Improvements to Passive Acoustic Tracking Methods for Marine Mammal Monitoring

This project investigated and implement several methods to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and applicability of model based passive acoustic methods to track marine mammals. Methods were developed and tested that 1 Invert for sound speed profiles, hydrophone position and hydrophone timing offset in addition to animal position. 2 Use improve maximization schemes in model-based tracking. 3 Use received sound pressure levels in addition to arrival times for tracking. This project also developed methods to simultaneously track multiple animals in cases where it is difficultimpossible to separate and associate calls from individual animals.