When people think of threats facing the ocean, we often think of climate change, plastics, and overfishing. But research shows noise pollution is another essential thing we need to be monitoring. Scientists say the changes in the sounds of our oceans, seas, and other waterways affect many marine animals—from very small shrimps to huge whales.
Francis Juanes, an ecologist, explained, “For fish, sound is probably a better way to sense their environment than light.” Sounds help fish and other marine animals survive. They use sounds to communicate with each other. Sounds also help some ocean animals find food and avoid their hunters. Many ocean animals use sounds to find good places to mate (交配).
However, increased noise from humans is making it harder for these animals to hear each other. The noise is coming from shipping traffic, motorized fishing ships, underwater oil and gas exploration, offshore construction, and other noisy human activity. “For many marine species, their attempts to communicate are being masked by sounds that humans have introduced,” said Carlos Duarte, who co-wrote the paper with Juanes.
Experts at NOAA (the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) explain the term masking on its website. Masking happens when one or more noises in the water block sound important to a marine animal's existence. NOAA experts state that masking is most noticeable when “a noise is at the same frequency and loudness as biologically important sounds, such as mating calls.”
The stress from human noise might also affect the immune system—an animal's natural defense system—as well as reproductive (生殖的)health or behavior. “Imagine having to raise your kids in a place that's noisy all the time,” said Joe Roman. He is a marine ecologist at the University of Vermont and was not involved in the research. Roman added that it should come as no surprise that many marine animals are showing higher levels of stress due to noise.
【小题1】Why is it essential to monitor noise pollution in the ocean?| A．Noise pollution threatens the survival of marine animals. |
| B．Marine animals are less sensitive to light and plastic. |
| C．Marine pollution keeps changing the sounds of the ocean. |
| D．Noise pollution results directly from climate change. |
| A．Being unable to detect mate calls leads to decline of marine animals. |
| B．The noise only occurs when it is of the same frequency of animals' sounds. |
| C．The mixed noise prevents animals from detecting important sounds. |
| D．Human activities are involved in producing noise in the ocean. |
| A．The immune system of marine animals is the same as kids'. |
| B．Raising kids in a noisy environment leads to more pressure. |
| C．Noise pollution is easier to deal with than other ocean threats. |
| D．Marine animals suffer from stress in a noisy environment. |
| A．The Sharp Decline of Marine Animals |
| B．Humans Are Making Oceans Too Noisy |
| C．Time to Clean Up the Polluted Ocean |
| D．Importance of Sounds for Ocean Animals |
