Whitlow Au
PhD Washington State University (Electrical Sciences), 1970
Researcher, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology
Marine Mammal Research Program
Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology
P.O. Box 1106
Kailua, HI 96734
phone: (808) 247-5026
fax: (808) 247-5831
wau@hawaii.edu

Echolocation, hearing and acoustics of marine mammals
My primary research interest is in marine bioacouistics, especially dealing with dolphins and whales but including other species. Within the field of bioacoustics, my interest includes hearing processes, sound production mechanisms, sound characterization, remote acoustic sensing and hearing capabilities.

Representative publications

Stimpert, A. K., Au, W. W. L., Parks, S. E., Hurst, T., Wiley, D. N. (2011). "Common humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) sound types for passive acoustic monitoring," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 128, 476-482.

Lammers, M.O., Fisher-Pool, P.I., Au, W.W.L., Meyer, C.C., Wong, K.C., and Brainard, R.E. (2011). "Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering behavior in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands observed acoustically," Mar. Ecol. Progress Series, 423, 261-268.

Au, W. W. L., Richlen, M., Lammers, M. O. (2011). "The Soundscape of a Nearshore Reef near an Urban Center," in Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life, (A. Popper and H. Hawkins, eds). Springer + Busioness Media, N.Y. (in press).

Oswald, J.N., Au, W. W. L., and Dunnebier, F. (2011). "Temporal patterns in the occurrence of minke whale boings detected at the Station Aloha Cabled Observatory," accepted for publicaton.

Yovel, Y. , and Au, W. W. L. (2010). "How can dolphins recognize fish according to their echoes," PLoS Comp. Biol. 5, e14054

Au, W. W. L., Horne, J. , Jones, C. (2010). "Basis of acoustic discrimination of Chinook salmon from other salmons by echolocating Orcinus orca." J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 128, 2225-2232.

Au, W. W. L., Houser, D., Finneran, J. J., Lee, W. J., Talmadge, L. A., Moore, P. W. (2010). The acoustic field on the forehead of echolocating Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 128, 1426-1434.

Au, W.W.L., Lammers, M.O. and Yin, S. (2010). "Acoustics of dusky dolphins" In: Dusky Dolphins: Master Acrobats Off Different Shores. Eds. Würsig, B. & Würsig, M. Elsevier

Au, W. W. L., Richlen, M. and Lammers, M. O. (2010). "The Soundscape of a Nearshore Reef near an Urban Center," in Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life, edited by A. Popper and A. Hawkins, Springer Verlag, N.Y.

Ibsen, S.D, Au, W.W.L., Nachtigall, P. E., Delong, C. E., and Breese, M. (2010). "Changes in consistency patterns of click frequency over time of an echolocating bottlenose dolphin," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126, 3821-3829.

Lammers, M.O., Fisher-Pool, Au, W.W.L., Meyer, C.C. (2010). "Cetacean occurrence observed acoustically at Rapture Reef, French Frigate Shoals," submitted to J.Marine Biol.

Lammers, M.O., Stieb, S., Au, W.W.L., Mooney, T.A., Brainard, R.E. and Wong, K. (In prep). "Temporal, geographic and density variations in the acoustic activity of snapping shrimp." To be submitted to Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

Kastelein, R. A., Wensveen, W. J., Hoek, L., Au, W. W. L., Terhune, J., and de Jong, C. A. F. (2009). "Critical ratio in the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) for tonal signals between 0.315 and 150 kHz in random white noise," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126, 1588-1597.

Au, W. W. L., Branstetter, B., K., Benoit-Bird, K.J., and Kastelein, R. A. (2009). "Acoustic basis for fish prey discrimination by echolocating dolphins and porpoises," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126, 460-467.

Benoit-Bird, K. J., and Au, W.W.L. (2009). "Cooperative prey herding by the pelagic dolphin, Stenella longirostris. " J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 125-137.

Authored Books

Marine Mammal Populations and Ocean Noise: Determining When Noise Causes Biologically Significant Effects, The National Academies, 2005.

Au, W. W. L. & Hastings, M. (2008). Principles of Marine Bioacoustics, Springer-Verlag, N. Y.

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