Yesterday was the deadline for public comments on the US Navy proposal to open up the Gulf of Alaska to Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) exercises. We knew from the beginning that shenanigans were afoot because they opened up the mandatory 45…
NOAA calls for workshops on ocean noise mitigation
A letter from NOAA director Dr. Jane Lubchenco to Whitehouse CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley calls for a deeper look into mitigations on the impacts of ocean noise on marine life. While the letter focuses on understanding the problems and controversies…
Low level seismic survey noise interrupts Blue Whale calls
A recent publication by Lucia Di Lorio and Chris Clark reveals a significant difference in Blue Whale call behavior as a consequence of seismic survey noise generated by “sparkers” – an impulse generator which uses an electrical discharge spark to…
Mass Sperm Whale Stranding in Italy – Follow-up
A bit more information has come in on the sperm whales washed ashore on the Italian Gargano Peninsula a few weeks back. The necropsies have revealed that the animals had ingested large amounts of plastic – probably mistaking it for…
Mass Sperm Whale Stranding in Italy
Between December 10 and 11 seven sperm whales washed ashore on the Italian Gargano Peninsula. It has taken a few days to sort through the data and speculations. Necropsies are being performed by Sandro Mazzariol of Padova University. Mass strandings…
Communication signals threaten marine habitat
Back in the mid 1970’s Physical Oceanographer Walter Munk was evaluating the acoustical transmission characteristics of the ocean “sound channel” – an isothermal layer in the deep ocean that baleen whales use for long distance communication. His visionary work in…
The economies of gratitude….
An November 2009 article in Nature looks at non-kin cooperation models in animal societies. It examines reciprocity, mutualism, and manipulation in economic terms – with future expectations, biological expense, and cheating included in some of the trade values. The overarching…
The Neutrino and the Whale
A nicely written article in the Dec. 3 2009 issue Nature reveals how a how a neutrino detection experiment conducted in the Mediterranean Sea by nuclear physicists actually uncovered an abundance of sperm whales. The experiment involved placing hydrophones down…
NOAA Launches another quiet research vessel
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries department has launched a third in a series of four fisheries research vessels designed around new, quiet technologies. Named “Pisces” NOAA’s Rear Adm. Jonathan Bailey says that the boat “…is so advanced…