The Lincoln County Historical Society welcomes you to our third and final science talk in conjunction with our new exhibit, Cycles of Nature, which explores how human activity impacts nature and its cycles. Echoes Beneath the Waves: Analysis of human-made and natural ocean sounds for insights into the state of marine ecosystems is free talk and will take place on Thursday, September 12th at 6pm.

Dr. Bob Dziak will discuss the fundamentals of underwater sound and present several examples of natural and human-made ocean sound sources from locations ranging from the Mariana Trench and Challenger Deep (deepest spot in the global ocean), to ice shelves along coastal Antarctica, to examples of underwater sound levels in the northeast Pacific Ocean during the “anthropause,” the period of reduced maritime activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of his works are also on a screen at the exhibit Cycles of Nature.

Dr. Bob Dziak is a Research Oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, managing an Ocean Acoustics Program focused on a wide variety of ocean science and engineering topics. His work includes evaluating marine seismic and volcanic hazards, developing deep-ocean sound sensing technologies, assessing Antarctic ice shelf stability, and detecting baleen whale populations. Previously, he worked at Oregon State University for 26 years, during which time he earned a PhD in Marine Geophysics and was ultimately promoted to Research Professor. Bob has received several national honors, including the Presidential Early Career Award, the NOAA Administrator’s Award, and was named a Fulbright Scholar. He lives in Seal Rock, and enjoys beach walks and hikes with family and friends.

The Lincoln County Historical Society manages the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, the Burrows House Museum, the Log Cabin Research Library, and two artifact storage facilities, all in Newport. We are dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of the central Oregon coast.