decibel

https://glossary.acousti.cloud/decibel

Acronym: dB

en

"One tenth of a bel, a logarithmic unit used to compare two levels of power." [1]

"Two powers P1 and P2 are said to be separated by an interval of n bels (or 10n decibels) when n=log10(P1/P2). The unit is dimensionless." [2]

References:
  1. Ewing AW. Arthropod Bioacoustics: Neurobiology and Behaviour. Ithaca, New York: Comstock; 1989.
  2. Broughton WB. Glossarial Index. In: Acoustic Behavior of Animals. Elsevier; 1963.; Erbe et al. (2022), Exploring Animal Behavior Through Sound, Terms and Definitions. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97540-1_4

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To cite this website:

Ed Baker (2026) Bioacoustics & Ecoacoustics Glossary (https://glossary.acousti.cloud/). Accessed on October 6, 2026, 11:16 pm.