Page 41 - Spring 2009

Books and Publications
Dick Stern
Applied Research Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University PO Box 30, State College, Pennsylvania 16804
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Book Title: Principles of Marine Bioacoustics Authors: Whitlow W. L. Au and Mardi C. Hastings Publisher: Springer
IBSN 978-0-387-78364-2
Pages: 679
Illustrations: 407
Binding: Hardcover
Marine bioacoustics is one of the most interdisciplinary fields in science, embrac- ing many scientific disciplines. Generation and propagation of sound and interaction of sound with objects are in the realm of physics and engineering; reception and projection of sounds by animals pertain to biology and physiology; computer-aided detection, clas- sification and localization of sounds fall under mathematics, signal processing, and engineering; perception of sound and mechanics of the auditory system are typical areas in psychology and biology; and acoustic behavior of animals, their response to sounds, and the role of sound in their natural environments also fall in the realm of psychology, physiology and biology. This book is an attempt to combine the various areas of marine bioacoustics into a single comprehensive text, with an effort to “cut to the chase” and get to the core of the material in the different disciplines in an understandable yet compre- hensive manner. Topics such as the measurement and generation of underwater sounds, the propagation of acoustic signals in the marine environment and in small tanks, sig- nal processing techniques, and advanced devices used in the field are discussed. 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 animals. The authors believe that to be successful in marine bioacoustics, a working knowledge in all the var- ious disciplines is essential.
Editor’s Note—The items printed in “Books and Publications” are reported for informational purposes only and are not nec- essarily endorsements by the Editor, Acoustics Today, or the Acoustical Society of America.
40 Acoustics Today, April 2009