Conference - The Whale Languages and Underwater Soundscapes by Professor Olivier Adam

Date

Nov 03, 2025

Time

05:30 PM - 07:00 PM

Open for Public

Yes

Language

English

Venue

SUAD Campus

Description

Sounds travel very well in the ocean. The different types of sounds are classified from their acoustic sources into three broad categories: biophony, which includes all sounds emitted by living species; geophony, which includes those of the wild environment; and anthropophony, which includes sounds from human activities at sea, considered noise. They disrupt the vital activities of certain species, including cetaceans.

Since the 2000s, scientists have characterized the different levels of impacts, ranging from instant discomfort to stranding. All the individuals of the 90 cetaceans species use their sound emissions during vital activities, such as feeding, reproduction and social interactions. They have created languages based on clicks, whistles, and vocalizations. Analyses have highlighted time sequences, and recent advances in AI now make it possible to study larger datasets of acoustic recordings with the ultimate goal of deciphering their languages.