New Evidence Shows Marine Life is Under Seige From Rising Ocean Noise
Jack Linthicum
As any communications engineer can testify to raising the noise floor
means the signal must be raised too, since in this case the
characteristics of the noise floor cannot be isolated or controlled. In
signal theory, the noise floor is the measure of the signal created
from the sum of all the noise sources and unwanted signals within a
measurement system.
http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sound/contents.asp
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NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS MARINE LIFE IS UNDER SEIGE FROM RISING OCEAN NOISE
Report Blames U.S. for Blocking International Solutions to Harmful
Sound from Military Training, Industry and Shipping
LOS ANGELES (November 21, 2005) -- New evidence shows that the rising
level of intense underwater sound produced by oil and gas exploration,
military sonar and other manmade sources poses a significant long-term
threat to whales, dolphins, fish and other marine species, according to
a report published today by the Natural Resources Defense Council
(NRDC).
The report Sounding the Depths II: The Rising Toll of Sonar, Shipping
and Industrial Ocean Noise on Marine Life, is accompanied by a
five-minute movie narrated by actor and environmentalist Pierce Brosnan
and produced by the firm Imaginary Forces. The film, Lethal Sound, is
about harm to marine mammals from high-intensity military sonar and
seismic air guns.
"Ocean noise is an insidious form of pollution. The tremendous damage
it is doing to life in the sea is becoming more evident with each
passing year," said Michael Jasny, the report's principal author.
"Nations of the world need to work together now to reduce the impacts
of ocean noise before the problem becomes unmanageable and the harm to
marine life irreversible."
Intense underwater noise can harm marine life in many ways. Military
sonar has been linked to dozens of mass strandings of whales around the
world, and oil-and-gas surveys have been shown to damage fish and
dramatically reduce catch rates. Despite mounting evidence of harm,
there are virtually no safeguards in place to protect marine life. In
fact, the U.S. government is blocking international efforts to control
the problem.
The NRDC report comes as controversy rages over an Undersea Warfare
Training Range that the U.S. Navy hopes to site off Florida, Virginia,
or North Carolina, where a mass stranding of whales occurred earlier
this year after a U.S. Navy sonar exercise. The training range would
see over 160 sonar exercises per year, transforming the acoustic
landscape of the region.
In the darkness of the sea, whales, dolphins and other marine animals
use sound to navigate while migrating, to locate each other over great
distances for mating, to find food, avoid predators, and care for their
young. Manmade noise can interfere with all of these activities,
testing the ability of marine animals to survive.
Sounding the Depths II is the second edition of a widely cited report
originally published by NRDC in 1999. The new edition includes:
* The most comprehensive accounting of mass whale strandings
related to both military sonar and high energy seismic surveys
conducted by the oil and gas industry (pp. 8-9);
* A global map of "hotspots," showing where industry explores for
oil and gas by blasting air guns at the ocean floor (p. 29);
* A roster of active sonar systems used by U.S. and other navies
(pp. 22-25);
* The latest scientific findings on noise and whale strandings (p.
6-11);
* A chart of mitigation measures and recommendations for reducing
the impacts of ocean noise (p. 19).
There is no longer serious scientific debate about whether marine
mammals are dying from intense manmade ocean noise. A range of experts,
from the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee to the
U.S. Navy's own commissioned scientists have agreed that the evidence
linking mass whale strandings to mid-frequency sonar is convincing and
overwhelming.
Mass stranding and mortality events associated with mid-frequency sonar
exercises have occurred, among other places, in North Carolina (2005),
Alaska (2004), Hawaii (2004), the Canary Islands (2004, 2002, 1991,
1989, 1986, 1985); Madeira (2000), the Bahamas (2000), the U.S. Virgin
Islands (1999), and Greece (1997, 1996).
But many scientists believe the greatest threat is the cumulative
impact of subtle behavioral change caused by the rising level of ocean
noise from a range of sources. In deep water, background noise is
growing by three to five decibels per decade in the band occupied by
commercial ships. The decibel scale is logarithmic.
Ocean noise is growing from a gamut of military, commercial and
industrial sources including dredgers that clear the seabed for ship
traffic; high explosives for removing oil platforms and testing naval
vessels; construction pile drivers; harassment devices for fisheries;
tunnel borers; drilling platforms; oil-and-gas surveys; ships; and
commercial and military sonar.
Despite the alarming rise of global ocean noise in recent decades,
there is no domestic law or international treaty to deal
comprehensively with the problem. To the contrary, the Bush
administration is attacking laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection
Act and the Endangered Species Act, which have been used to mitigate
harm from ocean noise, and has formally opposed "any international
regulatory framework addressing military use of active sonar," no
matter what the science may now or in the future suggest.
Sounding the Depths II sets forth a comprehensive strategy for reducing
ocean noise pollution. Among other things, it calls for geographic and
seasonal restrictions on intense noise from military sonar and seismic
air guns; technological improvements to reduce sonic damage; better
monitoring and population research; stronger enforcement by the
National Marine Fisheries Service, including the management of marine
populations for cumulative impacts; and a commitment to international
solutions.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit
organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists
dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in
1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and online activists
nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles
and San Francisco.
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressReleases/051121.asp
The report:
http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sound/sound.pdf
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: The Rise of Ocean Noise
Chapter 2: Dynamite and Fog -- A Survey of Noise Sources
Chapter 3: The Tyranny of Small Decisions -- Domestic Regulation of
Ocean Noise
Chapter 4: Noise Without Borders -- The Growing International Response