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Anthropogenic noise pollution: an increasing threat to marine animals
EP35971
Poster Title: Anthropogenic noise pollution: an increasing threat to marine animals
Submitted on 22 Mar 2021
Author(s): Sue Godsell
Affiliations: University of Winchester
Poster Views: 881
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Poster Information
Abstract: Over the last two decades anthropogenic (human-generated) marine noise has become recognised as a major threat to the wellbeing of marine animals (1). Sound travels five times as fast through water as it does through air which makes it a useful tool for marine animals. In contrast, light does not travel well in marine environments, visibility is often poor and visual communication difficult (1). Acoustic communication works well for animals that need to communicate over long distances, as many whales do. Up to a century ago, our seas were relatively quiet and marine species have evolved to utilise sound in various ways. Many species use sound for communication and some, such as dolphins, use it for echolocation (2). Other species use acoustic cues to find food, a mate or a home, to avoid predators and for navigation (3). However, those same properties that make sound so useful for marine species can also have a huge impact when the noise is produced by human activity, as it is often loud, sustained and at a frequency that interferes with the natural sounds produced by animals.Summary: Over the last two decades anthropogenic (human-generated) marine noise has become recognised as a major threat to the wellbeing of marine animals.References: References
1.Simmonds, M.P., Dolman, S.J., Jasny, M., Parsons, E.C.M., Weilgart, L., Wright, A.J. and Leaper, R. (2014) Marine noise pollution -increasing recognition but need for more practical action. Journal of Ocean Technology, 9, (1), 71-90.
2.Mann, D., Hill-Cook, M., Manire, C., Greenhow, D., Montie, E. et al. (2010) Hearing loss in stranded odontocete dolphins and whales. PLoS ONE, 5, (11), e13824. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013824.
3.Peng, C., Zhao, X. and Liu, G. (2015) Noise in the sea and its impacts on marine organisms.International journal of environmental research and public health,12,(10), 12304-12323.
4.Merchant, N. D. (2019) Underwater noise abatement: Economic factors and policy options.Environmental Science & Policy,92, 116-123.
5.McCormick, M. I., Allan, B. J., Harding, H. and Simpson, S. D. (2018) Boat noise impacts risk assessment in a coral reef fish but effects depend on engine type.Scientific Reports,8, (1), 3847.12.
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