Principles of Marine Bioacoustics is about studying the acoustics of marine animals using underwater acoustic techniques. The book discusses and unites the various areas of marine bioacoustics in a single comprehensive text. It covers important subjects associated with marine bioacoustics such as the measurement and generation of underwater sounds, the propagation of acoustic signals in the marine environment and in small tanks, signal processing techniques, and advanced devices used in the field. Also covered are topics relating to marine animals, such as methods to record and acquire acoustic signals from animals, their auditory systems and vocalizations, psychological and physiological testing procedures, and echolocation in marine mammals.
Part I: Principles and Methodology: Introduction. Measurement and Generation of Underwater Sounds. Transducer Properties and Utilization. Acoustic Propagation. Signal Recording and Data Acquisition. Fourier Analysis. Auditory System of Mammals and Fish. Experimental Psychological and Physiological Methodology.- Part II Acoustics of Marine Animals: Hearing in Marine Animals. Emission of Social Sounds by Marine Mammals. Echolocation in Marine Mammals. Some Signal Processing Techniques. Some Instrumentation for Marine Bioacoustics Research.
Whitlow W.L. Au and Mardi C. Hastings have been involved with scientific acoustic research on marine animals for many years and their total combined span of time in this field extends over 5 decades.