Beyond approach distance: A drone–hydrophone integrated framework for quantifying vessel noise masking risk to free ranging wild dolphins

Changsoo Kim

doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2026.103958

Beyond approach distance: A drone–hydrophone integrated framework for quantifying vessel noise masking risk to free ranging wild dolphins

2026-07-30

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Changsoo Kim *

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GuhnHyeok Ko

D

Dong‐Guk Paeng

DOI：10.1016/j.ecoinf.2026.103958

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• Multi-sensor fusion of drone video, YOLO-based vessel detection, and passive hydrophone recording enables spatially explicit vessel noise exposure estimation at free-ranging dolphin positions. • A custom geoconversion algorithm (GeoConvertor) transforms aerial pixel coordinates into georeferenced trajectories with sub-metric accuracy (0.15 ± 0.08 m) and velocity RMSE of 1.2–3.1 km/h at 100 m altitude. • Empirical speed–source level relationships are strongly vessel-category-dependent, demonstrating that vessel type outperforms approach distance as a predictor of dolphin noise exposure. • Small-sized boats exceeded the 3 dB communication masking threshold in 93% of encounters, revealing critical regulatory gaps in distance-only dolphin-watching guidelines.

Keywords:

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin

Vessel noise level

Noise exposure estimation

Multi-sensor data fusion

Beyond approach distance: A drone–hydrophone integrated framework for quantifying vessel noise masking risk to free ranging wild dolphins

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