The Soundscape of the Anthropocene Ocean

TitleThe Soundscape of the Anthropocene Ocean
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year2021
AuthorsDuarte, CM, Chapuis, L, Collin, SP, Costa, DP, Devassy, RP, Eguiluz, VM, Erbe, C, Gordon, TA, Halpern, BS, Harding, HR, Havlik, MN, Meekan, M, Merchant, ND, Miksis-Olds, J, Parsons, M, Predragovic, M, Radford, AN, Radford, CA, Simpson, SD, Slabbekoorn, H
JournalScience
Volume371 (6526)
Date PublishedFebruary 5
KeywordsAnthropocene, Soundscape

Oceans have become substantially noisier since the Industrial Revolution. Shipping, resource exploration, and infrastructure development have increased the anthrophony (sounds generated by human activities), whereas the biophony (sounds of biological origin) has been reduced by hunting, fishing, and habitat degradation. Climate change is affecting geophony (abiotic, natural sounds). Existing evidence shows that anthrophony affects marine animals at multiple levels, including their behavior, physiology, and, in extreme cases, survival. This should prompt management actions to deploy existing solutions to reduce noise levels in the ocean, thereby allowing marine animals to reestablish their use of ocean sound as a central ecological trait in a healthy ocean.

Publication Linkhttps://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/eaba4658
DOI10.1126/science.aba4658
Refereed DesignationRefereed