Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM)
Passive Acoustic Monitoring is the recording of underwater sounds (animal and environmental) through the use of passive acoustic recorders. PAM allows to detect and characterize sounds produced by fish and marine mammals (e.g., echolocation clicks, fish chorusing, snapping shrimp), ambient noise from physical oceanographic processes (e.g., ice, wind, waves), and anthropogenic noise sources (e.g., vessels, wind turbines). It records all present sounds withing the sampling range of the acoustic measuring system. The Cetacean monitoring system (C-POD, F-POD), monitors the presence of cetaceans by detecting their echolocation clicks.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Non-intrusive, reducing the impact on the species targeted. | Number of individuals vocalizing cannot be identified |
| Allows continuous monitoring over extended periods. | Detection ranges are affected by habitat structure, weather, signal type and strength. |
| Individual vocalizations cannot be identified. |
