Impact of tropical cyclone Vardah on the fish chorus in shallow waters of Southwest Bay of Bengal

Time series data of ocean ambient noise measurements during the passage of tropical cyclone Vardah in December 2016 are used to analyse the impact on fish chorusing behavior in the shallow waters of Southwest Bay of Bengal. A curve-fitting technique is applied to the time series data to study the fish chorus prior to, during and after the passage of the cyclonic storm. The multifitted components indicate the presence of fish chorus prior to and after the passage of the cyclonic storm. However, the fish chorus is absent during the day of the passage of cyclone and recurs after the cyclone. The study provides a unique dataset that reveals on the acoustic energy associated with the passage of the tropical cyclone and its impact on fish chorus, and illustrates that the passive acoustic technique is the most suitable method for biological measurements with respect to natural episodic events.