Sperm Whales Alter Calls Near Ships, Revealing Underwater Noise Impact
On June 18, a study in Ecological Informatics highlighted that sperm whales modify their vocalizations due to underwater shipping noise. Researchers from Project CETI examined over 1,000 codas from 13 sperm whales near Dominica, recorded from 2014 to 2016. Their findings indicated that when ships were nearby, the whales produced more a-codas than i-codas and reduced the intervals between clicks. A-codas are similar to the 'a' vowel, while i-codas resemble 'i.' These structural and temporal alterations enabled predictions about ship activity. Co-author David Gruber raised the question of whether whales are communicating about ships or if their vocalizations are influenced by noise. Since 1960, underwater noise pollution has doubled, impacting cetacean communication and behavior.
Key facts
- Study published June 18 in Ecological Informatics.
- Researchers from Project CETI analyzed over 1,000 codas from 13 sperm whales.
- Whales recorded off Dominica between 2014 and 2016 via acoustic tags.
- Whales emitted more a-codas than i-codas when ships were near.
- Intervals between clicks shortened in presence of shipping noise.
- Researchers could predict ship presence based on click patterns.
- Noise made it harder to classify coda types, suggesting communication difficulties.
- Underwater noise pollution has doubled each decade since 1960.
Entities
Artists
- David Gruber
Institutions
- Project CETI
- Ecological Informatics
- Ocean Conservancy
- University of New Hampshire
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Locations
- Dominica
- Caribbean
- United Kingdom