Smog Threatens Whales
Sounds ranging from the hum of yacht motors to sonar blasts strong enough to destroy a whale’s inner ear are wreaking havoc on the ability of these cetaceans to migrate, feed and breed. These noises create acoustic smog. This underwater cacophony caused by commercial and military ships has become so intense that it is killing whales. The ocean is so expansive that CCTV security is not possible to monitor such activities. The result of acoustic smog is a crescendo of beaching, strandings and collisions as whales and other sea mammals disoriented or physically damaged by noise lose their bearings. If air pollution reduces one’s field of vision, noise pollution in the sea reduces the zone in which whales can feed and hampers their ability to communicate.