ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 4, 2021
Not only are humans changing the surface and temperature of the planet, but also its sounds – and those shifts are detectable even in the open ocean, according to research published Thursday. Changes in the ocean soundscape affect wide swaths of marine life, from tiny snapping shrimp to huge right whales, the researchers found. Many fish and marine animals use sound to communicate with each other, to locate promising locations to breed or feed, and possibly to detect predators. But increased noise from shipping traffic, motorized fishing vessels, underwater oil and gas exploration, offshore construction and other human activity is making it harder for them to hear each other.