Dear MARMAM community, On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to share a new publication entitled: Passive acoustic monitoring Passive Acoustic Monitoring Reveals Temporal and Environmental Drivers of the Cetacean Community in the Southern Great Barrier Reef Abstract Monitoring cetaceans in Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is essential for understanding their ecological roles and informing conservation, yet traditional visual surveys are limited by logistical constraints. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) offers a complementary solution, particularly in acoustically complex coral-reef habitats of the southern GBR. Over 2 years, we deployed an autonomous recorder at Lady Elliot Island to document cetacean presence and assess environmental associations. We detected vocalizations from humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*), dwarf minke whales (*Balaenoptera acutorostrata* subsp.), and delphinids, likely spinner (*Stenella longirostris*) and/or bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops* spp.). Humpback whale song dominated recordings from June through October, while dwarf minke whale “Star-Wars” calls occurred from May to August, marking the first acoustic evidence of this subspecies within the southern GBR. Dwarf minke whale detections correlated positively with chlorophyll-*a* concentration, whereas humpback whale detections were negatively associated with wind speed. Rorqual vocalizations declined during periods of elevated anthropogenic noise, while odontocete detections remained unaffected. These results highlight PAM's effectiveness for detecting cetaceans within complex reef soundscapes and suggest acoustic niche partitioning among taxa. These critical baseline data inform management strategies for understudied GBR cetacean populations and establish a robust framework for future long-term monitoring efforts and effective conservation actions. Citation: Taylor, I. A. R., S. Beutel, C. L. Dudgeon, et al. 2026. “ Passive Acoustic Monitoring Reveals Temporal and Environmental Drivers of the Cetacean Community in the Southern Great Barrier Reef.”*Marine Mammal Science * 42, no. 1: e70098. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70098. If you have any questions or would like a copy of the PDF, please feel free to reach out to me directly. I’m also happy to discuss the study further or explore potential collaborations with others working in related areas. Sincerely, Isabel Taylor, B.Sc. (Hons) Email: isabelaprilrosetaylor@gmail.com On Fri, 21 Nov 2025 at 6:42 am, Isabel Taylor < isabelaprilrosetaylor@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear MARMAN moderators,
Please kindly consider the following mailing list submission to your valued community:
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Dear MARMAM community,
On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to share a new publication entitled: Passive acoustic monitoring Passive Acoustic Monitoring Reveals Temporal and Environmental Drivers of the Cetacean Community in the Southern Great Barrier Reef
Abstract Monitoring cetaceans in Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is essential for understanding their ecological roles and informing conservation, yet traditional visual surveys are limited by logistical constraints. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) offers a complementary solution, particularly in acoustically complex coral-reef habitats of the southern GBR. Over 2 years, we deployed an autonomous recorder at Lady Elliot Island to document cetacean presence and assess environmental associations. We detected vocalizations from humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*), dwarf minke whales (*Balaenoptera acutorostrata* subsp.), and delphinids, likely spinner (*Stenella longirostris*) and/or bottlenose dolphins ( *Tursiops* spp.). Humpback whale song dominated recordings from June through October, while dwarf minke whale “Star-Wars” calls occurred from May to August, marking the first acoustic evidence of this subspecies within the southern GBR. Dwarf minke whale detections correlated positively with chlorophyll-*a* concentration, whereas humpback whale detections were negatively associated with wind speed. Rorqual vocalizations declined during periods of elevated anthropogenic noise, while odontocete detections remained unaffected. These results highlight PAM's effectiveness for detecting cetaceans within complex reef soundscapes and suggest acoustic niche partitioning among taxa. These critical baseline data inform management strategies for understudied GBR cetacean populations and establish a robust framework for future long-term monitoring efforts and effective conservation actions.
Citation: Taylor, I. A. R., S. Beutel, C. L. Dudgeon, et al. 2026. “ Passive Acoustic Monitoring Reveals Temporal and Environmental Drivers of the Cetacean Community in the Southern Great Barrier Reef.”* Marine Mammal Science * 42, no. 1: e70098. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70098.
If you have any questions or would like a copy of the PDF, please feel free to reach out to me directly. I’m also happy to discuss the study further or explore potential collaborations with others working in related areas.
Sincerely,
Isabel Taylor, B.Sc. (Hons) Email: isabelaprilrosetaylor@gmail.com
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Kind regards,
Isabel.