A new statement by wildlife groups yesterday on the longstanding problem of ocean noise is getting plenty of press. Buried in the AP coverage of this story is the possibility that governments might be ready to tackle it with regulations.
Escalating noise from ships, seismic surveys for oil and gas, and military sonar is drowning out the sounds whales and dolphins use to communicate, said groups led by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, who were attending a UN conference on the Convention on Migratory Species. The volume could get pumped up, they added, by surprise effects of ocean acidification, plus an oil and gas rush in the thawing Arctic.
“Noisy activities are producing an acoustic fog that prevents whales from maintaining social groups, finding each other for breeding purposes, and so forth,” says the WDCS’s Mark Simmonds (AFP), referring to evidence rounded up in a June report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
It also may drive some of them to end it all. Sound-maddened whale watch: deep-diving beak-nosed whales are especially at risk of mass beaching; still under investigation are possible noisy causes for strandings this year of 100 melon-headed whales in Madagascar and two dozen common dolphins in Britain (AP, press release); and the distance over which blue whales can communicate has shortened by 90%.
A bit faddishly, the groups’ statement gives several paragraphs to a recent projection that acidification of the seas by rising carbon dioxide emissions will boost the cacophony by making sounds travel further – AFP leads with this. Only Environment News Service, however, picks up the speculation that fossil fuel drilling in a soon-to-be seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean will ruin that former oasis of tranquillity.
The European Community has introduced a resolution at the UN conference on possible measures against the racket, including ‘noise protection areas’ in enclosed seas and sea basins, monitoring projects, and better documentation of sources (press release). AP offers optimism about the resolution from UN Environmental Programme spokesman Nick Nuttal.
But there’s this caveat from Reuters:
Simmonds said conservationists were concerned that pressures from the military and energy industry as well as the need for more research into marine noise pollution may lead to the resolution being substantially weakened.
“We simply don’t know at this stage how many animals are affected by noise pollution, but the lack of full scientific evidence should not be a reason to delay action, said Simmonds.”
Hmm, that sounds familiar. Probably best not to hold your breath, unless you have evolved to do so for spectacularly long times while deep-diving.
Most annoying aspect of coverage: ubiquity of one metaphor shopped by Simmonds, “Call it a cocktail-party effect. You have to speak louder and louder until no one can hear each other anymore.” (AP)
It’s not a cocktail party effect. The noise is not escalating as whales and cargo ships try to talk over each other. Call it a “hangover in a city full of jackhammers” effect. You got a better suggestion?
Image: Punchstock