The ocean is a magnificent and mind-boggling word that conjures up incredible pictures of various elemental phenomena - crashing onto the rocks of huge waves, a gray-black storm, with its head covering a ship swaying from the wind, and an endless expanse of water that has no beginning and end. ... since then, fear was laid in man, the fear of unknown and uncontrollable forces of nature.
The ocean frightened and, at the same time, attracted seafarers, anyone who had ever heard of it dreamed of knowing that these dark strata of water contained in themselves, which more than once claimed so many lives, but also gave to any person. Over time, a rational man and a mighty man subjugated a large part of the World Ocean, learned about the many secrets hidden in its depths, learned to escape from dangerous predators and hunt them himself.
But the taste of “victory” over the elements overshadowed the mind and did not allow a person to open their eyes to the seemingly obvious truth: nature is our home and every creature in it, and each weather that does not rule us, and any other manifestation of it, everything is in its place, and there is nothing more rational and harmonious in the world.
The effect of noise pollution on animals
To date, we are seeing a sad picture - around the world, a huge number of whales, killer whales, dolphins and other large animals living in the water are thrown to the beaches. This is due to the so-called "noise pollution" - the supersaturation of the waters of the oceans with sound waves in the range from 20 to 300 hertz. It is this range that is used by the cetaceans to receive and transmit information.It has evolved so that it is hearing that has become the main tool that helps animals survive - hearing threatening sounds, animals experience stress and immediately flee to get as far away from the source of the threat.
Sound, many animals declare themselves, it is an integral part of the mating games of most animals. Whales, as well as most of the remaining large inhabitants of the waters, are no exception. A lost whale baby can find his mother by exchanging signals with her, and everyone can be notified of an impending storm long before he gets to the place where the animal is. All this became possible due to the property of water, as an excellent conductor of sound waves. This phenomenon can be compared with how air transmits light, which we can see even from stars that are in a myriad of kilometers from us. This means that cetaceans can hear the sound, being at the other end of the globe, as we can talk on the phone.
But with the advent of various benefits of civilization, there was a danger of noise pollution of the oceans to such an extent that it became critical even for some populations of creatures. Animals, in an attempt to escape from intolerable noise, swim in shallow water, where, carried ashore by the waves, die from dehydration. In addition, the researchers found that most of the dead whales had a cerebral hemorrhage - the hearing aid could not stand the overload. Due to decompression, some whales show embolism, and foci of inflammation in all organs are also noted.
How is noise pollution?
How does direct noise pollution occur? It is known, for example, that mining companies explore the world's oceans with the help of echo sounders and underwater guns - this invention allows you to explore the topography of the world's oceans thanks to a shot that is then reflected from the depths of the sea. Typically, such guns on the ship from 10 to 40, all shoot at the same time, every 10-12 seconds. Such studies can last months and be initiated by more than one country. It is hard to imagine what animals feel at this time, because even for human hearing these sounds are so unpleasant that from listening for more than 10 minutes they cause bouts of nausea and dizziness.
Another source is transport and cargo ships, the noise of their motors also drowns out cetaceans, does not allow the female to choose a male, does not allow to know in time about the storm and how to feed. It is also known that many modern warships have onboard sonars with mid-frequency sound, which are used to detect targets, such as submarines.
Smooth whales, dolphins, orcas perish and stall. Not only animals in the ocean suffer, but also people who depend on it and feed on its resources. Cases have become known when, due to seismic exploration companies, the catch has been reduced by 60%. And fish after such studies does not return.
How to deal with noise pollution?
There is an exit. Scientists suggest such methods as noise reduction - using the manufacture and use of efficient engines can not only reduce the noise level, but also reduce the economic cost of fuel.A reduced noise level is also beneficial for the navy - the less noise, the less likely it will be noticed by the enemy. That is, the more efficient shipping, the greater the benefit for all.
Another proposed option is to move at a lower speed (this will also reduce fuel costs), while at the same time improving the efficiency of unloading facilities on the coasts.
For naval and other structures it is necessary to introduce environmental monitoring everywhere, on the basis of the data of which it is advisable to build a route. This would allow to bypass places where the highest harm to populations.
For all devices whose operation principle is based on sonar, one can and should find an alternative, for example, instead of an underwater gun, put into operation a vibroseis that works at low frequencies and allows you to get a much better picture of the underwater bottom.
The last and most significant way is to search for alternative energy sources - oil and gas reserves may run out, which means that they will have to find a replacement in any case. This will allow to exclude from the oceans any exploratory types of work and significantly reduce the noise load.
We can conclude that man is the root cause of all the troubles that overtake him, and only with strong hands and a good heart can we correct all the mistakes that mankind has made over many years of its existence.
