Humans Have Changed The Sound of The Ocean

Humans not only change the planet’s surface and temperature, but also sound in the ocean, according to a newly published study.

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

The researchers found that changes in the ocean’s sound affect many marine organisms, from tiny shrimps to giant whales.

“Sound goes very far underwater. For fish, sound is probably a better way to perceive their environment than to light,” said Francis Juanes, an ecologist of Victoria University in Canada.

According to Francis Juanes, while light tends to scatter in water, sound travels through water much faster than air.

Many fish and marine animals use sound to communicate with each other, locate promising prospects for breeding or foraging, and possibly to spot predators. For example, shrimp makes the sound of corn exploding, making their prey dizzy. The sounds of humpback whales can resemble the violinist’s melody.

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

But the increased noise from ocean transportation, motor fishing boats, underwater oil and gas exploration, offshore construction and other human activities are making it harder…