Ocean noise pollution, a lesser-known yet highly impactful form of pollution, is wreaking havoc on marine life. Despite its devastating effects, there are no comprehensive international regulations addressing this issue.
Here's what ocean noise pollution is, how it affects marine ecosystems, and what can be done to mitigate its impact.
What Is Ocean Noise Pollution?
Ocean noise pollution refers to excessive, human-made sounds underwater, originating from activities like commercial shipping, sonar, seismic surveys, and offshore wind turbine construction. These sounds interfere with marine animals' ability to hear natural ocean noises, disrupting their behavior, communication, and survival.
With over 250,000 vessels navigating global waters at any time, ocean noise has become pervasive. Cargo ships alone emit up to 190 decibels, louder than a rock concert, and sound travels faster and farther underwater than in air, amplifying its reach.
Why Is Ocean Noise Pollution Harmful?
Ocean noise pollution profoundly impacts marine life in several ways:
Communication Interference: Marine animals such as whales and dolphins rely on vocalizations to communicate. Increased noise levels obscure these sounds, making it harder to find mates, coordinate hunts, or warn others of predators.
Disorientation: Echolocation, used by animals like dolphins and toothed whales, is disrupted by loud noise, leaving them disoriented and unable to navigate or hunt effectively.
Injury and Death: High-intensity noise from sonar can cause panic, leading animals to surface too quickly and suffer from decompression sickness or internal injuries. In extreme cases, loud sounds can lead to strandings and death.
Ecosystem Disruption: The loss of a single species due to noise pollution has ripple effects. For example, a whale carcass that doesn't sink to the seafloor deprives deep-sea organisms of a critical food source, impacting the broader marine ecosystem.
Which Animals Are Most Affected?
Marine mammals like whales and dolphins are particularly vulnerable. Noise pollution forces them to change migration routes, abandon feeding grounds, or alter their vocalizations, making communication and reproduction harder.
Other marine species, including fish, squid, crustaceans, and sea turtles, are also affected. For instance, seismic surveys can damage giant squid's internal organs and zooplankton within a 1.2-kilometer radius.
Current Regulations and Efforts
Despite its impacts, international regulations on ocean noise are sparse. Some local initiatives, such as the EU’s mandatory noise thresholds and the Port of Vancouver's voluntary environmental guidelines, show promise.
IFAW is advocating for widespread measures like reduced ship speeds, which could lower noise pollution by 40%, reduce whale collisions by 50%, and cut shipping emissions by 13%.
Final Thoughts
How Can We Reduce Ocean Noise Pollution? We can adopt quieter technologies like marine vibroseis, improve propeller designs, maintain ships better, and implement speed reductions. Furthermore, we can use less noisy alternatives to conventional pile-driving methods.
International regulations are crucial for large-scale change, ensuring consistent adoption of noise-reducing measures.
Why Noisey Oceans are a Problem - Behind the News
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