Why is underwater noise pollution a matter of concern?

In the last 30 years a large number of scientific studies have provided evidences that underwater noise is detrimental to marine wildlife and the ecosystem. Following these findings, the Marine Strategies of the European Commission introduced noise as one of the forms of energy which have to be maintained at level that is not dangerous for wildlife.

Despite the increase of scientific knowledges about the effect of noise on wildlife it is necessary to improve methods and to refine research key areas. Many experimental designs do not consider the noise exposure levels or do not report the possible limitations related to the recording equipment and the measurement procedures. Additional studies are needed to investigate a gradient of noise exposure rather than quiet versus loud treatments. A gradient design provides insight on the levels of noise at which a response is initiated and how the response changes with increasing noise levels (Shannon et al. 2015). We still do not have sufficient information about a lot of species and habitats; many geographical areas are unexplored from this point of view and only few studies have considered large temporal (seasonal or multi-years) and spatial scales (landscape). The interactive effects of noise and other stressors (habitat degradation, climate change, food resource exploitation) remain totally unknown. Finally, we do not have information about the effectiveness of mitigation measures and recovery from chronic noise exposure. MareTerra researchers are engaged in projects that, at various levels, aim to address some of these gaps.

THANKS TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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