Posts Tagged ‘Noise’
Earthquake disrupts sperm whales’ feeding behavior
A new study has revealed how an earthquake affected the ability of a group of ‘dazed and confused’ sperm whales to find food for over a year. Kaikoura is a coastal town on the South Island of New Zealand known for its abundant marine wildlife, including a population of sperm whales. On November 14th, 2016…
Read MoreUnderwater noise threatens fish as well as dolphins and whales
Research findings published in the Royal Society B journal suggest that the underwater noise levels caused by man-made activities such as wind farm construction could kill fish by making them more vulnerable to predators. In controlled experiments on sea bass conducted by researchers from the University of Bristol, recordings of pile-driving used in the construction of wind…
Read MoreTrans mountain pipeline construction stopped
From the west coast of Canada: the provincial government of British Columbia has taken action to prevent Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Contruction was scheduled to begin in September but will not be allowed to move forward on public and Tribal lands under further consultation with First Nations is completed. The government has retained…
Read MoreWhale ears could reveal secrets of underwater noise pollution
Researchers are using the ears of whales that died after stranding on beaches to try to work out how they are affected by increasing, man-made underwater noise levels. Scientist, Maria Morell has been working with staff from the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme to produce a study (published in Scientific Reports) examining the inner ears taken…
Read MoreEavesdropping on dolphin chat
A new project has been set up that will listen in on whale and dolphin activity in order to protect them and their homes. Scientists from Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) plan to eavesdrop on marine mammals around the Irish and Scottish coasts using a network of sophisticated underwater monitoring devices. These devices…
Read MoreWhale calls recorded at deepest point of the Earth’s surface
The first audio recordings taken from the deepest point on the Earth’s surface have reveal a number of amazing sounds, including the calls of different species of whale. Little is known about what happens in the Mariana Trench, located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean around 322 km (200 miles) southwest of Guam, but…
Read MoreBoat speed threatens endangered orcas
A new study on noise pollution published in the online journal, PLOS ONE has identified boat speed rather than size as being more of a threat to a group of endangered orcas. Researchers monitoring of pod of orcas in the waters off Washington (US) found that speed was a more influential factor than how big a…
Read MoreUS Navy forced to stop using harmful sonar in training exercises
A legal battle over the use of powerful sonar, and explosives in naval exercises has ended with the US Navy agreeing to limit their future use in any training to avoid potential harm to whales, dolphins and other marine mammals off Hawaii and California. The decision comes after the US fisheries service was legally challenged…
Read MorePhotographers fined for flying drones close to orcas
US authorities have fined two people for allegedly flying drones too close to a pod of orcas in Washington state. In what could well be the first case of its kind, the pair have been prosecuted after capturing footage of the ocras in the Haro Strait, just east of Vancouver Island, Canada. The U.S. Department of Fisheries and Oceans…
Read MoreNew understanding of whale communication
Sound is the most important sense for whales. They use it to communicate with another as well as finding their way around the oceans, and in some species to catch their prey too. Up to now it has not been clear why different whales have evolved with different systems to hear but now scientists think…
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