Michelle Fournet
Dr. Michelle Fournet is an acoustic ecologist who uses sound to investigate the interactions between marine organisms and human activities. This includes:
- Investigating how marine organisms use sound to facilitate vital life functions (animal communication);
- Investigating the potential impact of anthropogenic noise and climate change on marine species and environments (anthropogenic impacts), and
- investigating how sound can be used as an indicator of ecosystem health (acoustic indicators).
The overarching goal of the Marine Bioacoustics and Behavior Lab (Sea BABEL) is to use bioacoustics as a tool to further conservation and to assess species’ resilience to changing oceans. Much of Dr. Fournet’s work focuses on Arctic and sub-Arctic marine mammals including cetaceans and pinnipeds; she also studies the acoustics of sub-tropical fishes.
Students that are interested in joining Sea BABEL are encouraged to look through Dr. Fournet’s lab website before reaching out to her directly by email.
Courses Taught
- BIOL 795W: Independent Investigations
- BIOL 999: Doctoral Dissertation Research
- BIOL/MEFB 828/795: Marine Bioacoustics
- MEFB 503: Introduction to Marine Biology
- MEFB 675: Marine Mammalogy
- MEFB 799H: MEFB Honors Senior Thesis
Research Interests
- Acoustics
- Animal behavior
- Animal Communication
- Climate Change - Impacts
- Human Dimensions of Climate Change
- Marine and Ocean Sciences
- Marine Biology
- Marine Resources Conservation
- Ocean Acoustics
Selected Publications
Laute, A., Glarou, M., Dodds, F., Gomez Røsand, S. C., Grove, T. J., Stoller, A., . . . Fournet, M. E. H. (2023). Underwater sound of three unoccupied aerial vehicles at varying
altitudes and horizontal distances. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 153(6), 3419. doi:10.1121/10.0019805Fournet, M. E. H., Stabenau, E., Madhusudhana, S., & Rice, A. N. (2022). Altered acoustic community structure indicates delayed recovery following ecosystem perturbations. ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE, 274. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107948
Fournet, M. E. H., Silvestri, M., Clark, C. W., Klinck, H., & Rice, A. N. (2021). Limited vocal compensation for elevated ambient noise in bearded seals: implications for an industrializing Arctic Ocean. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 288(1945). doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.2712
Fournet, M. E. H., Stabenau, E., & Rice, A. N. (2019). Relationship between salinity and sonic fish advertisement behavior in a managed sub-tropical estuary: Making the case for an acoustic indicator species. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, 106. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105531
Haver, S. M., Fournet, M. E. H., Dziak, R. P., Gabriele, C., Gedamke, J., Hatch, L. T., . . . Van Parijs, S. M. (2019). Comparing the Underwater Soundscapes of Four US National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE, 6. doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00500
Fournet, M. E. H., Matthews, L. P., Gabriele, C. M., Haver, S., Mellinger, D. K., & Klinck, H. (2018). Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae alter calling behavior in response to natural sounds and vessel noise. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES, 607, 251-268. doi:10.3354/meps12784
Fournet, M. E. H., Gabriele, C. M., Culp, D. C., Sharpe, F., Mellinger, D. K., & Klinck, H. (2018). Some things never change: multi-decadal stability in humpback whale calling repertoire on Southeast Alaskan foraging grounds. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 8. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-31527-x
Fournet, M. E. H., Matthews, L. P., Gabriele, C. M., Mellinger, D. K., & Klinck, H. (2018). Source levels of foraging humpback whale calls. JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, 143(2), EL105-EL111. doi:10.1121/1.5023599
Fournet, M. E., Szabo, A., & Mellinger, D. K. (2015). Repertoire and classification of non-song calls in Southeast Alaskan humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, 137(1), 1-10. doi:10.1121/1.4904504
