How Loud the Oceans Have Become as a Result of Increased Human Activity, Which Has Also Disrupted Sea Life

Two marine acoustic labs have released noises such as "singing" ice, a seal that sounds like it is in space, and a seismic airgun that thunders like a bomb.

The project introduces the public to 50 never-before-heard underwater sounds recorded in the polar regions.

It emphasizes how noisy the oceans are becoming as a result of increased human activity, which also disrupts sea life.

"These sounds are fairly alien to most people," said Dr. Geraint Rhys Whittaker, an artist, and researcher.

What do you hear when you think of the Arctic and Antarctic

(Photo : OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)

"We probably think we know what the poles sound like, but that is often imagined," said Dr. Whittaker, who works at Germany's Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity and the Alfred Wegener Institute, as per the BBC.

The underwater microphones were attached to scientific instrument floats that were left in the Arctic and Antarctic for about two years.

Calls from the least-studied Antarctic seal were captured.

Ross seals live in the open seas and on difficult-to-access pack ice. The scientists captured five different frequency calls from the creature.

There were also reports of crabeater seals, minke whales, narwhals, and humpback whales.

The inhospitable environment and vast distances that animals travel in the regions make it difficult to capture these sounds.

Dr. Whittaker explained that knowing where the mammals will be is difficult because they move and you can't rely on where they will be.

The roaring collapse of ice shelves was also captured, a process accelerated in parts of the polar regions by rising temperatures caused by climate change.

The collection includes the delicate sound of "singing" ice.

It is caused by ice moving or contracting in water as temperatures rise and fall, or when the ice melts and refreezes.

Few people read scientific research published by universities, according to Dr. Whittaker, and he hoped that listening to the sounds will cause people to pause and reflect on the polar oceans.

Oceans cover 71% of our planet's surface and are critical to the survival of life on Earth, but they are being severely impacted by climate change.

Human-made noise in the oceans, such as that caused by shipping and oil and gas exploration, was also picked up by microphones.

Noise pollution from seismic blasting, which is used to explore the seabed, travels great distances, and scientists have discovered that it hurts animal life.

The project reveals how noisy the oceans are, according to Dr. Whittaker, who hoped it will highlight the need for laws to reduce noise from shipping and dredging that harms marine life.

With the Earth's poles warming faster than the global average, this accumulation of sounds aims to bring attention to a fascinating but rapidly evolving environment and encourages us to consider ways to preserve it for future generations, according to Stuart Fowkes, founder of Cities and Memory.

Dr. Ilse van Opzeeland of the Alfred Wegener Institute's Ocean Acoustics Group believes that combining art and science will help raise awareness.

Also Read: Climate Change: Antarctica and Arctic Simultaneously Experiencing More than 30 to 40 Degrees Celsius Increase in Temperature

(Photo : OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)

How is Antarctica changing?

Warmer air and water temperatures are causing the Antarctic Ice Sheet to lose mass, as per UC San Diego.

Large floating ice shelves form in many areas where Antarctic land ice meets the ocean, making these areas particularly vulnerable to ocean melting.

Warm ocean currents flowing beneath ice shelves are driving melting.

Scripps researchers discovered that geologic formations that allow water to flow beneath ice shelves are to blame for the Ross Ice Shelf's varying melt rates.

This remote region has a significant impact on global climate and ecosystem health.

According to studies, despite accounting for only about 30% of the world's ocean area, the Southern Ocean accounts for half of the ocean's uptake of man-made carbon from the atmosphere and the majority of its heat uptake.

The Southern Ocean's upwelling the process by which colder water from the depths circulates to the surface delivers nutrients to temperate and tropical areas that are critical to ocean ecosystems worldwide.

Furthermore, the effects of ocean acidification, caused by increased CO2 absorption, are expected to be most severe in the Southern Ocean, with ecosystem tipping points reached within a few decades.

Because small temperature differences can have a large effect on the extent and thickness of sea ice, polar marine ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate change.

Animals that rely on sea ice, such as seals and polar bears, are losing habitat, forcing them to abandon breeding and hunting grounds.

Phytoplankton and other microscopic marine organisms, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the food chain.

These organisms provide food for krill and fish, which in turn provide prey for larger animals.

Researchers have documented declining krill populations in Antarctica, affecting species such as Adelie penguins.

Scripps scientists are studying how changing temperatures and salinity in the polar regions affect organisms at the bottom of the food chain.

Related article: Climate Crisis: Ground Temperatures Reaches 118 Degrees in the Arctic Circle