Experimental Measures of Blast and Acoustic Trauma in Marine Mammals
Abstract
Although marine mammal middle and inner ears are similar to those of land mammals, there are sufficient differences that marine ear damage mechanisms continue to be a hotly debated topic. To date there are surprisingly few direct investigations of marine mammal ear functions. While this project has an immediate goal of investigating intense pressure effects, it will also provide new data on both the structure and mechanical responses of a wide variety of marine ears. Therefore, in terms of basic research and the long term goals of this field project, this work is expected to provide fundamental information that will improve our understanding of middle and inner ear response mechanisms specific to marine mammals. The explicit objective of this research is to determine the dynamic range of mechanical responses of cetacean and pinniped ears to intense pressure sources. Ears are the bell weathers of pressure-induced damage. Equally important, they are a crucial sensory system for marine mammals. Therefore, understanding differential impacts on marine mammal ears from a range of received pressures, will provide a marine specific metric for determining blast and impulse noise exposure safe zones.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 21, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA382330
Entities
People
- Darlene R. Ketten
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution