Rising
Levels of Greenhouse Gases May Aggravate
Rising Tide of Noise from Ships, Oil Exploration
and Military Sonar
Rome/Bonn/Nairobi, 3
December 2008 - The world's oceans and seas
are becoming noisier as a result of increases
in vessels; a rise in seismic surveys and
because of the new generation of military
sonars , an alliance of wildlife groups
said today.
They are concerned that
the cacophony of sounds pervading the once
seas are intensifying threats to marine
mammals who use sound, sometimes over great
distances, to communicate, forage for food
and find mates.
The groups, attending
a the United Nations Environment Programme's
Convention on Migratory Species conference
in Rome, are urging governments and industry
to adopt quieter engines for ships, tighter
rules on the use of seismic surveys in oil
and gas exploration and new, less intrusive
sonar technologies by navies.
The news comes amid new
concerns that rising levels of carbon dioxide
(C02), the result of the burning of fossil
fuels, may be aggravating noise levels from
increased human activities.
The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established
by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and
the World Meteorological Organisation, warned
in its latest report of growing acidity
or 'acidification' of seas and oceans.
The IPCC flagged concern
over the impacts of falling PH levels (increasing
acidity) on coral-reef building creatures
and on plankton at the base of the marine
food chain.
Researchers at the Monterey
Bay Aquarium Research Institute in the United
States are also suggesting that increasing
ocean acidity may be making the marine environment
noisier.
Indeed the changing
chemistry of seawater may mean that currently
it is 10 per cent less absorbent of 'low'
frequency sound than it was prior to the
Industrial Revolution.
Unless emissions of
greenhouse gases are cut - a key issue on
the table this week in Poznan, Poland at
the UN climate convention meeting - acidity
levels in the seas and oceans could reach
a point by 2050 where noise from ships to
seismic guns is travelling 70 per cent further.
Mark Simmonds Science
Director of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Society, who is attending the UNEP Convention
on Migratory Species meeting, said: "Underwater,
man-made noise, is already triggering a
kind of acoustic fog and a cacophony of
sound in many parts of the world seas and
oceans.
"In addition there
is now evidence linking loud underwater
noises with some major strandings of marine
mammals, especially deep diving beaked whales.
However, it also appears that other species
may also be affected and this year has for
example witnessed two major stranding events
in Madagascar and the United Kingdom which
are still being investigated," he added
"Now we confronted
with cutting-edge evidence that fossil fuel
burning and the build-up of C02 may pose
a new and even 'louder' threat unless urgent
action is taken to cut emissions over the
coming years and decades. There clearly
needs to be a comprehensive and joined-up
response to noise pollution in the underwater
world,"he added.
The European Community
and its member states have submitted a draft
resolution to the 9th Conference of the
Parties to the UNEP-CMS this week on marine
noise. ( READ FULL STORY)
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of
Media, Office of the Executive Director
