See – and Hear – the Impact of Human Sounds on Marine Life | Science

The sounds of the ocean can help people sleep at night, but marine animals depend on it for their survival. Take the dolphins, who rely on echolocation to hunt and who “click” to communicate with their pod. These species are in trouble because human-generated ocean noise, or anthrophony, has increased dramatically since the industrial revolution.

On their own, shipping vessels increased the low-frequency volume along shipping routes by about 32-fold. This is in addition to the harsh sounds of sonar, seismic surveys, pile driving and even motor boats (all of which can be heard in the video above), which can beach whales and trap narwhals in the ice. by delaying their migration, according to a review published last week in Science.

The document notes that climate change also threatens the soundtrack of the sea. The Great Barrier Reef has calmed down over the years as it has shrunk and become less habitable. Animals that depend on the sounds of coral reefs to locate food and breeding facilities may have difficulty adapting.

The authors argue that the settling of human-made audio in the ocean should be a central part of environmental policy. And they say it can be done: A study conducted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, found that a reduction in marine traffic coincided with an average decrease of 1.5 decibels in the waters along the roads boating near Vancouver Harbor.