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Fin whale populations in the Mediterranean are being affected by sound pollution. Image courtesy NOAA.
Mediterranean cetaceans hit hard by noise pollution
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — Researchers in the Mediterranean have found that undersea noise caused by oil prospecting caused a “massive displacement” of fin whales more than 150 miles away from the source of the sound.
Along with geographic displacement, the study found that deep-sea noise pollution also drastically reduces the effectiveness of the whales’ songs. The whales modified the characteristics of their songs in order to try to reduce the impact of noise on their propagation, said NOAA researcher Manuel Castellote.
“The noise generated through human activity in the oceans leads to possible chronic effects on the health of this species,” Castellote said. “Noise in the marine medium, despite being recognized as a significant pollutant, is far from being controlled and regulated within the waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Spain,” Castellote said. (more…)
Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, Marine biology, ocean conservation | Tagged: biodiversity, fin whales, Mediterranean Sea, Noise pollution, oceans, Strait of Gibraltar | Leave a Comment »
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