Brandon Southall of Southall Environmental Associates

Marine mammals use sound for many critical life functions. Human sound in the environment can interfere with communication, affect their hearing, influence behavior, and cause non-auditory physiological effects. Brandon will present some of his recent work on both auditory and behavioral effects of noise and how these data are being integrated within noise exposure criteria and applied in regulatory decision-making and mitigation of noise impacts.

Biography:

Dr. Brandon Southall is President and Senior Scientist for Southall Environmental Associates (SEA), Inc. based in Santa Cruz, CA, a Research Associate with the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Duke University. He obtained Masters and Ph.D. degrees from UCSC, studying communication and hearing in seals and sea lions, during which he conducted field and laboratory research on hearing in marine mammals including the first ever studies on temporary hearing loss in three marine mammal species. He subsequently directed the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Acoustics Program, within the National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Science and Technology, during which time he was involved in developing the first systematic noise exposure criteria for marine mammals as the basis for the first-ever acoustic guidelines for the agency. Dr. Southall later founded SEA, a research and consulting small business conducting and applying science to support environmental management assessments and environmentally responsible development (see: www.sea-inc.net). Brandon has an extensive technical background in leading both basic and applied laboratory and field research programs as well as applying science in national and international policies. The largest such effort has involved his serving as the chief scientist for a major multi-institutional behavioral response study supported by the U.S. Navy to study marine mammal responses to military sonar systems (www.socal-brs.org). He also serves as a technical advisor to international corporations and environmental organizations regarding the impacts of conventional and alternative offshore energy development and commercial shipping. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and technical reports and has given hundreds of presentations on related subjects to scientific, regulatory, Congressional, and general public audiences around the world.

Email:

Address:Santa Cruz, California, United States