Research News

Nuclear Bomb Detectors Help Scientists Identify New Pygmy Blue Whale Population

According to an article recently published by Australian Geographic, researchers have found an entirely new population of pygmy blue whales lurking in the Indian Ocean thanks to acoustic recordings captured by a network of deep sea, bomb-detecting microphones.

This latest group, the fifth known pygmy blue whale population in the region, was identified while analyzing almost two decades’ worth of acoustic data collected from the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

The deep-sea microphones, which are managed by the international Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, are designed to detect any illegal nuclear bomb testing but have unintentionally been listening in on the whales.

Whale songs tend to vary from one species to the next, but there are certain sound signatures—differences in song duration, structure and the number of sections—that indicate the presence of new populations within a species.

The new population of pygmy blue whales—named “Chagos” after the group of islands near to where the whales’ songs were first heard—have a three-part song, according to Harry Baker for Live Science, a distinct pattern that is consistently present in recordings from 2002 to 2018. The sound is so persistent that researchers can attribute the song to a population of whales, as opposed to individuals, but it remains unclear how many whales make up the group.

The researchers are planning to revisit the acoustic data to learn more about how the Chagos population has changed and adapted over the past two decades. The bomb-detecting microphone network will also help monitor future behavior and migration patterns of the pygmy blue whales.

Image

ECO Magazine is a marine science trade publication committed to bringing scientists and professionals the latest ground-breaking research, industry news, and job opportunities from around the world.

Corporate

8502 SW Kansas Ave
Stuart, FL 34997

info@tscpublishing.com

Newsletter Signup

The ECO Newsletter is a weekly email featuring the Top 10 stories of the past seven days, providing readers with a convenient way to stay abreast on the latest ocean science and industry news.