A Population Consequence of Acoustic Disturbance Model for Cuviers beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) in Southern California

Abstract : Our goal is to create a Population Consequences of Acoustic Disturbance (PCAD) model for evaluating and monitoring the health of Cuviers beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris, hereafter Zc) populations on the US Navy Southern California Offshore Range (SCORE) off San Clemente Island in California. Our focus will be on the possible population-level affect of Navy mid-frequency active sonar, and therefore our geographic focus within SCORE will be on the Southern California Anti-submarine warfare Range (SOAR), where these animals are regularly exposed to Navy sonar.