Noise pollution knocks squid, octopi off balance
Noise pollution in the ocean can confuse and even injure marine species such as dolphins and fish. Now, a new study finds that the same is true of squid and other cephalopods.
The research, published Monday in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, finds that even short exposures to low-intensity, low-frequency sound can wreak havoc on the balance systems of squid, cuttlefish and octopi. The findings are a cause for concern, the researchers write, because shipping, commercial fishing and offshore operations such as oil-drilling are on the rise . All of these activities produce the kind of deep, low-frequency sounds now shown to injure cephalopods.
"If the relatively low intensity, short exposure used in our study can cause such severe acoustic trauma, then the impact of continuous, high-intensity noise pollution in the oceans could be considerable," study researcher Michel Andre of the Technical University of Catalonia in Barcelona said in a statement.
Stranded squid Most research on noise pollution has focused on dolphins and whales, which have been found to shout over the racket of noisy waters. But in separate incidents in 2001 and 2003, strandings of giant squid shot up along the west coast of Spain. The strandings coincided with nearby ocean seismic surveys, which use air guns to send high-intensity, low-frequency bursts of sound through the ocean in order to image the subsurface of the ocean floor, usually for petroleum prospecting.
The stranded squid had various injuries, but all shared one common feature: damage to their statocysts. These organs are small, balloonlike sacs lined with sensitive hair cells. Much like the human vestibular system, the statocysts are responsible for detecting the squid's position and maintaining its balance in the water.
The statocyst damage raised the possibility that noise played a role in the squid deaths, but no one had tested whether low-intensity sound can cause that kind of damage. So Andre and his colleagues collected 87 wild cephalopods belonging to four species (the common cuttlefish, the common octopus and two species of squid). They then exposed the animals to short sweeps of low-intensity, low-frequency sound for two hours. Next, they dissected the animals to examine their statocysts and compare them with the statocysts of unexposed cephalopods.
Sound damage The damage could explain the dead squid on the Spanish beaches, Andre said.
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"If the relatively low intensity, short exposure used in our study can cause such severe acoustic trauma, then the impact of continuous, high-intensity noise pollution in the oceans could be considerable," study researcher Michel Andre of the Technical
"The sounds from marine exploration surveys are one of several anthropogenic noise sources that have been identified as eliciting behavioural reactions in marine mammals. Seismic surveys rely on systems that produce impulsive, high intensity sounds
FORUM - The city will be holding open houses today and Thursday to inform and survey Calgarians on excessive vehicle noise bylaws. "This is an opportunity for Calgarians to talk to city staff about the impact of excessive vehicle noise on their lives,"
Asked what Harwood Heights can do for inclusion on the noise contour map, Mulder said, "They can wait for the completion of the FAA's re-evaluation of the noise impact study something that could take as long as five years because of all the data that
Recently published research has found that squid, cuttlefish and octopus washed up on Spanish beaches in 2001 and 2003 died of organ damage after being subjected to low-frequency noise from nearby oil and gas seismic surveys, the activists said.
Environmental noise, the planning process and the impact on ...
Maintaining the balance between the buzz of noisy urban life with its pubs and clubs, industrial plant and transport, and the reasonable protection of the health and well-being of people within their homes in densely populated urban environments, is the combined responsibility of local authority planning considerations and good acoustic design by specialist consultants.
The planning process in urban areas focuses primarily on the control of environmental noise, and prior to any planning application being approved an environmental impact survey will be commissioned and an environmental impact assessment prepared by a qualified acoustic consultant. The protection of residential dwellings is the primary objective, with local authorities and acoustic consultants taking guidance on acceptable internal noise levels in new residential dwellings from BS.8233.1999 and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines. These documents utilise a single reference point, in the case of the WHO document 55 dB LAeq for outdoor amenity noise and no more than 30 dB LAeq in bedrooms at night (23:00 - 07:00). These reference points will be the focus of the environmental impact assessment following the environmental noise testing, and although needed, are broadband noise levels which are constant and non tonal – very different in nature to noise generated from entertainment. This guidance does not take into consideration the low frequency content of such noise which is acoustically challenging to tackle. Subsequently local authorities’ approach to low frequency content can and does vary, and the protection a resident may reasonably expect to be in place can become a postcode lottery dependent on the policy of the local planning authority.
Safeguarding quality of life from environmental noise is potentially further compromised by the drive for sustainable development and low cost social housing. Sustainable development promotes more efficient land use from high density mixed use development, and prioritises the use of previously developed land, particularly vacant and derelict sites and buildings. The result can be development in areas that do not meet and therefore conflict with the environmental noise guidelines recommended in the available guidance such as from the WHO.
Environmental noise, the planning process and the impact on residential quality of life
By: Mike Legon
Maintaining the balance between the buzz of noisy urban life with its pubs and clubs, industrial plant and transport, and the reasonable protection of the health and well-being of people within their homes in densely populated urban environments, is the combined responsibility of local authority planning considerations and good acoustic design by specialist consultants.
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