Apologies to those of you on both listserves, since you will receive cross-postings. The following are the contents and abstracts for the most recent issue of Aquatic Mammals. This journal was established by the European Association for Aquatic Mammals (EAAM) in 1974. The EAAM, Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, and International Marine Animal Trainer's Association sponsor the journal. Aquatic Mammals accepts a wide variety of papers on the care, conservation, medicine, and science of marine mammals.  Dr. Jeanette Thomas of Western Illinois University is the editor and Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski of Mystic Aquarium is the co-editor. These abstracts are posted as a courtesy to the Marmam editors and the sponsoring societies, as well as the managing editor of Aquatic Mammals. For more information on the journal, please follow the link: http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/

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Dagmar Fertl

Southall, B.L., A.E. Bowles, W.T. Ellison, J.J. Finneran, R.L. Gentry, C.R. Greene, Jr., D. Kastak, D.R. Ketten, J.H. Miller, P.E. Nachtigall, W.J. Richardson, J.A. Thomas, and P.L. Tyack. 2007. Marine mammal noise exposure criteria: Initial scientific recommendations. Aquatic Mammals 33(4):411-521.

No abstracts or summary information is available, though the table of contents follows.

This paper proposes, for various marine mammal groups and sound types, levels above which there is a scientific basis for expecting that exposure would cause auditory injury to occur.  Recommended high priority categories of research include:  (1) continued expansion of knowledge on basic marine mammal hearing capabilities, including sound localization, the detection of realistic sound signals, communication masking, and auditory “scene analysis”; (2) continued expansion of knowledge on baseline marine mammal behavioral patterns; (3) well-controlled, direct measurements (using appropriate, standardized acoustic metrics) of the effects of sound exposure on marine mammal hearing, behavior, and physiology; and (4) risk-assessment studies of the cumulative and synergistic effects of noise and other exposure(2) on individuals and populations.

Overview

Chapter 1 – Introduction 

Objectives

Historical Perspective

Acoustic Measures and Terminology

Sound Production and Use in Marine Mammals

Responses to Sound

Chapter 2 – Structure of the Noise Exposure Criteria    

Sound types

Marine Mammal Functional Hearing Groups

Exposure Criteria metrics

Levels of Noise Effect: Injury and Behavioral Disturbance

Chapter 3 – Criteria for Injury: TTS and PTS        

Effects of Noise and Hearing in Mammals: TTS Data

Injury from Noise Exposure: PTS Onset Calculation

Criteria for Injury from a Single Pulse

Criteria for Injury from Multiple Pulses

Criteria for Injury from Nonpulses

Chapter 4 – Criteria for Behavioral Disturbance

Behavorial Response Data Analysis Procedures: Disturbance Criteria and Severity Scaling

Criteria for Behavioral Disturbance: Single Pulse

Behavioral Response Severity Scaling: Multiple Pulses

Behavioral Response Severity Scaling: Nonpulses

Chapter 5 – Research Recommendations

Measurements of Anthropogenic Sound Sources and Ambient Noise

Marine Mammal Auditory Processes

Behavioral Responses of Marine Mammals to Sound

Effects of Noise Exposure on Marine Mammals to Hearing and Other Systems

Particularly Sensitive Species

Necessary Progressions of Marine Mammal Noise Exposure Criteria

Appendix A.  Acoustic Measurements and Terminology

Appendix B.  Studies Involving Marine Mammal Behavioral Responses to Multiple Pulses

Appendix C.  Studies Involving Marine Mammal Behavioral Responses to Nonpulses