🐬 Data Attribution & Acknowledgments

Data Sources

The acoustic recordings analyzed in the Dolphain project come from the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center - Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) consortium, funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI).

LADC-GEMM Consortium

Website: http://ladcgemm.org/

Mission: Track marine mammal recovery after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill through acoustic monitoring and ecological modeling.

The LADC-GEMM project deployed autonomous underwater vehicles (gliders), research vessels, and bottom-mounted acoustic recorders (EARS - Ecological Acoustic Recorders) throughout the Gulf of Mexico to:

Monitor whale and dolphin populations
Assess changes in distribution and abundance
Measure ambient noise levels
Model ecosystem recovery

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)

Education Resources: https://education.gulfresearchinitiative.org/
Research Portal: https://research.gulfresearchinitiative.org/
LADC-GEMM Program Page: https://education.gulfresearchinitiative.org/programs/ladc-gemm/

        About GoMRI:

        The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is investigating the
        effects of oil spills on the environment and public health. Created in
        2010 after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, GoMRI has funded extensive
        research to understand oil spill impacts on marine ecosystems, oil
        degradation and fate, ocean circulation, effects on marine life and
        fisheries, and human health impacts.
      

Research Project Details

Project ID: 261
Full Title: Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center - Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling
Funding Source: Year 5-7 Consortia Grants (RFP-IV)
Project Page: View Project Details

Key Contributing Institutions

The LADC-GEMM consortium includes researchers from:

Oregon State University - Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies
University of Louisiana at Lafayette - Physics and Mathematics Departments
University of New Orleans - Department of Physics
University of Southern Mississippi - Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory
Portland State University - Electrical & Computer Engineering
Multiple industry and technology partners

Project Contributors

The LADC-GEMM project involves dozens of researchers, graduate students, and technical staff across multiple institutions. The project has generated:

Thousands of hours of acoustic recordings
Multiple peer-reviewed publications
Educational resources and outreach materials
Open-access datasets for the research community

Notable Research Themes

Beaked whale and sperm whale population studies
Dolphin acoustic behavior and communication
Ambient noise characterization
Autonomous underwater vehicle (glider) technology
Real-time acoustic monitoring systems
Mathematical population modeling

Dolphain Project Connection

Developer: Michael Haas
Affiliation: University of New Orleans, Department of Physics
Role in LADC-GEMM: Contributing researcher and data analyst

        Development Assistance: GitHub Copilot (AI pair
        programming assistant)


        Note: The landing page, documentation, and portions of
        the codebase were created with assistance from GitHub Copilot, an AI
        coding assistant. All scientific content, data analysis approaches, and
        research direction are attributed to Michael Haas.
      

The Dolphain Python library was developed to facilitate:

Reading and processing EARS binary data files
Analyzing dolphin communication patterns
Detecting clicks (echolocation) and whistles (communication)
Batch processing of large acoustic datasets
Educational outreach and reproducible research

Citation

If you use data or methods from this project, please cite:

LADC-GEMM Project:

Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center - Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM). Funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. http://ladcgemm.org/

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative:

"This research was made possible by a grant from The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative."
Website: https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/

Dolphain Software:

Haas, M. (2025). Dolphain: A Python toolkit for underwater acoustic analysis.
GitHub: https://github.com/micha2718l/dolphain

Data Access

For access to LADC-GEMM acoustic datasets:

GoMRI Data Portal: https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org/
Contact: LADC-GEMM project coordinators through http://ladcgemm.org/

Educational Resources

GoMRI and LADC-GEMM have developed extensive educational materials:

SeaGlide Workshops - Building mini underwater gliders with teachers and students
Video Documentation - Drone footage of research cruises
Student Research Stories - Graduate student experiences and findings
Lesson Plans - Ocean technology and marine mammal curriculum

Visit https://education.gulfresearchinitiative.org/programs/ladc-gemm/ for more.

Acknowledgments

The Dolphain project gratefully acknowledges:

GoMRI - For funding the LADC-GEMM consortium and making Gulf of Mexico acoustic data available
LADC-GEMM researchers - For deploying and maintaining acoustic monitoring equipment
University of New Orleans - For institutional support
The research community - For developing open-source tools and sharing knowledge
GitHub Copilot - AI assistant that helped with code development, documentation, and website design
Douglas Adams - For reminding us that dolphins might be smarter than we think

"This research was made possible by a grant from The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative."

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