Noise Pollution
Batters Belugas
Can You Hear Me?
Various things in the ocean make large ammounts of noise. Such things include massive ships, submarines, and places with construction. These places make enough noise to affect aquatic animals. Aquatic animals are especially vulnerable to noise pollution because they depend on their hearing to survive. Even temporary hearing loss can be enough to kill them. All of this noise affects many aquatic animals, one being the Beluga whale. In the case of Beluga whales, they recover slower when encountering lower pitched noises during an experiment with stimulated noise pollution. The whales are sensitive to certain frequencies, which can damage their hearing. Scientists are currently working on ways to help protect hearing of aquatic animals.