Bioacoustics research in Asia, promoted by Whitlow W. L. Au

Abstract

The sonar of dolphins (1993) written by Whitlow W. L. Au accelerated underwater bioacoustics research, especially in Asian odontocetes. Before this book, very limited ultrasonic recording of odontocetes and bioacoustics research of marine mammals have been done in Asia. The Yangtze freshwater cetaceans provided opportunities for Asian researchers to study biosonar behavior, passive acoustic monitoring methods, and auditory physiology of odontocetes. The above works were accomplished with the Whitlow Au's preceding studies as basic references. The passive acoustic monitoring method developed from the Yangtze finless porpoises has been applied internationally in recent years. With encouragement and supports from Whitlow Au, biosonar research, auditory sensitivity measurement, and long term acoustic monitoring have been extensively conducted on Chinese white dolphins and oceanic finless porpoises, which are the key species in coastal environmental assessment, especially for the windmill farm construction are...