“Turn down that infernal noise!” If you’ve ever
hurled that phrase at your teenagers or the
rackety neighbor, consider for a moment the
increased din our oceans have to suffer.
A new study out of Scripps Institution
of Oceanography has shown that ocean noise has increased tenfold
since the 1960s. John Hildebrand
and his colleagues tapped into U.S. Navy acoustic readings taken
off
Southern California
in the mid-1960s. Recently the
researchers revisited the same area, near San Nicolas Island,
and recorded sound levels. “We’ve demonstrated that the ocean is a lot noisier now than
it was 40 years ago . . . by a factor of 10,” says Hildebrand.
He believes the increase may be a byproduct of the vast increase
in global shipping. This has resulted in more ships with increased
propulsion power, traveling at ever faster speeds.
Hildebrand and his coauthors say the rise in noise level could
be happening across the
entire Northeast Pacific Ocean. “It’s not known,” he
says, “what impact such an increase might be having on marine
animals.” Perhaps they’d like us to “turn it down!” 
Contributors to Making Waves: Mario Aguilera, '89, Marnette Federis, '06, Beverly Gallagher, '98, Raymond Hardie and Inga Kiderra.
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