Manual for Real-Time Quality Control of Passive Acoustics Data: A Guide to Quality Control and Quality Assurance for Passive Acoustics Observations.

Abstract

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidance to the U.S. IOOS and the passive acoustics community at large for the real-time QC of PA measurements using an agreed-upon, documented, and implemented standard process. This manual is also a deliverable to the U.S. IOOS Regional Associations and the ocean observing community and represents a contribution to a collection of core variable QC documents. PA observations covered by these test procedures are collected in oceans and lakes in real time. These tests are based on guidance from QARTOD workshops (QARTOD 2003-2009) and draw from existing expertise in programs such as the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) cabled observatory, programs conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) , and Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency , which limits sound exposure level (SEL) when driving monopiles for offshore wind farm construction. This manual differs from existing QC procedures for the observation of PA in that its focus is on real-time data. It presents a series of eleven tests that operators can incorporate into practices and procedures for QC of PA observations. These tests apply only to the in-situ, real-time measurement of PA as observed by sensors deployed on fixed or mobile platforms.