Handling time variability in bioacoustic transient detection

Methods are presented for handling the variability in timing that occurs within animal calls. Using as inputs the result of a process for detecting frequency sweeps in a call, plus a set of probability distribution functions for the time intervals between successive sweeps, the methods each find the global maximum of a scoring function that combines the inputs to produce a detection score. The methods are tested on a set of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) calls recorded in a noisy Arctic environment. Output of the methods´ operation on the data set are presented and the results are discussed