This is an Open Access Book. In this landmark new work, the major authorities in the field from around the world present a wealth of research data, coverage of regulatory issues, and thinking about the effects of man-made noise on marine mammals, turtles, amphibians, fishes, and invertebrates. The various themes of the book were chosen to cover the wide range of basic and cutting edge information on this topic. They include the hearing abilities of aquatic animals; communication by means of underwater sound; the description of aquatic soundscapes; different sound sources and their characteristics; the effects of sound on behavior; and assessing, mitigating, and monitoring the effects of aquatic noise. Emphasis is on the cross-fertilization of ideas and findings across species and noise sources. With over 180 contributions from leading researchers, the sources of underwater sound and their effects are discussed in detail.

Dr. Arthur N. Popper is Professor Emeritus and Research Professor in the Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (USA). Over the past 30 years, much of his research has focused on the effects of man-made (or anthropogenic) sound on aquatic life, and particularly on fishes. This interest follows Popper’s decades of basic research on fish hearing capabilities and mechanisms.  Work from his lab included effects of very intense man-made signals (pile driving, seismic air guns) as well as general increase in background noise levels (as from shipping and aquaculture). He also worked with U.S. and international institutions in evaluating overall effects of the increase in man-made noise on animals. This includes being organizer of seven international conferences on effects of noise on aquatic life.  Popper, in addition to publishing over 325 journal articles, has edited 77 volumes of books on hearing and related topics in the Springer Handbook of Auditory Research series and is retired editor of the science and technology magazine Acoustics Today.

Dr. Joseph A. Sisneros is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle, WA (USA). The primary focus of Dr Sisneros’ work is the investigation of seasonal reproductive-state and steroid-dependent changes in the adult auditory system of fishes. A secondary focus of his work is the investigation of sound source localization by fishes. Dr Sisneros’ work on sound source localization and reproductive state related changes in fishes has been primarily funded over the past 16 years by the National Science Foundation. He has published over 90 scholarly papers and book chapters in top journals and book publications. Dr. Sisneros was editor of the Springer book Fish Hearing and Bioacoustics and he is senior editor of the Springer Handbook of Auditory Research.

Dr. Paul A. Lepper is Professor of underwater and bio- acoustics at Loughborough University (UK). He is a physicist / engineer with 30+ years’ experience of multidisciplinary studies in these areas. From spring 2026 he will hold a joint appointment with Loughborough University and the UK,’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL). He was Vice-President (International) and Member of Council for the Institute of Acoustics (UK) 2018-2024 and was General Secretary of the European Acoustics Association (EAA) 2019-2022. His research has included hearing and behavioural response studies of marine mammals and fishes, as well as source characterisation of wide range of offshore operations including marine renewables, wind wave and tidal, oil and gas - exploration and production, shipping, aquaculture, UXO clearance, etc. He leads a multi-disciplinary research group in the areas of acoustics and vibration measurement and leads technical operation of the LU underwater tank facility.

Dr. Kathleen J. Vigness-Raposa is Vice President of Technical Services Delivery and Principal Scientist of Marine Acoustics for INSPIRE Environmental, a Venterra Group company; Part-time Faculty in the Department of Ocean Engineering and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island (USA); and Associate Editor of the science and technology magazine Acoustics Today. Over the course of her career, Dr. Vigness-Raposa has authored numerous reports assessing the impacts of anthropogenic activities on marine mammals, sea turtles, and fishes; predicted marine mammal distributions and abundances; led passive underwater acoustic monitoring teams on research cruises; and taught graduate-level courses at the University of Rhode Island. She uses innovative techniques to model and predict environmental impacts and co-leads the award-winning science communication and educational project “Discovery of Sound in the Sea” (dosits.org).