Abstract:

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is a basic and applied research funding organization established by the U.S. Navy in 1946 to stimulate research in a wide range of topics of relevance to naval and ocean science. In the mid- to late 1980s, ONR was one of the first research funding agencies to respond to the concern about possible adverse biological impacts from manmade underwater sound. Since 1991, ONR has had a large and growing research program on marine animal hearing and sound use, the effects of manmade sound on physiology and behavior, and the development of research tools for better assessing the effects of sound. Most recently, the program has increased emphasis on predictive models of underwater noise effects as a management and decision-making tool. The presentation will include specific examples of ONR-sponsored research and describe the mechanisms by which research results are made available to the government and the public.