Ocean Noise: Impacting Marine Life And Nutrient Cycles

Ocean noise pollution is a growing concern, with human activities such as shipping, energy exploration, and naval exercises introducing excessive and unnatural sounds into the marine environment. This noise pollution has been shown to have significant impacts on marine life, particularly marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises, which rely heavily on sound for communication, navigation, and survival. The loud and continuous noises from human activities can mask the natural sounds produced by these marine animals, interfering with their ability to hear, communicate, and navigate. This disruption can lead to changes in behavior, altered metabolisms, and even death, as animals may deviate from their natural migration routes or panic, causing them to ascend too quickly and suffer from decompression sickness. With noise pollution affecting the health and function of marine ecosystems, there is a dire need for coordinated efforts to reduce anthropogenic noise in the ocean and enable the recovery of marine life.

Ocean noise pollution affects marine life communication

Ocean noise pollution is a form of environmental pollution caused by human activities such as commercial shipping, oil exploration, seismic surveys, offshore wind turbine installation, and military sonar. These activities generate unnatural and excessive sound underwater, which can have detrimental effects on marine life.

Marine mammals, such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises, are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of ocean noise pollution. These species rely heavily on sound for various aspects of their survival, including communication, locating mates and prey, navigating, and avoiding predators.

Noise pollution can interfere with the detection of acoustic signals, masking the natural sounds produced by marine wildlife. This disruption can lead to changes in individual and social behaviour, altered metabolisms, and hampered population recruitment, ultimately affecting the health and functioning of marine ecosystems. For example, increased ship noise has caused bottlenose dolphins to simplify their vocal calls, potentially reducing the effectiveness of their communication.

Whales and dolphins use clicks, whistles, and echolocation for long-distance communication. Excessive noise from human activities can mask these signals, making it difficult for them to find mates, coordinate within groups, and care for their young. Additionally, loud noises can cause hearing loss, which can prove fatal for marine mammals that depend on sound for survival.

To address the issue of ocean noise pollution, it is essential to implement policies that reduce propeller noise from ships and mitigate the sounds of sonar equipment, seismic air guns, pile driving, and construction. Developing quieter technologies can also play a crucial role in reducing noise pollution and improving the ocean soundscape, enabling the recovery and conservation of marine life.

Noise pollution leads to behavioural changes in marine life

Marine wildlife is extremely sensitive to noise, and noise pollution has been proven to cause behavioural changes in marine life. Many marine animals depend on sound for survival, and noise pollution interferes with their key life functions, including communication, hunting, and predator avoidance.

Noise pollution in the ocean is caused by human activities such as commercial shipping, oil exploration, seismic surveys, offshore wind turbine installation, and military sonar operations. These activities generate unnatural and excessive sound that travels efficiently through water, disrupting the natural behaviour of marine wildlife.

One of the most significant impacts of noise pollution is the interference with acoustic signals and vocal behaviours. For example, increased ship noise has caused bottlenose dolphins to simplify their vocal calls, making it harder for them to effectively communicate with other dolphins. This simplification of vocalizations may reduce the information content of their calls, impacting their ability to coordinate hunts, locate mates, and warn others about predators.

Noise pollution can also cause direct physical harm to marine mammals. Extremely powerful sound waves from sources like military sonar and seismic air guns can exceed 230 decibels, comparable to the sound of a rocket launch. Such intense noise can cause panic, leading animals to ascend too quickly to escape, resulting in decompression sickness and even tissue damage from gas bubble lesions.

Furthermore, noise pollution can alter migration routes and drive animals away from important feeding grounds. In the Barents Sea, seismic surveys disrupted the migration routes of cod and herring, causing population declines as the fish failed to return to their traditional spawning and feeding grounds. Similarly, loud shipping noises around Californian shipping lanes have caused whales to abandon their critical feeding grounds, depriving them of essential nutrients and threatening their survival.

Human activities are the primary cause of ocean noise

Ocean noise pollution is a form of environmental pollution caused primarily by human activities. These activities, which include commercial shipping, oil exploration, seismic surveys, offshore wind turbine installation, military sonar operations, and construction, generate unnatural and excessive sound underwater. Marine life, particularly marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises, are highly dependent on sound for their survival and navigation. They use vocalizations to communicate, locate mates and prey, avoid predators, and defend their territories.

The noise created by human activities in the ocean can interfere with and obscure the natural sounds that marine animals rely on. This disruption can lead to changes in their individual and social behavior, altered metabolisms, and hampered population recruitment. For example, sonar has been recorded to alter the feeding behavior of endangered blue whales. In an experiment in Southern California, even at sound levels much lower than those of military sonars, blue whales stopped feeding, increased their swimming speed, and moved away from the sound source.

