Posts Tagged ‘Noise’
Leading scientists call on Obama to stop noise pollution threat
A letter from over 50 leading scientists has been sent to US President Barack Obama asking him to keep the Atlantic Ocean free of planned, noisy oil exploration projects in order to protect whales, dolphins, and other marine life. The letter follows the recent announcement by the Obama administration that parts of the Atlantic coast…
Read MoreCould British navy hunt for Russian sub be linked to whale deaths?
The mass stranding of rare, deep-diving whales along the coast of Ireland last December could be linked to a reported search by British navy warships for a suspected Russian submarine. Eight rarely sighted Cuvier’s beaked whales have been found off the Irish coast in recent weeks together with a number of common dolphins, a minke…
Read MoreUS Navy sonar devices could threaten whales and dolphins
The US navy has requested permits to increase training exercises off the Pacific Coast that involve the use of sonar buoys. The navy wants to deploy up to 720 of the buoys off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and northern California. The devices, about 3ft long and 6in in diameter, send out underwater sound signals…
Read MoreWDC asks Dutch government to halt loud underwater surveys
WDC is demanding an immediate halt to on-going underwater surveys for oil and gas in Dutch waters, close to the German border and a special area of protection for a vulnerable harbour porpoise population. ‘Air guns’ are used in these surveys and fire loud pulses of sound down into the seabed to locate deposits of crude oil. Noise levels…
Read MoreOcean Planning or Pandering- Obama Administration OK’s seismic testing along US east coast
Friday’s announcement that the Obama Administration will allow seismic testing for oil exploration along the East coast of the US is just the latest in a series of “ocean pandering” disguised as planning. Just last month, the Obama administration hosted “Our Ocean”, an international conference said to focus on tackling issues of overfishing, marine pollution, and…
Read MoreUS government approves use of underwater sonic cannons
The US government has announced its approval for the use of loud sonic cannons to find oil and gas deposits below the ocean floor along eastern coastal areas of America. The approval opens a stretch of water from Delaware to Florida to exploration by energy companies preparing to apply for drilling leases in 2018. It…
Read MoreThat‘s just “quackers” …
Back in the 1960’s submarines detected a bizarre “quacking” sound in the southern ocean and have been perplexed as to its origins ever since. The noise – nicknamed the “bio-duck” – was only heard during winter and spring months and was attributed to everything from ships to fish, but no-one really knew what was making…
Read MoreNoise pollution reduces whale song
Research has now shown that whales reduce some forms of important communication when excessive man-made noise is introduced to their underwater world. A study of humpback whales off the coast of Northern Angola has revealed that their singing during the breeding season is reduced in the presence of noise from underwater seismic surveying by oil…
Read MoreWDC remains optimistic over future protection for Cuvier’s beaked whales in the Med
The latest international meeting dealing with protection of whales and dolphins in the Mediterranean and Black Seas (ACCOBAMS) has concluded with mixed results for the Cuvier’s beaked whale, which is thought to be most vulnerable to loud, man-made underwater noise pollution caused by military sonar and surveys for oil and gas deposits under the seabed.…
Read MoreSay It Isn’t So(nar)!
Court approval of naval training range threatens North Atlantic right whales and their newborn calves. When I heard the news, I couldn’t believe it: this week, the 11th circuit appeals court approved Naval plans to begin construction on an Undersea Warfare Training Range (USWTR). The USWTR is designed to train personnel in shallow-water anti-submarine warfare…
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