Alison Stimpert

Alison Stimpert

Research Faculty

Department:  Vertebrate Ecology

Website:  https://mlml.sjsu.edu/birdmam/alison-stimpert/

Contact:

email: alison.stimpert@sjsu.edu
phone: (831) 771-4493
office: 107 MLML Main Lab

Biography: 

My primary interests lie in the intersection of bioacoustics and conservation. To study this, I use suction-cup acoustic tags to correlate sound production with underwater behavior of marine mammals. Currently, I am focusing on the effects of anthropogenic sound on the social behavior and foraging ecology of several cetacean species in southern California as part of the Southern California Behavioral Response Study (SOCAL BRS). This is in addition to maintaining a long time research program on humpback whale acoustic behavior, which has included work in the waters around Hawaii, Massachusetts, Alaska, and Antarctica. Gaining an understanding of the behavioral context of whale sound production will aid our interpretation of how anthropogenic sound in the ocean may affect whale populations, and can also be used in conservation and management strategies for remote monitoring of whale behavior and movements.

Research Interests: 
  • Bioacoustics
  • Conservation
  • Behavioral ecology
Curriculum Vitae:

Alison Stimpert CV 2018 (PDF)

Publications 
  • Lewis, L.A., et al. 2018. Context-dependent variability in blue whale acoustic behavior. Royal Society Open
    Science.
  • Friedlaender, A.S. et al, 2017. Context-dependent lateralized feeding strategies in blue whales. Current Biology,
    27(22): R1206-R1208.
  • Hooker, S., et al. 2017. Equity and Career-Life Balance in Marine Mammal Science? Marine Mammal Science
    33(3): 955-965. doi: 10.1111/mms.12407
  • Ryan, J., et al. 2016. New Passive Acoustic Monitoring in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: Exploring
    natural and anthropogenic sounds in a deep soundscape. OCEANS 2016 MTS/IEEE Monterey. IEEE, 2016.
  • Goldbogen, J.A.*, Stimpert, A.K.*, DeRuiter, S.L.*, et al. In press. Using accelerometers to determine the calling
    behavior of tagged baleen whales. Journal of Experimental Biology. *first authors
  • Friedlaender, A.S., et al. 2013. Extreme diel variation in the feeding behavior of humpback whales along the
    Western Antarctic Peninsula during autumn. Marine Ecology Progress Series 494: 281-289.
  • Stimpert, A.K., et al. 2012. Structure and acoustic properties of humpback whale song on an Antarctic feeding
    ground. PLoS One.
  • Stimpert, A.K., et al. 2012. Tagging young humpback whale calves: methodology and underwater behavior.
    Endangered Species Research 19: 11-17, doi: 10.3354/esr00456
  • Tyson, R.B., et al. 2012. Synchronous mother and calf foraging behaviour in humpback whales Megaptera
    novaeangliae: insights from multi-sensor suction cup tags. Marine Ecology Progress Series 457: 209-220.
  • Stimpert, AK, et al. 2011. Common humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) sound types for passive
    acoustic monitoring. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 129(1): 476-482.
  • Stimpert, A.K., et al. 2007. “Megapclicks”: acoustic click trains and buzzes used during nighttime foraging of
    humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Biology Letters 3(5): 467-470.

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Vertebrate Ecology Lab