Here's the Abstract:
Beaked whales (family Ziphiidae) are cryptic, deep-diving cetaceans
found offshore. Passive acoustic monitoring of this family allows
identification to species level and is instrumental in expanding
knowledge of their behavior, distribution, and habitat use. From 28
June to 25 August 2016, 2 broadscale
shipboard surveys towed a hydrophone array in the western North
Atlantic. Concurrently, 11 bottom-mounted recorders collected
continuous passive acoustic data along the
1000 m contour
during July and August 2016. Five beaked whale species (goose-beaked,
Ziphius cavirostris; Gervais’, Mesoplodon europaeus; True’s, M.
mirus; Sowerby’s, M. bidens; and Blainville’s, M. densirostris)
were present in both data sets. Beaked whales were commonly detected
at the bottom-mounted sites (71% total days present), with sites off
the US Mid-Atlantic Bight containing the greatest species diversity.
Overall, daily co-occurrence was uncommon (35% of study period).
Using the towed array, Blainville’s and Gervais’ beaked whales
were found in the Gulf Stream, True’s beaked whales were more
common in abyssal waters, and Sowerby’s beaked whales were more
common on the continental slope. Goose-beaked whales were present
throughout. Using multipath reflections, click depths were examined
for 192 beaked whale detection events. Among 3 species tested
(goose-beaked, Gervais’, and True’s), only goose-beaked whales
were found to significantly forage in proximity to the seafloor. This
is the first study of its kind to provide a comprehensive overview of
how these whales utilize their habitat across latitudes, longitudes,
and depths.