Doug Nowacek, PhD

Sound propagates very efficiently through sea-water, and marine mammals take advantage of this medium to communicate and explore their environment. My research is focused on the link between acoustic and motor behavior in marine mammals, primarily cetaceans and manatees, specifically, how they use sound in ecological processes. The cetaceans, or whales and dolphins, are divided into two main groups, the toothed whales (odontocetes) and the baleen whales (mysticetes). One of my specific areas of research is the use of echolocation as it relates to foraging behavior. Another focus of my current research is the effect(s) of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals. Doug will be the Chief Scientist for the Antarctic research.  He has experience and expertise tagging large baleen whales to study their underwater behaviors.