Our Approach
Testing whether acoustic indices can serve as community-level screening tools using ESONS data as our validation framework.
Proof-of-Concept Study Design
Using May River ESONS data to validate acoustic indices effectiveness
Traditional ESONS Approach
Our Acoustic Indices Addition
Validation approach: We use existing expert manual detections as "ground truth" to test whether acoustic indices can identify the same patterns that experienced listeners detect.
Study Scope & Data
Study Area: May River ESONS Stations
Three hydrophone monitoring stations (9M, 14M, 37M) providing diverse estuarine habitats for validation
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Why May River? This system provides an ideal test case with established fish communities, diverse acoustic environments, and high-quality manual detection data from the Montie Lab's ongoing ESONS monitoring.
The Data: Expert Detections vs. Acoustic Indices
Ground Truth: Expert Manual Detections
ESONS protocol manual analysis showing when and where fish were actually calling
Acoustic Indices: Automated Sound Analysis
56 indices capturing different aspects of underwater soundscape characteristics
Environmental Context
Temperature and depth patterns that influence fish calling behavior
Can acoustic indices identify the same biological patterns that expert listeners detect?
Our validation compares acoustic index patterns against expert manual detections to test whether automated approaches can serve as effective community-level screening tools.
See What We Found