Sound travels up to five times faster underwater and for much farther distances than in air. Hearing and sound production have evolved to be dominant senses for nearly all marine taxa. As the blue economy grows and our ocean becomes increasingly industrialized, critical questions emerge: what happens to this acoustic ecology, and how worried should we be about underwater noise pollution?

Through my work in the Bioacoustics and Sensory Ecology Laboratory (T. Aran Mooney) and the Marine Mammal Acoustics Laboratory (Laela Sayigh), I investigate how marine life uses hearing and sound to interact with their environment. My research explores how we can use recording devices to scale ocean observing more efficiently and effectively while preserving marine soundscapes—nature's underwater symphonies.

I combine research, writing, and public engagement to inform marine policy. My work has appeared in The Tufts Daily, Oceanus Magazine, Atlantic Public Media, and the MIT Science Policy Review (forthcoming). I am a current National Association of Science Writers David Perlman mentee.

During my BS at Tufts University, I studied sustainable agriculture techniques with Dr. George Ellmore and investigated fish sensory systems as an NSF REU recipient in the Tytell laboratory. My earliest research began in public health and air pollution with the Mount Sinai Exposomic Center.

I am pursuing a career at the intersection of research, writing, and policy. For inquiries, contact me at amelia.macapia@whoi.edu.