Nature & Environment
Military sonar linked to whale strandings
By
T.K. RandallJuly 3, 2013 ·
4 comments
Image Credit: Whit Welles
Military exercises involving sonar could account for cases of mass dolphin and whale strandings.
New research has indicated that whales and other marine life have a tendency to flee from the loud sonar that military vessels use to find submarines. Some species such as beaked whales were found to be particularly sensitive to sonar, causing them to flee from the noise and end up either injured or stranded.
"Noise pollution threatens vulnerable populations, driving them away from areas important to their survival, and at worst injuring or even causing the deaths of some whales and dolphins," said dolphin conservationist Sarah Dolman.
Whales flee from the loud military sonar used by navies to hunt submarines, new research has proven for the first time. The studies provide a missing link in the puzzle that has connected naval exercises around the world to unusual mass strandings of whales and dolphins.
Source:
Guardian Unlimited |
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