Welcome to Dr. Arthur N. Popper's Laboratory of Aquatic Bioacoustics

The Aquatic Bioacoustics Laboratory (ABL) is primarily involved in the study of hearing by aquatic organisms. Most work in the laboratory focuses on fishes, although studies have been done with other non-mammalian vertebrates. Our fish studies have focused on various aspects of hearing that range from behavioral investigations to determine what an animal can hear to physiological investigations of the responses of the ear and brain.

The majority of work in the lab is now involved with studies on the effects of human-generated (anthropogenic) sound on aquatic organisms. This has resulted in a series of studies that explore behavioral and physiological effects of increased ambient sounds on fish. These studies have asked about effects of seismic air-guns, pile driving, and general increases in background sound levels on fish hearing and physiology.

Investigations in the past have ranged from basic questions concerning evolution and mechanisms of sound detection, investigations of hearing sensitivity, studies on the anatomy and ultrastructure of the ear, and many other topics (see publications link at left). We work with a range of species since we are interested in the diversity of auditory mechanisms found among fishes.

Over the past several years, Dr. Poppper has been involved in the organization of several international meetings on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life.  Another meeting will take place in 2013 in Europe, while a recent book edited by Dr. Popper and Dr. Anthony Hawkins on the presentations at the 2010 meeting in Cork, Ireland, has been recently published.

In addition, Dr. Popper and colleauges at the University of Maryland are hosting the 2012 meeting of the International Society for Neuroethology at College Park.  Please look at our web site and consider attending the meeting.

Recent News

Dr. Popper is no longer accepting students in his lab because of a shift in work that results in most projects taking place at locations other than at the University of Maryland.  Dr. Popper is, however, remaining very active in his research and other scholarly activities.

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Dr. Popper and his long-time colleague Dr. Richard Fay have recently published their 25th co-authored paper (and 50th book).  The reference is:

Fay, R. R. and Popper, A. N. (2012). Fish hearing:  New perspectives from two “senior” bioacousticians. Brain, Behaviour and Evolution 792:215-217. DOI: 10.1159/000338719 Link

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The first two of a series of papers on the effects of pile driving sounds on fishes have now been published.  These references are:

Halvorsen, M. B., Casper, B. M, Woodley, C. M., Carlson, T. J., and Popper, A. N. (in press). Threshold for onset of injury in Chinook salmon from exposure to impulsive pile driving sounds. PLoS ONE, 7(6) e38968. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038968. Link

Casper, B. C., Popper, A. N., Matthews, F., Carlson, T. J., and Halvorsen, M. B. (2012). Recovery of barotrauma injuries in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from exposure to pile driving sound. PLoS ONE, 7(6): e39593. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039593. Link

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