Bioacoustics Data Analysis (BIAC06) – Applications for Marine Mammal Research
https://prstats.org/course/bioacoustics-data-analysis-biac06/

Delivered by Dr. Marcelo Araya-Salas, a behavioural ecologist, bioacoustics researcher, and developer of the widely used warbleR, Rraven, and baRulho R packages for acoustic analysis. 

Learn how to analyse marine mammal acoustic data in R, with methods that are transforming marine ecology, cetacean research, passive acoustic monitoring, and marine conservation.

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has become one of the most important tools in marine mammal research, enabling scientists to detect, identify, and monitor whales, dolphins, porpoises, and pinnipeds over vast spatial and temporal scales. Advances in autonomous underwater recorders and analytical software have revolutionised our ability to study species distributions, migration, habitat use, behaviour, population dynamics, and responses to anthropogenic noise. This course provides hands-on training in modern bioacoustic analysis using R, equipping researchers with practical skills for processing, analysing, and interpreting marine acoustic datasets. 

What you'll gain

• A strong understanding of marine bioacoustic principles and acoustic signal analysis
• Practical experience processing and analysing acoustic recordings in R
• Skills in generating and interpreting spectrograms and extracting acoustic measurements
• Understanding of annotation workflows, quality control, and feature extraction using warbleR, Rraven, and related packages
• Confidence in applying bioacoustic methods to marine mammal research and conservation

Course format

• Live, instructor-led online training
• Hands-on coding with real-world acoustic datasets
• Interactive practical exercises throughout
• Strong focus on applied, research-ready workflows

Who is this course for?

• Marine mammal researchers
• Marine ecologists and conservation biologists
• Researchers using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM)
• PhD students and quantitative marine scientists
• Anyone interested in analysing marine acoustic datasets using R

Why take this course?

Marine mammals rely heavily on sound for communication, navigation, foraging, and social interactions, making bioacoustic analysis fundamental to understanding their ecology and behaviour. Acoustic monitoring has become indispensable for assessing species occurrence, migration patterns, habitat use, behavioural responses, and the impacts of shipping, offshore development, and other human activities on marine ecosystems.

This course equips you with the practical skills needed to analyse marine acoustic recordings using modern R-based workflows. Whether you're studying baleen whales, toothed whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, or underwater soundscapes, you'll gain the analytical toolkit needed to process, quantify, visualise, and interpret acoustic data confidently for research, monitoring, and conservation.

Learn more & enrol

PR Stats course page for Bioacoustics Data Analysis (BIAC06)

https://prstats.org/course/bioacoustics-data-analysis-biac06/

Questions?

Email: oliver@prstats.org

Oliver Hooker

Managing Partner

Advanced Training for Researchers in the Life Sciences

coursesinfo@prstats.org | www.prstats.org