Dr Ilse Van Opzeeland, Biologist
Affiliation
Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred-Wegener Institute Helmholtz, Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany & Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Contact Details
Telephone: +49/(0)471 4831 1169
Fax: +49/(0)471 4831 1149
email: ilse.van.opzeeland@awi.de / ilse.van.opzeeland@uni-oldenburg.de
Research Interests
I see sound as an invaluable resource of information about environments, particularly when it stems from underwater environments from which it is hard or impossible to collect visual data. The Southern Ocean, where most of my work is focused, forms a compelling example. Passive acoustic recordings can be used to derive information on the marine mammal species present in a given area, but also to gain insights into their behaviour, for example how species interact and respond acoustically to their acoustic environment. My current research uses such information as a foundation for developing new ideas and concepts of evaluating underwater sound environments (soundscape planning, acoustic biodiversity assessments), but also for the investigation of marine mammal habitat usage. In the context of the IWC-SORP Acoustic Trends Steering Group (ATG), my interest and contributions revolve around improving our understanding of the behavior and spatio-temporal distribution patterns of Antarctic blue and fin whales in Antarctic waters, alongside developing and adapting passive acoustic monitoring techniques to collect the data best suited to answer our research questions.
Selected Publications
Van Opzeeland I, Boebel O (2018) Marine Soundscape Planning: Seeking acoustic niches for anthropogenic sound. Journal of Ecoacoustics 2. DOI:10.22261/JEA.5GSNT8
Schall E, Van Opzeeland I (2017) Calls produced by Ecotype C killer whales (Orcinus orca) off the Eckstroem Iceshelf, Antarctica, Aquatic Mammals 43 (2): 117–126.
Menze S, Zitterbart D, Van Opzeeland I, Boebel O (2016) The influence of sea ice, wind speed and marine mammals on Southern Ocean ambient sound. Royal Society Open Science. DOI:10.1098/rsos.160370.
Thomisch K, Boebel O, Clark C, Hagen W, Spiesecke S, Zitterbart D, Van Opzeeland I (2016) Spatio-temporal patterns in acoustic presence and distribution of Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedias ) in the Weddell Sea. Endangered Species Research 30: 239-253. DOI:10.3354/esr00739
Risch D, Gales NJ, Gedamke J, Kindermann L, Nowacek DP, Read AJ,Siebert U, Van Opzeeland IC, Van Parijs SM, Friedlaender AS (2014) Mysterious bio-duck sound attributed to the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaearensis), Biology Letters 10: 201401.
Bombosch A , Zitterbart DP, Van Opzeeland I, Frickenhaus S, Burkhardt E, Wisz MS, Boebel O (2014) Predictive habitat modelling of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) and Antarctic minke (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) whales in the Southern Ocean as a planning tool for seismic surveys. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 91: 101-114.
Van Opzeeland I, Samaran F, Stafford KM, Findlay K, Gedamke J, Harris D, Miller BS (2013) Towards collective circum-Antarctic passive acoustic monitoring: The Southern Ocean Hydrophone Network (SOHN). Polarforschung 83(2): 47-61.
Van Opzeeland I, Van Parijs S, Kindermann L, Burkhardt E, Boebel O (2013) Calling in the cold: pervasive acoustic presence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Antarctic coastal waters. PLOS ONE 8(9): e73007. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0073007.
Van Opzeeland I, Van Parijs S, Bornemann H, Frickenhaus S, Kindermann L, Klinck H, Ploetz J, Boebel O (2010) Acoustic ecology of Antarctic pinnipeds. Marine Ecology Progress Series 414: 267-291. DOI:10.3354/meps08683.
Slabbekoorn H, Bouton N, Van Opzeeland I, Coers A, Ten Cate C, Popper AN (2010) A noisy spring: the impact of globally rising underwater sound levels on fish. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25: 419–42.
