Sound of the Tide: Oyster Reef Soundscapes
A subproject of Shellfish Aquaculture in Reserves: Ecosystem Services (ShARES), a NOAA NERRS Science Collaborative project
Project Objective:
To characterize the soundscapes of estuarine oyster reefs, oyster mariculture, and bare sediment habitats in southeastern North Carolina
Guiding Questions:
Do wild oyster reefs, oyster mariculture farms, and bare sediment (mudflat) habitats create distinct soundscapes?
As more complex habitats, are the soundscapes of oyster reefs and oyster mariculture farms generally louder than those of bare sediment (mudflat) habitats?
Does overall loudness among habitats change with water temperature? Do the habitats’ soundscapes change with water temperature?
Program Overview:
This project was part of the Shellfish Aquaculture in Reserves: Ecosystem Services (ShARES) program that was funded by the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Science Collaborative from 2016-2020. The NERR Science Collaborative is itself funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ShARES sought to determine the impact of mariculture farm leases on the estuarine ecosystems of Masonboro Island Reserve and the unprotected Stone’s Bay in the New River. Acoustic recordings were taken monthly from June 2018 to April 2019.
Study sites. (A) Big Bay in Masonboro Island Reserve, located near Wilmington, NC. Intertidal study habitats included two mariculture leases (L1 and L2), two wild oyster reefs (I3 and I4), and two haphazardly chosen bare sediment areas. (B) Stone’s Bay in the New River, located near Jacksonville, NC. Subtidal study habitats included one mariculture lease (L3), one shellfish management area (SMA), and one haphazardly chosen bare sediment area.
(C) Locations of Masonboro and New River within the state of North Carolina.
Investigators:
Nicole Webster
Current Affiliation:
PhD Student
University of Alaska Fairbanks
nmwebster@alaska.edu
Affiliation at time of project:
Undergraduate Honors Student
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Beth Darrow
Current Affiliation:
Chief Scientist
Bald Head Island Conservancy
darrow@bhic.org
Affiliation at time of project:
Research Associate
Center for Marine Science
University of North Carolina Wilmington
The Soundscapes.
Big Bay: Masonboro Island Reserve (Intertidal)
Stone’s Bay: New River (Subtidal)
The “Moorings”.
Custom temporary float-anchor systems designed to be deployed from a skiff, positioned for 5 minutes, recovered, and then redeployed at a new location. (A) Is the original design used for the summer of 2018, constructed with a pool noodle. (B) is the updated design used for October 2018 - April 2019, constructed with a buoy, lightweight anchor, and metal cage. These systems were designed to deploy the Cetacean Research Technology SQ26-H1 Portable Underwater Recording System, which was tethered via a 30m cord to a recorder operated from the skiff.
It was a somewhat silly, Macgyvered setup — but it was cheap and it worked!
Mooring design by Nicole Webster
Presentations.
Webster, N.M., Darrow, E.S., and Posey, M.H. “Using Acoustic Indicators to Assess Habitat Quality of Oyster Mariculture and Wild Reefs.” Poster presentation, Atlantic Estuarine Research Society Meeting, Woodbridge, VA, April 5, 2019.
Webster, N.M. and Darrow, E.S. “Using Acoustic Indicators to Assess Habitat Quality of Oyster Mariculture and Wild Reefs.” Poster presentation, State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, Raleigh, NC, November 10, 2018.
Guiding publications for this project included:
Lillis, A., Eggleston, D., and Bohnenstiehl, D. (2014). “Estuarine soundscapes: distinct acoustic characteristics of oyster reefs compared to soft-bottom habitats,” Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 505, 1–17. doi:10.3354/meps10805
(Click on the image above to open a PDF copy of the poster)
