humpback song research | Five Finger Lighthouse, Alaska 2026

This summer, I will return to Five Finger Lighthouse in Southeast Alaska as part of the Humpback Whale Missed Signals Project, an ongoing research initiative led by SETI affiliate Dr. Fred Sharpe. The project conducts continuous, 24-hour acoustic monitoring of humpback whales, recording the marine soundscape simultaneously above and below the water's surface through a network of hydrophones and aerial microphones. Joining us this season will be members of a technosignature research team recipients of a SETI STRIDE grant to research possible electromagnetic signals in humpback whale exhalations.

During this field season, my research will focus on the earliest stages of humpback whale song development. By documenting the emergence of song at the beginning of the season and tracing its progression toward the fully elaborated songs heard in winter breeding grounds, I hope to better understand the architecture of whale song: its foundational building blocks, hierarchical organization, and rules of transformation. These evolving vocal traditions offer a rare window into cultural transmission, learning, and the intelligence of one of the planet's most vocally expressive species.

Alongside this research, I will be filming Last Chance to Hear, a 30-minute documentary that immerses audiences in the extraordinary acoustic world of humpback whales. Drawing on the project's unique multi-sensor recordings, the film reveals a rich soundscape of trumpet calls, thunderous exhalations, percussive surface behaviors, and the complex underwater sounds associated with social interactions and feeding activities.