Ocean Noise

Marine animals use sound to navigate，communicate，find food，locate mates，and avoid predators。Flooding their world with intense sound interferes with these activities and results inserious—sometimes fatal—consequences.Anthropogenic（human-generated）noise levels in the marine environment are increasing at an alarming rate。In some areas，noise levels have doubled every decade for the past60years。There is mounting concern that noise proliferation poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems and themarine mammals，fish and other ocean wildlife。

AWI is an active partner of the International Ocean Noise Coalition，an alliance of over150 groups working for international regulation of ocean noise。With representatives on every continent，IONC was created to establish a global approach to combating human-generated ocean noise。Since2005，AWI has been working with IONC at the United Nations and in other international forums to raise awareness about the issue and ultimately to advocate for ways to address the problem。

预应力钢筋混凝土预应力加固，预应力钢筋混凝土预应力加固可调节的工作水平.In the past half-decadeinternational institutionshave begun to recognize the threat it poses to marine wildlife and have been calling for precautions in the creation of anthropgenic ocean noise。

Find out more about the不受影响的导流板，the人工氧化的ocean noise，and theinternational bodies and agreements addressing anthropogenic ocean noise。

How Loud is Anthropogenic Ocean Noise？

Sound energy is measured in decibels（dB）relative to the threshold of human hearing.The decibel scale is logarithmic，which means20dB is not merely twice as loud as10dB，but rather represents10times more sound energy；30dB is 100times more。In the table below，the supertanker produces over100times more sound energy than the tanker。

不受影响，不受影响

Impacts on Marine Mammals
Marine mammal strandings are the most visible impacts of anthropogenic noise。Such incidents，however，only give a snapshot of the real problem，since affected animals may not beach and some may suffer long term effects that are not measurable。Population level impacts have occurred in stranding incidents，such as the mass stranding of beaked whales in 2000in the Bahamas。This stranding—caused by the passage of a single US Navy ship using active mid-frequency sonar—resulted in 17 deaths and the loss of a well-studied population of beaked whales from the area。

Negative responses to anthropogenic noise have been demonstrated in at least27species of marine mammals in scientific studies。效果can include:

• Mortality or serious injury caused by hemorrhaging around the brain，air cavities，lungs and other organs；
• Mortality or serious injury caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream，leading to embolism；
• 模板or permanent loss of hearing，impairing an animal’s ability to perform essential life functions，such as communication，avoiding predators，avoiding vessel traffic，finding mates and catching prey；
• Stranding caused by the above factors；
• Avoidance behavior，which can lead to abandonment of habitat or migratory pathways and disruption of mating，feeding or nursing；
• Aggressive behavior，which can result in injury；
• biologically meaningful sounds，such as the call of predators or potential mates；and，and
• Depletion of prey species。

加热和加热炉专用
Intense ocean noise damages fish and，consequently，fisheries。Research so far has indicated reactions to noise in21species of fish。Since anthropgenic ocean noise can travel hundreds of miles from its source，the potential impact to fisheries from domestically unregulated foreign noise activities is immense。This could have significant effects on national economies，commercial fisheries and local fishing communities。Harmful effects include:

• 扩展数据到fish ears and hearing；
• Catch rates reduced 40-80%and fewer fish near seismic surveys reported for cod，haddock，rockfish，herring，sand eel and blue whiting；
• Disruption in schooling structure，swimming behavior，and，possibly，migration in bluefin tuna；
• 在第二阶段，在第一阶段，在第二阶段，在第二阶段，在第二阶段；
• 钢锭外压；钢锭外压；
• 绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘绝缘材料；
• 从地面到地面；
• Avoidance behavior in capelin and eels when exposed to noise；
• 在出口和出口出口处；
• Bruised organs，abnormal ovaries，smaller larvae，delayed development and stress in snow crabs when exposed to seismic noise；and，and
• increased food consumption and histochemical changes in lobster after exposure to seismic noise。

源－已生成的Ocean Noise

Commercial，scientific，military and recreational marine activities can all generate noise sufficient to impact marine wildlife。

Explosives
Explosives are detonated in the ocean by the military，scientific researchers，and the oil and gas industry for demolition purposes，seismic exploration，or testing of equipment—such as shipshock trials，whereby ships are deliberately strucck with explosives to test their durability。Explosions are created by chemical devices；they cause extremely high noise levels in the wideband frequency range and are characterized by rapid rise times—a sudden burst which can permanently damage hearing structures。

Seismic Airguns
Seismic airgun arrays are used primarily for oil and gas exploration and research purposes。The airguns produce sound by introducing air into the water at high pressure，usually directed toward the sea floor，with up to 20guns being fired in synchrony，while“streamers”of hydrophones listen for echoes。Seismic surveys with airguns can last for many weeks at a time。During the surveys，every airgun in the array produces a pulse of noise lasting20to30milliseconds which is repeated every10seconds，often for24hours a day。

Military Sonar
Active sonar is used by military vessels during exercises and routine activities to hunt for objects in the path of the vessel。These Mid-Frequency Active（MFA）and Low-Frequency Active（LFA）sonar systems usually emit100-second-long“pulses”of sound that can be deployed for hours and are designed to focus as much energy as possible in narrow ranges in a horizontal direction。LFA sonar is a type of long-range surveillance sonar that saturates thousands of cubic miles of ocean with sound。Frequencies commonly used by sonar systems range from around0.1 to 10kHz，with source levels in excess of 230 decibels。

