Acoustic Localization for the Bowhead Whale Census Offshore Point Barrow, Alaska

In collaboration with the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, I am part of a team at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics working on a 2025 census of the bowhead whale population offshore of Point Barrow, Alaska. Our center has deployed

I am the primary analyst responsible for acoustic localization within this project. To optimize the placement of the hydrophones, I made a user interface for evaluating localization coverage and accuracy for different array spacings and geometries.

Through this visual and accessible approach, we co-designed the acoustic survey with our partners, balancing quantitative analysis metrics with prior experience and practical considerations for field deployment.

As of the fall of 2024, our Rockhopper units are underwater. Data collection will be conducted in the spring of 2025, following which we will acoustically localize the bowhead whale calls and estimate their abundance.