Long-term passive acoustics to assess spatial and temporal vocalization patterns of Atlantic common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the May River estuary, South Carolina

Passive acoustics has been used extensively to study bottlenose dolphins; yet very few studies have examined the spatial, temporal, and environmental influences on vocalization types (echolocation, burst pulse sounds, and whistles), and few are long-term and provide high temporal resolution over multiple years. We used data from 2013 to 2018 to establish baseline acoustic patterns for bottlenose dolphins in the May River estuary, South Carolina. We deployed acoustic recorders at six stations during 2013-2014 and three stations during 2015-2018, with locations spanning the entire estuary (headwaters to the mouth). We discovered that acoustic detection of dolphins varied not only spatially, but also yearly, monthly, and tidally. Higher numbers of echolocation bouts, burst pulse sounds, and whistles were detected at the mouth as compared to the headwaters. At the mouth, vocalization detections were greatest in fall and winter for multiple years, and echolocation detection was greatest during falling and low tides. This study provides an example of another tool, long-term passive acoustics monitoring, to better understand spatial and temporal distribution of dolphins in a typical salt marsh estuary, that can be applied to other ecosystems throughout the southeastern United States and globally.

Automated summary

Passive acoustics have been extensively used to study bottlenose dolphins, but few studies have examined the influences of spatial, temporal, and environmental factors on different vocalization types. This study in the May River estuary in South Carolina from 2013 to 2018 found that dolphins' vocalization detections varied spatially, yearly, monthly, and tidally.