Did you know the oceans are getting
noisier due to human activity?
Noise pollution raises blood pressure, disturbs
our sleep, and leads to cognitive
impairment in children among other
things. But it's not only us humans that
are affected by noise. Marine life also
suffers serious consequences from it.
This is what a healthy reef sounds like...
And this is how it sounds due to anthropogenic activity...
Horrible, isn't it?  Who makes these noises?
Since 1960s vessels noise have been
doubling alarmingly. The engines of any
kind from small boats to floating cities
affect marine life. Military acoustic
tests, nuclear test bombs, seismic surveys
that are used to search for oil and gas.
These explosions can be heard 3,000
kilometers away and cause permanent
deafness in animals that are in a range
of 1 kilometer. Sound travels four times
faster and farther in water that it does
in air. This is how the seismic survey
sounds...
What are the consequences?
A Study by the University of North Carolina
found that every fish population
decreased by 78% when these explosions
were carried out.
This is how it looked before...
... and so it looks after...
For cetaceans that are guided by complex
sounds to communicate, socialize, find
food and mate, it has been increasingly
difficult. It has even led to strandings
and consequently death. Various studies
conclude that whales try to evade
vessels more than fifty kilometres away.
For belugas and narwhals to find breathing
holes, has become more difficult because
these whales are guided through sonar
and echolocation.
These images are becoming increasingly
common and leading them to death.
This is an audio of how belugas communicate...
This other, humpback whales...
Here are the orca...
And this is an audio from a passing
boat and totally drowns out
communication of the dolphins...
Plankton. Which is so important in our
lives, is also affected. The zooplankton
dies when receiving the impacts of these
sound waves. I leave you the link here in
the upper right corner of your screen to
know more about plankton.
To give us an idea of how much noise there is in the
oceans, try to imagine that you're
driving your car or riding your bike to
work. And at the same time that you hear
an ambulance siren, all the cars around
you just lay on their horns. Now, imagine
trying to locate the ambulance noise
amongst all the rest of the noise and
figure out where you should go.
Some vessels are so noisy that they reach a
180 decibels.
This is like listening to a space rocket
during takeoff. Could you communicate as
you normally do?
Remember that every breath you take, is connected to the sea.