Ship Traffic
Ships produce noise that generally falls in the low frequency band，between 10Hz and 1kHz—capable of propagation over immense distances in all directions。These low frequencies coincide with the frequencies used，in particular，by baleen whales，fish，seals，sea lions and dolphins for communication and other biologically important activities。Ships generate sound primarily by propeller action，hull-mounted machinery，and hydrodynamic flow over the hull and the flexing of the hull。Over90percent of world trade is transported by ship，effectively producing an ever-present and rising aural“fog”that masks crucial natural sounds and is the most pervasive source of ocean noise today。In general，noise increases with vessel speed。

International Bodies and Agreements Addressing Anthropogenic Ocean Noise

AWI is an active partner of the国际Ocean Noise Coalition，an alliance of over150groups working for international regulation of ocean noise。With representatives on every continent，IONC was created to establish a global approach to combating human-generated ocean noise。Since2005，AWI has been working with IONC at the United Nations and in other international forums to raise awareness about the issue and ultimately to advocate for ways to address the problem。

Although noise is a recognized form of pollution，sources of noise in the marine environment are not regulated at an international level。in the past half-decade international institutions have begun to recognize the threat it poses to marine wildlife and have been calling for precautions in the creation of anthropogenic ocean noise。

The following international bodies and agreements address anthroprogenic ocean noise。

单位名称
The United Nations（UN）Convention on the Law of the Sea（UNCLOS）is the most far-reaching treaty governing the global marine environment。UNCLOS already provides a solid basis for treating harmful，human-generated noise asa form of pollution that must be reduced and controlled。The agreement defines the term“pollution”as“the introduction by man，directly or indirectly，of substances or energy into the marine environment…，which results or is likely to result in such deleterious effects as harm to living resources…”（Art.1（1）（4））。

In his2005report to the General Assembly，the UN Secretary General listed anthropgenic underwater noise asone of five“current major threats to some populations of whales and other cetaceans，”and included noise asone of the 10“main current and foreseeable impacts on marine biodiversity”on the high seas。

通用资产（GA）has passed successive恢复到address noise，encouraging“further studies and consideration of the impacts of ocean noise on marine living resources”（2005、2006 and 2007），and“requesting the Division[DOALOS]to compile the peer-reviewed scientific studies it receives from member states[and IGos in 2009]and to make them availableon its website”（2006、2007、2008）。In2010，the GA Oceans resolution noted underwater noise asa potential threat to living marine resources and affirmed the importance of sound scientific studies in addressing the issue，while the GA Fisheries resolution encouraged further studies，including by the FAO，onits impacts on fish stocks and fishicating ratch。

国际市场组织
The IMO recognized the harmful effects of ship-generated ocean noise at the 57^第三meeting of its Marine Environment and Protection Committee。The issue was later given adedicated agenda item and work program to develop technical guidelines on ship-quieting technologies as well as potential navigation and operational practices。The 2010 meeting agreed to continue the work and develop a draft guidance document“to reduce the adverse impact of ships’noise.”

The European Parliament and European Union
The European Parliament adopted a resolution in 2004 calling on member states to urgently restrict the use of high-intensity sonar in waters under their jurisdiction until a global assessment of their cumulative environmental impact on marine mammals，fish and other marine wildlife had been completed。In2008the EUtook up the issue with its Marine Strategy Framework Directive，representing the first international legal instrument to explicitly include man-made underwater noise within the definition of pollution（Article3（8））。The Directive lists“the introduction of energy，including underwater noise，at levels that do not adversely affect the marine environment”among the criteria to achieve Good Environmental Status（Annex I（11））by2020。Commission Decision2010/477/EU（2）identified low and mid-frequency impulsive sound and continuous low frequency sound as potentially impactful on marine mammals and other marine wildlife。

ASCOBANS
ASCOBANS'1994 Conservation and Management Plan set forth mandatory conservation measures to be applied to cetaceans。In2003，aresolution requested parties to take steps to reduce the impact of noise on cetaceans from seismic surveys，military activities，shipping vessels，acoustic harassment devices and other acoustic disturbances。In2006，ASCOBANS passed a second resolution on ocean noise，requesting that member states，inter alia，introduce guidelines on measures and procedures for seismic surveys and develop effective mitigation measures to reduce disturbance of，and potential physical damage to，small cetaceans。In2009it passed another resolution to mitigate adverse effects from noise generated byoffshore renewable energy construction projects。

国际Whaling Commission
The Scientific Committee of the IWC，at its2004meeting，stated that there is compelling evidence implicating anthropogenic sound as a potential threat to marine mammals，and that this threat is manifested at both regional and ocean-scale levels that could impact populations of animals。The body called for multinational cooperation to monitor ocean noise，and to develop basin-scale and regional noise budgets。Noise has been included in the body’s work since then and in 2009，ocean noise was identified as a priority issue for cetacean research。

ACCOBAMS：Black Sea，Mediterranean and Contiguous Atlantic Area（ACCOBAMS）
A2004ACCOBAMS resolution recognized man-made ocean noise asa dangerous pollutant that can disturb，injure and kill whales and other marine species。安全称为member nations to avoid use of anthropgenic noise in certain areas；to research the issue，including on alternative technologies；and to require the use of best available control technologies and other mitigation measures，in order to reduce adverse impacts。Asubsequent resolution adopted in 2007established aworking group to develop tools to assess noise impacts on cetaceans and mitigation measures，while urging parties to adhere to aset of principles to reduce noise impacts。In2010a third resolution promulgated guidelines to address noise impact on cetaceans in the ACCOBAMS area。

Convention on Biological Diversity（CDB）
The14^第三Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Nagoya，Japan，recognizing underwater noise as being beyond merely a“new and emerging”issue，requested its Secretariat to compile and synthesize scientific information on anthropogenic underwater noise and its impacts on marine and coastal biodiversity and habitats。