Naval sonar drives whales from feeding grounds

I found this article interesting could new sonar systems be responsible for some of the mass beachings and if so will the powers that be take it in account? Here is the info I open the floor.
www.newscientist.com...:
The first detailed study of the effects of naval sonar on whales shows that whales flee from prime feeding sites when navy tests begin – leaving them famished when they finally return.

Blainville's beaked whales, Mesoplodon densirostris, use echolocation clicks to track down prey in the lightless depths they hunt in, a kilometre or more below the surface.

To find out whether the whales are disturbed by naval sonar operations, Peter Tyack of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, and colleagues tracked the activity of Blainville's beaked whales during exercises at a US navy centre near Andros Island, Bahamas. The area encompasses an underwater canyon that is a prime hunting ground for these deep-diving whales.


The credentials: Peter Tyack: www.whoi.edu...

The Field study data: onlinelibrary.wiley.com...;jsessionid=6FFD1B3E96DCD972C48E4A2068A43FA4.d01t03

If whales and other echolocation mammals are effected in such a manner, Is it possible that eventually miles of patrolled coast line may become vacant, feeding grounds completely abandoned due to naval activity of any nation?

What effect will this have on the fishing industry, a possible chain reaction as natural predators are chased out of their hunting grounds only to have the prey impact other life in the area. There really isn't a lot to be done the Navy will certainly not change their sonar format, and mammals cant exactly bang on the tub with a broom handle reciting the whale version of "Hey Keep it down up there!" So how should future technologies be adapted to take into account our effect on the local environment, is there even a way to do so. Thanks for reading and please let's keep it constructive

Did some more digging and found that this has been referenced for at least 3 decades, this report from 2005 sites a paper that I can not seem to find in its entirety. This paper sites that beaching may be a effect of direct low frequency active radar

www.dtic.mil...

All this time crunching data that continually supports itself and still no new way to map our oceans can be found, obviously lasers are right out i mean photons just have a little disco whenever water dispersion is involved. Is there a frequency that will map the waters and ocen floor however is in a tight enough range that the local cetaceans arent affected. Still digging

And so it carries on - mankind stomps on nature.

Hey, great find - excuse me for being disgusted.

And mankind is so stupid because all of the stomping equals the end.

reply to post by catwhoknowsplusone


No no please disgust is in order

www.oceanmammalinst.com...

he Navy acknowledges that "the lack of empirical data in the received level range of 155 – 180 dB is an issue." (Appendix D, Final Environmental Impact Statement)

Every recorded mass stranding of beaked whales mixed with other species has occurred while naval maneuvers were being conducted nearby.

Two of these mass strandings, one in the Mediterranean and one in the Bahamas, have been studied extensively. Official reports on both strandings indicate the whales were exposed to about 150 dB of low to mid-frequency sonar. These strandings demonstrate that 180 dB is not a safe exposure level. (SACLANTCEN Bioacoustics Panel Report; Navy/NOAA Report)

Necropsies revealed the whales in the Bahamas had hemorrhaging associated with acoustic trauma in their inner ears and some cranial spaces.

This last line is just stifling, more evidence that this has been a known problem.

commons.pacificu.edu...=%22Experimental%20cetacean%20friendly%20ocean%20mapping%20 equipment%20replace%20sonar%22

Finally I found a paper that suggest that "Daylight Ambient" passive radar as an alternative, a the time the paper was posted the technology available just wasn't quit there yet, now though I believe that the computing capability and ability to discern noise passively in the ocean is much more advanced and capable of providing as clear a picture as Side scan bathymetry and Active Sonar. lets hope that perhaps a medium can be drawn use the Direct ping when the "search: area is found and not just running at speed pinging away at the sea floor like a miner with a pick. The paper does bring to light some promises the navy made in 98 and 03 that they promised to reduce Active Radar use...hmmm yeah...