Acoustic propagation modeling indicates vocal compensation in noise improves communication range for North Atlantic right whales

Habitat loss is a leading driver of biodiversity loss (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Over the past century, environmental noise from human activities has increased rapidly in intensity and scale, representing a drastic yet often overlooked form of habitat loss (Andrew et al. 2002, McDonald et al. 2006, Slabbekoorn & Ripmeester 2008, Hildebrand 2009, Barber et al. 2010). This noise is primarily a consequence of human transportation, recreation, and development (Slabbekoorn & Ripmeester 2008, Hildebrand 2009, Barber et al. 2010), and transcends protected area boundaries (Barber et al. 2011). The loss of acoustic habitat, i.e. the components of the environment that enable an organism to effectively send and receive signals, impairs species’ abilities to perceive sounds critical to survival, reproduction, population health and ecosystem integrity (e.g. Halfwerk et al. 2011, Francis et al. 2009, 2012, Tennessen et al. 2014; see reviews by Warren et al. 2006, Slabbekoorn & Ripmeester 2008, Barber et al. 2010,