Sonar sounds can be as loud as 235 decibels and travel hundreds of miles under water, interfering with whales’ ability to use echolocation. Sonar, like echolocation, works by sending pulses of sound down into the depths of the ocean to bounce off an object and return an echo to the ship, which indicates a location for object. Some of the loudest underwater noise comes from naval sonar devices. These marine mammals rely on echolocation to communicate, navigate, feed, and find mates, and excess noise interferes with their ability to effectively echolocate. Whales and dolphins are particularly impacted by noise pollution. Ships, oil drills, sonar devices, and seismic tests have made the once tranquil marine environment loud and chaotic. Increasing noise is not only affecting animals on land, it is also a growing problem for those that live in the ocean. Noise pollution makes it difficult for them to accomplish these tasks, which affects their ability survive.
Animals use sound for a variety of reasons, including to navigate, find food, attract mates, and avoid predators. Studies have shown that loud noises can cause caterpillars' dorsal vessels (the insect equivalent of a heart) to beat faster, and cause bluebirds to have fewer chicks. Noise pollution also impacts the health and well-being of wildlife. Many children who live near noisy airports or streets have been found to suffer from stress and other problems, such as impairments in memory, attention level, and reading skill. These health problems can affect all age groups, especially children. Exposure to loud noise can also cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress. The most common health problem it causes is Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Noise pollution impacts millions of people on a daily basis.
Sound sources that exceed this threshold include familiar things, such as power lawn mowers (90 decibels), subway trains (90 to 115 decibels), and loud rock concerts (110 to 120 decibels). Sounds that reach 85 decibels or higher can harm a person’s ears. There are many sounds in the environment, from rustling leaves (20 to 30 decibels) to a thunderclap (120 decibels) to the wail of a siren (120 to 140 decibels). Noise pollution is considered to be any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the health and well-being of humans and other organisms.
It cannot be seen, but it is present nonetheless, both on land and under the sea.
0 kommentar(er)
