Although the whales that were stranded present a tangible and potentially alarming picture of the potential effects of high-energy mid-frequency sonar, observations of the effects of most kinds of ocean noise on marine mammals and other aquatic organisms are quite limited.Potential effects include changes in hearing sensitivity and behavioral patterns and acoustically induced stress. Most existing data are short-term observations of marine mammal responses to human activity, making it very difficult for scientists to assess the effects of increasing ocean noise on a variety of marine organisms.The National Research Council report Ocean Noise and Marine Mammals (2003) concludes that the impact of
human noise on marine mammals is significant enough to warrant concern. Yet, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. For example, what is the overall level of noise in the ocean and what are the relative contributions from each source? What are the effects of short- and long-term noise
exposure on marine mammals? Do observed responses to noise in individual animals result in
population-level effects?
To identify problems that result from noise and to determine whether solutions are working, it is necessary to continually monitor the environment for changes in both ocean noise and marine mammal behavior. The National Research Council report Marine Mammal Populations and Ocean Noise: Determining When Noise Causes Biologically Significant Effects (2005) emphasizes the need to establish baseline knowledge and to conduct fundamental research to improve scientific understanding of the effects of noise on marine mammals. A longterm ocean noise-monitoring program over a broad range of frequencies needs to be initiated in coastal areas, marine mammal migration paths, foraging areas, and breeding grounds.
Although the whales that were stranded present a tangible and potentially alarming picture of the potential effects of high-energy mid-frequency sonar, observations of the effects of most kinds of ocean noise on marine mammals and other aquatic organisms are quite limited.Potential effects include changes in hearing sensitivity and behavioral patterns and acoustically induced stress. Most existing data are short-term observations of marine mammal responses to human activity, making it very difficult for scientists to assess the effects of increasing ocean noise on a variety of marine organisms.The National Research Council report Ocean Noise and Marine Mammals (2003) concludes that the impact of
human noise on marine mammals is significant enough to warrant concern. Yet, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. For example, what is the overall level of noise in the ocean and what are the relative contributions from each source? What are the effects of short- and long-term noise
exposure on marine mammals? Do observed responses to noise in individual animals result in
population-level effects?
To identify problems that result from noise and to determine whether solutions are working, it is necessary to continually monitor the environment for changes in both ocean noise and marine mammal behavior. The National Research Council report Marine Mammal Populations and Ocean Noise: Determining When Noise Causes Biologically Significant Effects (2005) emphasizes the need to establish baseline knowledge and to conduct fundamental research to improve scientific understanding of the effects of noise on marine mammals. A longterm ocean noise-monitoring program over a broad range of frequencies needs to be initiated in coastal areas, marine mammal migration paths, foraging areas, and breeding grounds.
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