Feature interpretation in underwater acoustics
Abstract
Deep Learning algorithms such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have been widely used recently in underwater acoustics applications including target recognition, passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals, parameter estimation, etc. In many of these applications, spectrogram images are used to train the algorithms to identify the unique features. CNNs suffer from the black box effect due to their large number of parameters and developing methods to transform this black box algorithm into an interpretable one is an active area of research. This talk will highlight the challenges in interpretation of machine learnt features based on acoustic physics of propagation. How such knowledge of propagation physics may be incorporated into neural networks (e.g., through physics informed Neural Networks) would be explored. [Work supported by Office of Naval Research.]
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Deep-learning approaches often operate as black boxes, making it difficult to interpret the acoustic features driving classification decisions.
“deep-learning approaches often operate as black boxes, making it difficult to interpret the acoustic features driving classification decisions”
From Listening forward: emerging roles of bioacoustics in ecology, evolution, and conservation (2026) · cites this paper as Potty 2024
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Listening forward: emerging roles of bioacoustics in ecology, evolution, and conservation
Zsebők, S. (2026) · Biologia Futura · doi:10.1007/s42977-026-00322-5
“In addition, deep-learning approaches often operate as black boxes, making it difficult to interpret the acoustic features driving classification decisions (Heinrich et al. 2024; Potty 2024).”
- Authors
- Potty, G. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Rhode Island (US)
- Corresponding author
- Potty, Gopu R.
- ORCID
- Potty, Gopu R.
- Venue
- The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
- Publisher
- Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
- Published
- 2024-10-01
- Volume
- 156
- Issue
- 4_Supplement
- Pages
- A108-A108
- ISSN
- 0001-4966 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-8524
- OpenAlex
- W4406343712
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- Type
- conference abstract
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Underwater Acoustics Research
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Model Reduction and Neural Networks
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)
- Keywords
- underwater acoustics, feature interpretation, convolutional neural networks, black-box interpretability, physics-informed neural networks, spectrogram images, target recognition, passive acoustic monitoring, marine mammals
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