JOHN POTTER

Associate Professor John Potter founded and currently heads the Acoustic Research Laboratory in the Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore. His first degree was a joint honours in Mathematics and Physics Degree from Bristol, UK, after which he went on to do a Ph.D. researching Glaciology and Oceanography in the Antarctic for the British Antarctic Survey (in association with the University of Cambridge), for which he was personally awarded the Polar Medal by Queen Elizabeth II. He migrated into underwater acoustics in 1986, working on high-frequency acoustic fluctuations in Italy. After a 7-month sail across the Atlantic, he washed up at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in California where he developed the first camera to produce real-time moving images using only ambient noise and became involved in marine mammals and noise issues. In 1995 his family (and two cats) sailed across the Pacific to Singapore, where he continues his interests in protecting the marine environment and consulting on issues of noise and marine animals. Potter is a Senior Member of the IEEE, an Associate Editor for the Journal of Oceanic Engineering, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and an International Fellow of the Explorer's Club, among other things.

ABSTRACT

As moderator of the "Noisy Oceans" panel, Dr. Potter will give a brief overview of why noise is an issue in the marine environment before introducing his panel.