“All mammals from mice to people have three lobes to the brain,
where cetaceans [whales] have four lobes to the brain.
[The] fourth lobe is almost entirely of thinking—communication abilities.
Who knows what a whale is thinking? But they’re thinking, though.
They know who we are and what we’re capable of.”
- Paul Watson -
In March 2019, U.S. Representative Joe Cunningham, in a House subcommittee meeting, sounded a surprise airhorn, startling everybody around him. Cunningham looked around the room and asked Chris Oliver, an assistant administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Was that disruptive?” (1). “It was irritating, but I didn’t find it particularly disruptive.” Replied Oliver (1). Cunningham was making a point about just how disruptive seismic testing can be to ocean life to which Oliver had no good response--even when Rep. Cunningham explained to him that this form of noise pollution is 16,000 times louder than the common airhorn and is heard all over the ocean (1).
When you need to make a phone call, listen to a lecture, plan a night out on the town, or just listen to some music, chances are, you will be using your ears. More than likely, you will go relatively unbothered by the background noises around you. Now, imagine that all four of those scenarios include an airhorn, at full blast, sounding off every ten seconds. Now imagine the same airhorn sounding off when you try to sleep or do anything in your daily routine. Everything you do and everywhere you go features this recurring airhorn. Sometimes it sounds for months on end. Sometimes it seems like it will sound for your entire life. Safe to say, you have probably already thought of a solution. Perhaps you will just get some noise-canceling headphones… that should do the trick!
...but where in the world are 500-pound dolphins, 12,00-pound orca whales, and 200-ton blue whales going to find themselves noise-canceling headphones?
Seismic testing/blasting, the “blasting [of the] seafloor with high-powered airguns every ten seconds [to measure] offshore oil and gas reserves,” can reach 250 decibels, creating disruptions similar to the consistent sounding of the airhorn and causing major issues for ocean life. Still, noise pollution present in all seven seas has doubled every decade since 1950 (2, 3). The cargo ships that carry goods to and from different countries one after another cause an immense amount of noise pollution in the sea. Along with cargo ships are sonar pings from warships and submarines that can be heard hundreds of miles away from the initiation point (3). This overabundance of noise causes psychological distress, injuries, and even death to many oceanic species due to incredible amounts of intelligence and one of nature’s most impressive evolutionary milestones.
Underwater Communication & Echolocation
Humans and whales may seem like the exact opposite of each other, but they are far more similar than many would think. For starters, they both breathe air. Secondly, they are both parts of the mammal family. Third, they use distinct patterns and language to communicate with one another. Finally, both species can learn, apply new knowledge, and even form abstract thoughts--three traits seen in dolphins, one of the most intelligent creatures on earth.
In 1961, an experiment showed that two dolphins--a mother and a calf placed in separate tanks--could both recognize and communicate with one another with an underwater phone. While the creatures weren’t pressing buttons on a keypad, they were observed to use a series of clicks and whistles and even waited until the other was done saying what they had to say before continuing the conversation (5, 6). With that, they have also been known to mimic their trainers’ actions in various parks, but they have also been known to show complex emotions (4).
Whales talk similar to how humans do; there have even been different accents detected in the ocean. Pulse calls are the “rapid opening, and closing [of a whale’s] respiratory valves, [yielding] a series of [air] bursts or pulses…” (7). Baleen whales like blue whales have been heard using these kinds of noises to socialize with one another, sometimes thousands of miles away. In addition, toothed whales, like dolphins and belugas, have evolved to master the art of echolocation. By moving air between air spaces in the head, these whales produce sounds that can bounce off objects and back to them to help determine where and even what a certain object is. These objects range from other whales to the seafloor to food (8).
How the Noise Pollution Affects Whales
With the abundance of noises produced by marine animals to communicate with each other paired with the constant onslaught of human-made noises all around them being able to travel incredibly quickly underwater, many discrepancies take place. The continuous noise pollution has caused deafness in whales and other sea creatures as well as drastic behavioral changes. Interestingly, different reactions have been seen amongst different whale types. Due to the noise, dolphins have spent more time traveling away from the noise, causing them to socialize less and thus leading to possible decreases in their population.
Orca whales have been seen to search for food much less, spend more time near the surface farther away from possible food, and have their normal respiratory functions harmed and altered. Bowhead whales have been seen foraging, socializing, and playing less as well (9). The noise pollution has also been linked to Diver’s Bend, an injury caused by the rapid increase and decrease of water pressure on the body after the whales try their best to escape the noises (3). Every one of the behaviors listed can lead to whale deaths and diminished reproduction as when a whale travels far from their home, they are less likely to find a mate.
What if Whales Went Extinct?
“The ocean was full of whales,” stated Paul Watson, world-famous conservation and environmental activist, in the 2020 Animal Planet documentary, Watson. He continued, “It’s hard to say how many there were originally. The American whalers did not have to go very far… by 1850, they were going all the way around the world to find them. They’d wipe them out everywhere else” (15). Based on this, the question of “if” they will go extinct can be changed to “when will they go extinct?”; unfortunately, the answer to that question is not an optimistic one since a reasonable estimate of just how many whales were killed in the last century is around 3 million (10). To put the effects of whaling and other harm humans have caused in another perspective, it was reported in 2014 that there were only 10,000 - 25,000 blue whales, 15,000 sperm whales, and even only 500 right whales left in the ocean (11).
Whales have evolved over time to communicate and find food underwater, but millions of years of evolution simply cannot keep up with the manmade noises. However, this is problematic for whales and humans alike as humans also need whales to survive. Whales contribute to the creation of half of the world’s oxygen. When they dive at great depths to find food, their journey back to the surface--called a “whale pump”--is strong enough to create currents that spread about and circulate nutrients to species of phytoplankton that generate the oxygen. Also, whale feces contain both rich nutrients and nitrogen that help plants grow, and the plants are then eaten by various other marine species, creating a chain effect. Even a dead whale carcass falling to the bottom of the ocean undoubtedly benefits bottom dwellers with a feast, but what will happen when there is nothing left? What will happen to the phytoplankton when the numbers of every other creature that assists them become too low to do so?
Furthermore, a 2016 report by Oceana also showed that commercial fish catch rates decreased by 50% over thousands of square miles where airguns and seismic testing were prevalent. If commercial fishing is dwindling, so will the economies of many coastal regions leading to fewer job opportunities, less money, and eventually, more poverty (13).
To put it frankly, the entire world would begin to crumble.
The Battle Against Underwater Noise Pollution
According to Aurore Morin, the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) Marine Conservation campaigner in France, only one out of five people, when asked, knew about the underwater noise pollution created in Europe, making public awareness one of the most important things to strive for when attempting to resolve this issue. However, according to Morin, no international regulation on ocean noise exists, something his team is working on with government officials. “The most effective solution that we advocate,” Morin said in an interview, “is to implement speed restrictions for ships because this not only reduces ocean noises but also minimizes gas emission and ship strikes” (14). IFAW also encourages ports across the world to follow the example of the Port of Vancouver, which has initiated limiting the number of ships allowed in ports to reduce noise pollution and even encourage people to shop locally, reducing the need for international shipping (14).
Another great way to promote the fight against noise pollution is to pay attention to what candidates in all kinds of elections, especially national, support and advocate for. When candidates are advocating for the expansion of fossil fuels and oil, they are not exactly putting the earth’s needs first, especially as they relate to healthy marine life. By both raising awareness of marine noise pollution and advocating for eco-friendly and green energy and infrastructure, people can help increase marine populations around the world and ultimately improve their quality of life.
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