Podcast Summary
Quieter oceans during pandemic offer unique opportunity for whale research: The pandemic-induced reduction in human activities at sea is allowing scientists to study whale behavior and communication patterns in quieter environments, potentially leading to future protections from noise pollution
The global pandemic has led to a significant reduction in human activities at sea, resulting in quieter oceans. This quieter environment is providing scientists with a unique opportunity to study the responses of marine life, particularly whales, to underwater noise pollution. Traditionally, human activities like cruise ships and boat tours create a lot of noise that can disrupt whale communication and feeding patterns. With these activities at a standstill, scientists are using hydrophones to record whale sounds and understand their behavior better. This research could lead to future protections for whales from noise pollution, which is a growing concern in our increasingly industrialized oceans. So while the pandemic has brought many challenges, it has also provided an unexpected opportunity for scientific discovery.
Unprecedented quietness in Glacier Bay due to human absence: The absence of human activities during the pandemic led to a quieter environment in Glacier Bay, allowing humpback whales to communicate and navigate more effectively.
The natural world, specifically the humpback whales in Glacier Bay, Alaska, is experiencing unprecedented quietness due to the absence of human activities like cruise ships and boat tours during the pandemic. This quietness is significant as sound is crucial for whales underwater, allowing them to communicate and navigate. Meanwhile, Amgen, a biotechnology company, continues to push boundaries in the field of human health, delivering new therapies to patients every decade. Apple Card, on the other hand, offers daily cash rewards for purchases. In Glacier Bay, this quietness has allowed a mother and calf humpback whale to thrive without human disturbance. This highlights the importance of sustainability and the potential impact of human absence on the natural world.
Underwater Sounds in Glacier Bay: Humpback whales adapt to human-generated noise and communicate louder or change behavior. Excessive noise causes chronic stress in other whale species. Glacier Bay's decreased noise levels during the pandemic may impact humpback whale communication.
Glacier Bay is a bustling underwater world filled with various sounds made by different marine creatures for communication and survival. Humpback whales produce feeding and contact calls, while male harbor seals emit growling sounds. Humpbacks adapt to human-generated noise by communicating louder or changing their behavior. Exposure to excessive noise can cause chronic stress in other whale species. Since the pandemic, noise levels in Glacier Bay have decreased significantly, and researchers are studying how this might impact humpback whale communication.
Studying whale communication and hunting behaviors during the pandemic: The pandemic's decrease in human activity and noise has allowed scientists to observe whales' echolocation and hunting behaviors, revealing the importance of sound in their foraging and social lives.
The pandemic has presented an unprecedented opportunity for scientists to study whale communication and hunting behaviors in their natural, undisturbed environments due to decreased human activity and noise levels in the water. Whales, such as the southern resident killer whales near Vancouver and Seattle, rely heavily on sound for both hunting and socialization. They use echolocation to locate prey, like Chinook salmon, and their clicks become faster and more frequent as they hone in for the catch. The sounds of prey being caught, including the crunching of salmon bones, can also be heard. This not only represents a positive foraging outcome for the whales but also highlights the significance of sound in their social lives.
Distinct whale dialects help scientists identify pods: Understanding whale communication is crucial for their survival as noise pollution from shipping traffic interferes, threatening their feeding, hunting, and socializing.
Killer whales in the Seattle area have distinct dialects, and scientists like Marla Holt can identify which pod is making the calls based on these differences. These whales use sound for various aspects of their lives, including feeding, hunting, and socializing. However, increasing shipping traffic and resulting noise pollution could interfere with their communication, making it crucial to understand the importance of this sensory mode for their survival. Unfortunately, that temporary break from noise pollution is not permanent, and as shipping traffic increases, so does the noise, posing a significant threat to these whales' communication and overall well-being. Essentially, it's essential to recognize the importance of the whales in their aquatic environment and the potential consequences of disrupting their communication through noise pollution.
Reducing Noise Pollution at the Port of Vancouver to Protect Whales: The Port of Vancouver offers discounts to quieter ships to reduce noise pollution and protect whale populations. This voluntary program could lead to future policies aimed at reducing noise pollution in marine environments.
The Port of Vancouver in Canada is implementing a voluntary program to reduce noise pollution from ships in order to protect whale populations. Ships that take measures to be quieter, such as retrofitting their propellers or slowing down, receive discounts on their berthing fees. This program, while currently only in effect at one port in the country, is hoped to provide valuable insights for scientists about how whales respond to reduced noise levels during the pandemic. These findings could potentially lead to future policies aimed at reducing noise pollution in marine environments. This episode of "Shortwave from NPR" provided an enlightening exploration of the issue, highlighting the efforts being made to mitigate the impact of human activities on whale populations. The episode was produced by Abby Wendell, edited by Viet Le, and fact checked by Rebecca Ramirez. For more insights on investment-related topics, listen to "The Bid," a podcast by BlackRock.
