Whales are struggling to communicate due to human noise pollution, says study

Humpback whales have found a unique way to establish communication among their fellow species, however noisy humans are causing massive disruptions here too.

A new study published in the journal Nature suggests that human-made noises can easily drown these unique vocalisations which only fit within a certain frequency.

"We've never seen this in any other animal," lead author Coen Elemans, professor of bioacoustics at the University of Southern Denmark, told AFP.

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"This is a completely novel adaptation, and we think this allowed these large whales to make sound in the water while basically holding their breath."

"[D]espite their amazing physiology they literally cannot escape the noise humans make in the oceans," said Elemans.

Scientists say that complex whale melodies play a significant role in the social and reproductive communication of these massive marine mammals.

The scientists, examined the larynxes of three stranded baleen whales -- the sei, minke, and humpback species and with the help of modelling techniques and scanning, reconstructed how the whale vocalisations occur.

They found out that the sound was produced by "aerodynamic vibrations" which help whales to produce the sound without inhaling water.

They discovered that baleen whale soundcan travel long distances through water, but at a maximum depth of 100 metres (330 feet) and at a frequency of up to 300 Hz, which is within the range of noise produced by shipping vessels.

"It's really sad that baleen whale vocalisations exactly overlap with the sounds we make, predominantly with shipping noise, and there is no way for the whales to sing louder, at a higher frequency, or deeper in the water," Elemans said.

"These animals really can't escape this, and we really need to mitigate the noise we make."

The scientists said that the noise pollution can push the whales to alter their behaviour.

They will either try to remain silent until there's no more noise or will move to a different location. This will require them to exert extra energy which can further weaken their body condition and affect their long-term survival.

(With inputs from agencies)