Oceanic Noise Pollution Explained
Scientists have been aware of under water anthropogenic noise, and how far if propagates, for around a century. But early research on how noise might affect marine life focused on how individual large animal respond to temporary noise sources, such has whale taking a detour around oil ring during its migration.
Context
The new study maps out how underwater noise affects countless group of marine life, including zooplankton and jellyfish.
Scientist c. Duarte who lead the study.
Oceanic Noise Pollution(ONP)
Humans - and their ships, seismic surveys, air guns, pile drivers, dynamite fishing, drilling platforms, speedboats and even surfing - have made the ocean unbearably noisy place for marine life, according to a sweeping review of the prevalence and intensity of the impact of anthropogenic ocean noise published on Thursday in the journal science.
The paper, a collaboration among 25 author from across the globe and various field of marine acoustics, is the largest synthesis of evidence on the effect of oceanic noise pollution.
Impact of ONP
Anthropogenic noise often drowns out the natural soundscapes, putting marine life under immense stress.
Problem 1:
In the case of baby clown fish, the noise can even doom them to wander the seas without direction, unable to find their way home.
If the noise settles in more permanently, some animals simply leave for good.
These forced evacuation reduce population sizes as more animal give up territory and complete for the same pools of resources.
And certain species that are bound to limited biogeographic ranges, such as the endangered Maui dolphin, have nowhere else to go.
Problem 3:
"Animals can't avoid the sound because it's everywhere," Duarte said.
Even temporary sounds can cause chronic hearing damage in the sea creatures.
Both fish and marine mammals have hair cells, sensory receptors for hearing.
Fish can regrow these cells, but marine mammals probably cannot.
Problem 4:
Whales can learn to skirt busy shipping lanes and fish can dodge the thrum of an approaching fishing vessel, but benthic creatures like slow-moving sea cucumbers have little recourse.
Can it be solved?
Yes.
Luckily, unlike greenhouse gases or chemicals, sound is a relatively controllable pollutant.
"Noise is about the easiest problem to solve in the ocean," Simpson said.
"We know exactly what cause noise, we know where it is, and we know how to stop it."
Many solution to anthropogenic noise pollution that already exists, and we even quite simple: " Slow down, move the shipping lane, avoid sensitive area, change propellers.".
They also said that United nation law of sea does not mention noise among its list of cumulative impact.
The U.N's 14th sustainable development goal, which focuses on underwater life, does not explicitly mention noise.
- whatnotofficial
For more detail about study visit this:
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/eaba4658.abstract
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