Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Cape Charles Buoy
Study objectives
A DMON buoy was deployed near Cape Charles, Virginia on May 20, 2025 to monitor the presence of baleen whales in near real time by automatically detecting and identifying their calls. The buoy will help to improve monitoring and conservation efforts for whales, particularly the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, by providing scientists, managers, and the public with near real-time information on whale presence.
Principal Investigator: Mark Baumgartner (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Analyst: Jackie Bort Thornton, Danielle Jones, Rhianna Thurber and Joel Bell (NAVFAC)
Platform location:
Daily analyst review:
| | Detected |
| Possibly detected |
| Not detected |
Time series:
Diel plot:
Recent background noise:
Links to detailed information:
Automated detection data
Analyst notes
DMON/LFDCS diagnostics
Platform diagnostics
Sounds
What types of sounds are we monitoring? Find examples of the sounds right, fin, sei and humpback whales make here.
Questions
Please email Mark Baumgartner at mbaumgartner@whoi.edu. For a general desciption of the detection system and the autonomous platforms, visit dcs.whoi.edu.
Acknowledgements
The DMON buoy was prepared and deployed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Mooring Operations and Engineering (MOE) Group - special thanks to Jeff Pietro, Kris Newhall, Nico Llanos, Jim Dunn, Jim Ryder, Don Peters, and John Kemp. The buoy electronics and DMON were prepared and tested by Mackenzie Meier (WHOI). Critical engineering support was provided by Jim Partan and Keenan Ball (WHOI). Support for the deployment and operation of the buoy was provided by Joel Bell at NAVFAC Atlantic.
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