Oceans Getting Louder Due to Rising CO2 Levels - 0 views
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Patrick Thornton on 29 Dec 09"Most of the chemical absorption of sound occurs at relatively low frequencies, from about 1,000 to 5,000 hertz. Propeller noise ... fall in the same range, as does some military and research sonar. So this "background" noise, especially prevalent near shipping lanes, will be louder. That may be bad news for marine mammals, which use sounds in the same range for communication and echolocation while foraging. "We're not saying that during the next 100 years all dolphins will be deafened," Dr. Zeebe said. "But the background noise could essentially override or mask the sounds that they're depending on."