Monitoring of large marine vertebrates

This part of the course presents the acoustic component of marine life and the instruments and methodologies used by scientists to investigate the life of large vertebrates by using passive acoustics. Special focus will be given to innovative technologies for marine acoustic monitoring based on ecoacoustic concepts at different time and space scales. The anthropogenic noise will be considered for its impact on the animals at both individual and community level, but also considering its interference on monitoring results.

Topics covered

1. Introduction to underwater acoustics and acoustical oceanography
2. Marine Bioacoustics, the acoustic expression of marine life
3. Marine Soundscapes and Ecoacoustics
4. Marine mammals acoustics
5. Acoustic communication and echolocation
6. Hydrophones and recorders
7. Autonomous recorders, seafloor sensor networks, acoustic tags
8. Case studies on Mediterranean species
9. Computational Bioacoustics and Ecoacoustics
10. Sound analysis and interpretation
11. Underwater noise

Anthropogenic impacts and the Marine Strategy