Detection and characterization of whale signals using seafloor cabled seismic networks offshore Japan

Ocean ambient noises against seismic signals are well studied using archived waveforms recorded on three-component seismometers and hydrophones connected to a seafloor cabled seismic network off Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan basically facing the Pacific Ocean. The system was deployed to install in late July 1999 by Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). Outstanding “noises” at frequency bands of 15–30 Hz are recorded on all components of both seismometers and hydrophones, which are directly recognized as fin whale calls in comparison with in-situ visual surveys carried in September to October 2009. It is extremely conspicuous that a seasonal variation of the fin whale calls has been revealed in ambient noise spectrograms of continuous long-term waveform records from 2009 to 2013. High-intensity signals associated with the fin whale calls appear commonly in the periods from September to February over cold winter at high latitudes. The remarkable seasonal pattern should be corresponded to their annual living behavior and might be related to climate changes in the Pacific Ocean.