Grant Milne

Acoustic and Genetic Indicators of Coastal Acoustic
A photo of Biological Sciences graduate student Grant Milne in diving gear out on NH's Great Bay Estuary

Biological Sciences: Marine Biology - PhD
Email address: grant.milne@unh.edu

Advisors: Dr. Bonnie Brown; The Ecological Genetics Laboratory at UNH; Jennifer Miksis-Olds; Center for Coastal & Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center website

I am exploring the use of passive acoustic monitoring and metabarcoding of seawater samples as methods of measuring soundscape properties and detecting marine taxa to identify indicators of the underwater acoustic environment in temperate coastal habitats. These observational techniques are being applied at multiple spatial scales in order to determine whether a greater amount of variation in the soundscapes and metagenomes of coastal habitats is accounted for by habitat type or broader geographic location within the Gulf of Maine. The identification of acoustic environment indicators may provide an opportunity to develop a model that predicts acoustic environments in coastal habitats.