CAREER: Instruments and Algorithms for Marine Mammal Behavioral Acoustics

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9733391 Buck This project applies modern signal processing techniques to develop new instruments and algorithms for behavioral studies of marine mammals. The specific focus of the projects will be on tools to help understand the link between the vocal and physical behavior of these animals. An common difficulty in most investigations into this question is obtaining extensive observations of animals which spend a majority of their time beneath the surface of the water. For this reason, the visual behavioral observation techniques used for terrestrial animals are of limited effectiveness, and we must pursue observation methods incorporating modern signal processing and acoustical techniques. This project will develop three such tools. The first is an underwater video/audio recorder which can indicate which animal in the video picture is making the sound. The second is an algorithm for the controlled synthesis of bottlenose dolphin whistles to allow controlled tests of which acoustic features of these whistles are important to the animals. The final project is the ongoing development computer algorithms for recognition and classification of marine mammal calls investigating the possibility of identifying specific individuals based on their calls. The project also incorporates classroom activities encouraging collaborative learning between biologists and engineers. Public awareness of the importance of sound in the ocean will be raised through participation in the design of several aquaria exhibits.