Inspirations of past leaders in Acoustical Oceanography: Reflections of our roots in AO and bioacoustics

Abstract

I had the privilege of knowing the leaders of Acoustical Oceanography (AO) during its early years, first as a topical entity, then when it was eventually formalized as a Technical Committee (TC). I first arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 1980 and did research there with Clarence Clay for eight years as a scientist. The 1977 book, “Acoustical Oceanography” by Clay and (Hank) Medwin, had recently been published and was required reading. At around the same time, Van Holliday, David Farmer, Mike Buckingham, and Medwin, established AO as a formal committee, first as a Specialty Group (Medwin as Chair), and later as a TC in 1991. Buckingham was elected first Chair of the AOTC and, given the anticipated challenges in starting a new TC, I was made Alternate Chair to work alongside Buckingham on many things. Clay and Holliday inspired much of the AO bioacoustics research that I have conducted, including developing acoustic scattering models, physics-based echo statistics, and broadband acoustic methods to use sound to characterize marine organisms such as fish and zooplankton. I will tell some stories and give examples of recent scientific advances that are traceable to Clay and Holliday.