Marine ecosystem acoustics (MEA): quantifying processes in the sea at the spatio-temporal scales on which they occur

Universityof Bergen, PO Box 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway*Corresponding author: tel: +47 55238500; fax: +47 55236830; e-mail: olavrune@imr.noGodo, O. R., Handegard, N. O., Browman, H. I., Macaulay, G. J., Kaartvedt, S., Giske, J., Ona, E., Huse, G., and Johnsen, E. Marineecosystem acoustics (MEA): quantifying processes in the sea at the spatio-temporal scales on which they occur. – ICESJournal of Marine Science, doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsu116.Received27 March2014; revised 29 May2014; accepted 9 June 2014.Sustainablemanagementoffisheriesresourcesrequiresquantitativeknowledgeandunderstandingofspeciesdistribution,abundance,andprod-uctivity-determiningprocesses.Conventionalsamplingbyphysicalcaptureisinconsistentwiththespatialandtemporalscalesonwhichmanyoftheseprocessesoccur.Incontrast,acousticobservationscanbeobtainedonspatialscalesfromcentimetrestooceanbasins,andtemporalscalesfromsecondstoseasons.Theconceptofmarineecosystemacoustics(MEA)isfoundedonthebasiccapabilityofacousticstodetect,classify,andquantify organisms and biological and physical heterogeneities in the watercolumn. Acoustics observations integrateoperational technologies,platforms, and models and can generate information by taxon at the relevant scales. The gaps between single-species assessment and ecosys-tem-based management, as well as between fisheries oceanography and ecology, are thereby bridged. The MEA concept combines state-of-the-art acoustic technology with advanced operationalcapabilities and tailored modelling integratedinto aflexibletool forecosystem researchand monitoring. Case studies are presented to illustrate application of the MEA concept in quantification of biophysical coupling, patchinessof organisms, predator–prey interactions, and fish stock recruitment processes. Widespread implementation of MEA will have a large impacton marine monitoring and assessment practices and it is to be hoped that they also promote and facilitate interaction among disciplineswithin the marine sciences.Keywords:acoustics,assessment,ecology,ecosystem-basedfisheriesmanagement,ecosystemmodels,physical–biologicalcoupling,recruitmentprocesses, spatio-temporal scaling.