Education
Understanding cetaceans and their ecosystems, in particular their vocalizations and acoustic environment, is our passion and the driving force behind the instrumentation we design and build at Cetacean Research Technology. Our work connects us with individuals and organizations who are constantly exploring a vast range of marine environments and animals, and these researchers publish a large array of educational information both in print and on the web, some of which we have compiled in this section for easy access.
We gain direct inspiration in furthering our knowledge about marine environments from the location of our headquarters in Seattle, on the shores of the Salish Sea, which is home to the highly vocal Southern Resident Killer Whale community and an abundance of other marine life.
To help protect the Salish Sea and all marine ecosystems, increase our level of understanding, and educate the public; we participate in the conservation and education efforts of a wide variety of local and international organizations. These include the American Cetacean Society, International Bioacoustics Council, and several of the other organizations on our curated list of web resources.
Educational Resources
- Learn what cetaceans sound like when they vocalize. Listen to recordings made by Cetacean Research Technology hydrophones and systems.
- Browse our collection of recommended reading on underwater sound, whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
- CIBRA's Taking a picture of underwater sounds, or "How do I take a good underwater recording of whales and dolphins understanding what I am doing?" more
- Explore additional resources on the web; we have a curated list of organizations involved in cetacean education, research, and conservation, or underwater sound.
Basic Definitions
- Acoustics
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having to do with hearing or with sound as it is heard. For more, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustics. Cetacean Research Technology makes instrumentation for 'hearing' sound - primarily underwater although some of our hydrophone systems are equally useful above water, in the air.
- Cetacean
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any of the nearly hairless, fish-like water mammals such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. For more see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetacea.
- Hydrophone
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an instrument for detecting and measuring the intensity of sound transmitted through water. Hydrophones are devices that are similar to microphones except they operate in water instead of air; so you could call them underwater microphones. They measure underwater sound such as that created by whales, dolphins, or even shrimp. They are also useful for underwater noise analysis and have industrial applications, such as monitoring pile driver noise or measuring the underwater sound pressure level created by air gun arrays. For more see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophone.
- Sound
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certain type of vibrations in water, air, and other mediums - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound.
