Large scale passive acoustic recording efforts improve our understanding of long term changes in marine mammal ecology and distribution

Collaborative efforts across a large number of scientists working throughout the Western Atlantic Ocean has led to sharing of passive acoustic data spanning over a decade. These data allow for a 24/7 lens to be cast providing a long term temporal understanding of species presence. This collaborative approach has allowed for unprecedented research focusing on long term patterns and changes in distribution and movements of baleen whales and odontocetes. Results from these data shows how baleen whales migration paths can be defined and changes in these paths can be detected over time. Additionally, they show that whales are present at times of the year and in regions that were not previously documented, particularly during winter months. Beaked whale composition within and between each shelf break canyon where recordings are available varies considerably, demonstrating latitudinal as well as regional gradients in species presence. The addition of ambient noise curves to this mix provides context and allows f...