Marine Bioacoustics
Marine Bioacoustics applies acoustics to study marine animals, covering auditory abilities, vocalization, communication, foraging, and orientation behavior. It also explores passive acoustics for resource assessment and monitoring human impacts.
Instructor: Assoc. Prof. Jianfeng Tong
Term: Fall
Location: TBD
Time: TBD
Course Overview
This course enables students to grasp the relevant knowledge of marine bioacoustics, sound generation and transmission mechanisms of marine animals, and signal acquisition, analysis, and processing methods. Students will learn to:
- Analyze marine animal vocalization characteristics and behavior.
- Understand environmental background noise.
- Use bioacoustic data processing software.
- Assess the impact of human activities on marine animal communication.
Prerequisites
- Introduction to Marine Science
- Marine Biology
Textbooks
- “Principles of Marine Bioacoustics” by Whitlow W.L. Au, Mardi C. Hastings (Springer, 2008)
- “Principles of Underwater Acoustics” by Liu Bosheng, Lei Jiayu (Harbin Engineering University Press, 2009)
Grading
- Assignments (Mid-term Oral Report): 40%
- Final Exam (Closed-book): 60%
Schedule
| Week | Date | Topic | Materials |
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| 1 | Introduction to Marine Bioacoustics Background, definition, research scope, and significance. Overview of current research progress and global institutions. |
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| 2 | Fundamentals of Underwater Acoustics Sound propagation, speed of sound, absorption loss, and the passive sonar equation. |
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| 3 | Instruments for Marine Bioacoustics Hydrophones, transducers, autonomous recorders, acoustic tags, and listening networks. |
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| 4 | Instrument Operation and Signal Acquisition Principles of passive acoustic data collection and factors affecting signal resolution. |
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| 5 | Auditory Systems of Marine Animals Hearing mechanisms in fish, cetaceans, and pinnipeds. Auditory sensitivity and localization capabilities. |
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| 6 | Vocalization and Communication Sound production mechanisms in cetaceans (whales/dolphins), fish, and invertebrates. Echolocation systems. |
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| 7 | Vocalization Analysis Detailed analysis of vocalization types and biological significance (e.g., mating, foraging). |
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| 8 | Marine Bioacoustic Signal Processing Signal detection, time-domain and frequency-domain analysis, FFT, and use of software like Raven. |
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