataset:
Acoustic Summary Data: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/748552

Methodology:
One SoundTrap ST300 passive acoustic recorder (Ocean Instruments NZ, Inc.) was deployed at each coral reef over the course of one year. Hydrophones were attached to rebar stakes 0.75 meters from the seafloor with the omnidirectional hydrophone facing the sea surface. Deployment dates and locations are listed here. See Dinh et al. 2018 for more details. 

Problem report: 
Hydrophones were offloaded and recharged between deployments. Gaps exist due to hydrophone malfunction. See Dinh et al. for more details. 

BCO-DMO Data Manager Processing Notes:
* added a conventional header with dataset name, PI name, version date
* modified parameter names to conform with BCO-DMO naming conventions
* split deployment date range column into start and stop dates in format yyyy-mm-dd

Data version 2: site lat and lon added to datasets.
 

NSF Award Abstract:
Coral reef ecosystems host some of the highest biodiversity of life per unit area on Earth and harbor about one-quarter to one-third of all marine animals. Reef-associated animals are a major source of protein for millions of people, and reefs offer shoreline protection and provide a significant source of tourism revenue, especially in developing countries. Factors that influence supply and settlement of young (larval) fish, coral, and associated animals can have large impacts on reef ecosystem and population structure, and learning more about these can help improve understanding of how to maintain the benefits provided by coral reefs. This study will lead to a detailed, mechanistic understanding of how young larvae use natural sounds to orient toward, locate, and select preferred settlement habitat. The approach will combine detailed field measurements and experiments to isolate key soundscape variables that impact coral reef larvae. 

For marine communities, such as those on coral reefs, factors influencing larval supply and settlement can have major impacts on community structure and population replenishment. There are now some indications that sound plays an important role in attracting larvae to suitable settlement habitat. There is little understanding of what soundscape habitat information is available to larvae and how differences and variability in sound can influence settlement. This project will include comprehensive experiments, environmental measurements, and modeling with the goal of understanding the role of sound in influencing larval recruitment and local biodiversity. The investigators will measure in situ settlement of larval fish and coral in relation to different soundscapes and habitat conditions in a marine protected area using traditional larval sampling methods, moored acoustic recorders, and a suite of environmental observations. Controlled and calibrated environmental playback experiments will isolate soundscape components and determine specific and fundamental acoustic cues larvae use to orient and settle. The spatial and temporal variability of soundscape cues and components across reef habitats will be established. Finally, the project will determine the relevant ranges of sound plumes that larvae may encounter through direct measurements of the sound fields of multiple reefs.