Tom Norris, Marine Mammal Acoustician, Dies at 55

Norris, who founded the research firm Bio-Waves, furthered the study of marine mammals using passive acoustic monitoring technology he designed himself.

Written byAmanda Heidt

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Tom Norris, Bio-Wave, obituary, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, whales, dolphins, marine mammal, acoustics, hydrophone, conservation, surveys, Navy, NOAA

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ABOVE: Tom Norris sits at a computer listening to the sounds of marine mammals in the Arctic in 2006.
JEFF JACOBSON

Tom Norris, an independent marine scientist and founder of the bioacoustic research company Bio-Waves, died September 9 after a months-long battle against pancreatic cancer. He was 55.

Norris’s largest contributions to the field of marine bioacoustics and marine mammal research stem from the hydrophone arrays he designed for passive monitoring of the world’s whales and dolphins. Through the company he founded, he worked alongside groups such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) conducting acoustic surveys that ultimately informed federal policies regarding noise pollution and marine mammal conservation.

“His work as a marine biologist added valuable knowledge to science, and he ran his company with integrity and passion,” Norris’s friends and colleagues shared in a GoFundMe fundraiser to support his wife following ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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