Oceans getting louder; effects unclear

[UrbScotty]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-apn-noisy-ocean,0,7660110.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

BOSTON -- High-profile whale beachings have been linked to sonar blasts and sparked fierce public debate over the military's use of sound in national defense. But a broader concern for scientists is rising levels of ocean background noise, much of it generated by commercial shipping, and whether it interferes with the way the entire sea has operated for eons.

Based on volume of traffic alone, scientists know the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans, which are the busiest, are also the noisiest, said Christopher Clark, a Cornell bioacoustics scientist. The area around Indonesia is heavy too with shipping traffic.

Clark, who monitored Cape Cod Bay with underwater listening devices, found the ocean flat and the winter darkness unbroken by ship lights. But below the bay's surface, Clark found things weren't as serene as they seemed. The bay is saturated with sound.

"It's just a great, big amphitheater," said Clark.