Humpback whale acoustic presence in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean

In the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean (ASSO), the investigation of
baleen whale distribution by sighting surveys is temporally restricted to
the austral summer. The implementation of autonomous passive acoustic
monitoring, in turn, allows studying vocal baleen whales year-round. This
study describes the results of analyzing passive acoustic data spanning 12
recording positions throughout the ASSO applying a
combination of automatic and manual analysis methods to register humpback
whale acoustic activity. Humpback whales were present at nine recording
positions with higher acoustic activities towards lower latitudes and the
eastern and western edges of the ASSO. During all months, except
December, humpback whale acoustic activity was registered in
the ASSO.