Unraveling the Mysteries of the Sea
Exploring Underwater Life Through Sound
SPI traveled to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to spotlight the extraordinary life and work of Oceanographer and Emeritus Research Scholar Alessandro Bocconcelli. If you’re curious about oceanography, sound, and marine life—this recording is for you.
Photo Credit: Daniel Casado
Alessandro—known to many as Alex—is a leading figure in underwater acoustics, a field essential to understanding the world beneath the sea. A key focus of his work is monitoring marine mammals using digital acoustic recording tags, or Dtags. These noninvasive devices attach to free-ranging cetaceans using suction cups and allow researchers to record and analyze their behavior and responses to sound. Other tools of the trade include passive acoustic monitors, acoustic moorings, and towed arrays.
Many marine species—including whales, dolphins, and fish—rely on sound to navigate, forage, and communicate. Alex’s research continues to uncover how these animals produce, interpret, and respond to sound, as well as how they adapt to increasingly noisy ocean environments.
He also investigates the effects of human activity on underwater soundscapes. Rising shipping traffic, industrial operations, warming sea temperatures, overfishing, aquaculture, and pollution have all contributed to dramatic changes in ocean acoustics. Alex’s work helps assess the extent of these impacts and explores strategies to reduce noise pollution and safeguard marine life.
Click here to learn more about acoustic monitoring.
Alex is also a dedicated advocate for ocean education. He believes in introducing young people to the ocean’s beauty and fragility—and in helping them understand the critical role it plays as the planet’s largest ecosystem.
His own fascination with the sea began at age three and never faded. Today, that early passion fuels his global outreach efforts. Through school visits and public programs, Alex works to inspire the next generation of marine scientists—wherever they may be and whatever their age—and to foster in them a lifelong love of the ocean.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation here.
📚 Perfect for classrooms: Includes lesson prompts and project ideas for middle and high school students.
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