May 31, 2004
Scientists to discuss marine animals, human noise
in June 3 lecture
By Tim Stephens
The effects of human noise on marine animals is the subject of a special
presentation by three marine mammal experts on Thursday, June 3, from
7 to 9 p.m. at the Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory. Admission
is free. Seating is limited and is offered on a first-come, first-served
basis.
The presentation is part of a nationwide lecture series sponsored
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National
Marine Fisheries Service.
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The speakers will be Donald Croll, assistant professor of ecology
and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz; David Kastak, a researcher
at UCSC's Long Marine Lab; and Brandon Southall, director of the NOAA
Fisheries acoustics program. Their talks are part of a nationwide lecture
series sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries).
Southall, who earned his Ph.D. in ocean sciences at UCSC studying hearing
in seals and sea lions, will give an introduction on the subject of
human-produced sound in the marine environment. Southall is still affiliated
with UCSC as a research associate and continues to participate in acoustics
research on seals and sea lions at Long Marine Lab. He has been traveling
around the country since March as part of the NOAA Fisheries lecture
series, which aims to present the public with current scientific information
on marine animals and human noise. The series will continue through
November.
Kastak, who earned a Ph.D. in biology at UCSC, will talk about the
physics of sound and hearing in the ocean and the effects of human-produced
noises, mostly in relation to pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). Kastak
has studied the hearing abilities of different pinniped species and
the effects of human-produced noise on pinnipeds. He leads an ongoing
research program on pinniped acoustics at Long Marine Lab, and is also
involved in research with the U.S. Navy's marine mammal program.
Croll will discuss the role of sound in the lives of the great whales
and how the noise created by human activities in the ocean might affect
those animals. Croll has studied the loud, low-frequency sounds produced
by fin whales and blue whales, gaining new insights into how and why
the whales use these vocalizations. He has also done research on how
whales respond to human-produced noises.
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