Mannar Bay dugong acoustic survey: deploying hydrophone arrays across shallow shoals?
What underwater hydrophone line configurations detect foraging dugong chirps across the Cymodocea seagrass flats of the Gulf of Mannar at dawn?
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3 Answers from travellers
Passive acoustic monitoring of Dugong dugon in the Palk Bay shallows demands calibrated, omnidirectional hydrophone arrays moored 0.5 meters above the seabed in water depths of 3 to 6 meters. Dawn deployments between 4:30 AM and 7:00 AM coincide with calmest sea states, avoiding wave slap noise against research hulls. Dugong vocalizations—frequency-modulated chirps (3 to 6 kHz) and broadband barks—are recorded onto digital autonomous data loggers, allowing researchers to track herd locations across the Palk Bay seagrass flats without intrusive propeller engines.
Tide gauge coordination is vital; low spring tides leave less than 1.5 meters of water over shallow reefs, risking grounding deployed hydrophones on bare coral.
Artisanal crab-trap markers should be noted on marine GPS; local fishers regularly check gill traps in these same shallow seagrass channels at first light.
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