Scientists Attempt to Launch Human Noise Monitoring Network for UK Seas

A collaboration between the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Marine Scotland and the University of Exeter is seeking to initiate the first underwater network designed to monitor human noise levels in the sea.

By keeping track of how much underwater noise we as a species are making, scientists should also be able to determine the effect that this increase in decibel levels is having on local marine life. In turn, this can help us to manage our marine activities more responsibly so that we operate with minimal disruption to the fish, dolphin and other aquatic animals which call those habitats their home.

Like “Being in a Noisy Bar”

“It’s like being in a bar, with background noise and conversations going on, and having to shout a little bit louder to get yourself heard,” explained Dr Matthew Witt, a lecturer in Natural Environment at Exeter. The concern is that there become a point when the noise reaches unacceptable levels for the marine life, who are driven away from their natural homes by human intervention – just as we might opt to leave a riotous bar because it became too tiresome to shout over the racket.

Even if they don’t abandon the habitat entirely, research has shown that noise pollution can alter feeding habits, disrupt mating cycles, interrupt communication calls and cause unnecessary stress to the animal in question.

Dr Witt was quick to stress that this study was not so focused on naval sonar signals (though other research was looking into that) but was more concerned with the long-term effects of human noise in the water. This is generally caused by activities such as construction (for offshore wind farms, offshore oil drilling or port extensions), shipping patterns and seismic exploration.

“As humans move into the sea more and more, we happen to be generating more noise,” said Dr Witt. “But we need to quantify what ‘more’ means and understand how much noise we are generating.”

Building a National Acoustic Network

The project forms part of a concerted effort by the UK government to comply with the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and achieve “Good” environmental status within five years. It is being funded by the Department for Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Marine Scotland and aims to put in place a network around the UK of acoustic monitoring stations to help us build a comprehensive picture of our oral effect on sea life.

“Marine Scotland scientists have several years’ experience of monitoring noise levels in the sea, and using underwater noise to research the distribution of key marine mammal species such as bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoise,” commented Dr Ian Davies from Marine Scotland. “An acoustic network for UK seas is an ambitious target, best addressed through a partnership approach, and will help us meet international monitoring requirements and also to manage protected marine mammal species.”

In other news on how humans are affecting marine life, it was recently discovered that corals could offer a natural method of archiving climate change beneath the waves. This would allow us an insight into how the environment has developed over the years – and allow us to extrapolate how much of that is due to human intervention.