Gentler sonar

Subject: Science

Scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the United States are working to replace whale-harming sonar with the ambient sounds made by aquatic creatures.
The low-frequency booms of giant goliath groupers (Epinephelus itajara) and the super-loud snaps of pistol shrimp are among the sounds being considered.

Sonar and Whales

Active sonar, the transmission equipment used on some ships to assist with navigation, is detrimental to the health and livelihood of some marine animals.
Research has recently shown that beaked and blue whales are sensitive to mid-frequency active sonar and move rapidly away from the source of the sonar, a response that disrupts their feeding and can cause mass strandings.
Some marine animals, such as whales and dolphins, use echolocation or “biosonar” systems to locate predators and prey.
It is conjectured that active sonar transmitters could confuse these animals and interfere with basic biological functions such as feeding and mating.
The study has shown whales experience decompression sickness, a disease that forces nitrogen into gas bubbles in the tissues and is caused by rapid and prolonged surfacing.
Although whales were originally thought to be immune to this disease, sonar has been implicated in causing behavioral changes that can lead to decompression sickness.