Noise pollution can also cause hearing loss in marine mammals and lead to indirect injuries and fatalities. For instance, when frightened by loud noises, dolphins and whales may try to escape too quickly, leading to decompression sickness and skin damage from gas bubble lesions. Additionally, if a whale strands on a beach due to sudden, intense noise, its body may not sink to the seafloor, depriving seafloor-dwelling animals of a key food source.

The impact of noise pollution on marine life has been recognized, and efforts are being made to mitigate it. Scientists are researching the effects of human-caused sounds on marine life, and technologies are being developed to reduce propeller noise from ships and mitigate the sounds of sonar equipment, seismic air guns, pile driving, and construction. Policies and regulations are also being advocated to reduce and manage noise pollution in the ocean and protect marine ecosystems and wildlife.

Ocean noise can cause direct and indirect injuries to marine animals

Ocean noise pollution is a form of environmental pollution caused by human activities such as commercial shipping, oil exploration, seismic surveys, offshore wind turbine installation, and military sonar. These activities generate unnatural and excessive sound underwater, which negatively affects marine life. As most marine species are highly dependent on sound for survival, noise pollution can interfere with key life functions, including communication, navigation, locating prey and mates, and avoiding predators.

Marine mammals, such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises, are particularly affected by ocean noise pollution. For example, the loud noise from naval anti-warfare sonar can directly injure whales and dolphins. The intense sound may cause them to panic and try to escape too quickly, leading to decompression sickness, haemorrhaging to the heart and brain, and even stranding on beaches.

Ocean noise can also cause indirect injuries to marine animals. As ecosystems in the ocean are interconnected, the direct impact on one species can have knock-on effects on others. For instance, if a whale strands on a beach due to noise pollution, its body remains on land instead of sinking to the seafloor. This disrupts the food chain as sea-floor-dwelling animals lose a crucial food source.

Additionally, excessive noise can mask the natural vocalizations of marine animals, making it harder for them to hear and find each other, coordinate hunts, and detect and warn others about predators. This is especially problematic for animals that rely on echolocation, like dolphins and toothed whales, as it can cause disorientation and hinder their hunting abilities.

To mitigate the impact of ocean noise pollution on marine life, it is essential to implement policies that reduce propeller noise from ships and mitigate the sounds of sonar equipment, seismic air guns, and construction. Developing quieter technologies and implementing speed restrictions for ships can also help reduce noise pollution and minimize its harmful effects on marine animals.

There is a lack of international legal regulations on ocean noise pollution

Ocean noise pollution is a form of environmental pollution caused by human activities, such as commercial shipping, oil exploration, seismic surveys, offshore wind turbine installation, and military sonar, which generate unnatural and excessive sound underwater. Marine species, many of which rely heavily on sound for survival, are negatively impacted by this type of pollution. It can interfere with their natural behaviours, communication, and key life functions, and in some cases, even cause death. Despite the well-documented detrimental effects of ocean noise pollution on marine life, there is currently a lack of international legal regulations specifically addressing this issue.

Noise pollution in the ocean has increased significantly in recent decades, posing a serious threat to marine wildlife. Marine mammals, such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises, are particularly vulnerable as they depend on sound for communication, locating prey and mates, navigating, avoiding predators, and defending their territories. Ocean noise pollution can mask the acoustic signals of marine wildlife, leading to changes in individual and social behaviour, altered metabolisms, and hampered population recruitment, which can have cascading effects on the health and functioning of marine ecosystems.

The absence of international legal regulations on ocean noise pollution means that the responsibility for implementing noise reduction measures falls on local governments and individual ports. While some regions have taken initiatives to mitigate this problem, a global approach is necessary to effectively address the issue due to the far-reaching and interconnected nature of ocean ecosystems. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is advocating for the development of international regulations, recognizing the urgent need for unified standards to protect marine life from the detrimental impacts of ocean noise pollution.

Although there are no international legal regulations specifically targeting ocean noise pollution, there are global platforms and guidelines that provide a framework for addressing this issue. The United Nations (UN) environmental treaty, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), offers a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory species and their habitats. In 2017, CMS published guidelines to assist regulators in evaluating Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and addressing underwater sound exposure. Additionally, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Convention or Helsinki Convention (HELCOM) commits signatory nations to protect the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, including underwater noise.

While these initiatives provide a starting point, there is still a need for comprehensive international legal regulations specifically targeting ocean noise pollution. Such regulations could include policies to reduce propeller noise from ships, mitigate the sounds of sonar equipment, seismic air guns, pile driving, and construction activities. Additionally, the development and implementation of quieter technologies can play a crucial role in reducing noise pollution levels. By addressing this issue through international collaboration and regulatory measures, we can improve the ocean soundscape and enable the recovery and conservation of marine life.

Frequently asked questions