False killer whales can lower their hearing sensitivity A recent paper by Paul Nachtigall and Alexander Supin describes how a false killer whale is able to lower its hearing sensitivity before a loud sound when given a warning beforehand. Because many marine animals depend on their hearing for feeding and communication, loud sounds in the environment can have an impact [...]
Ocean-Based Renewable Energy The European Union (EU) has committed to producing 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. This has led countries such as Sweden, Ireland, Germany, and Denmark to be pioneers in developing a variety of technologies to harness and deliver energy. Systems associated with winds, waves, and tides produce underwater noise, the effects [...]
Mass Strandings The term stranding refers to an aquatic animal observed in an inappropriate location, for example, an offshore species found inshore. Most often, stranded animals are found on a beach or in shallow water. Along the U.S. coast alone, about 1,000 cetaceans and 2,500 pinnipeds strand annually. When three or more animals strand together in time [...]
Searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 UPDATE 2017: On January 17, 2017 the tripartite Ministers of Australia, Malaysia and China announced that the underwater search for MH370 was suspended. UPDATE: Upon further review, the pingers that were found in April are not thought to be from flight MH370. The search for Flight MH370 will continue using [...]
