Shannon Merkle

Shannon Merkle is a senior research associate for the  Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies working with the NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, Florida.

Shannon joined the marine mammal program in 2023, first to assist with passive acoustic surveys in the Gulf of America, and later in 2025 where she became a permanent team member in the passive acoustic ecology group. She completed her Masters of Science degree at the University of Exeter in Cornwall, England, where she focused on the impacts of vessel noise on harbour porpoise vocal behavior. Since then she has participated in projects throughout the North Atlantic, Gulf of America, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea in both research and industrial applications. Shannon now works on the North Atlantic right whale project team for the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, participating in both field work and acoustic analysis. In addition she also participates in the large-scale research cruises throughout the Gulf of America and North Atlantic.