Roads have a multitude of effects on wildlife and biodiversity, particularly birds. While birds are able to fly over roads without much difficulty, research has shown a fall in bird population densities in areas with high road traffic (Koehler, 2016). Some direct causes of this observation are environmental degradation resulting in the loss of suitable habitats, deaths from vehicle collision, and air pollution and poisoning from vehicles and road maintenance…

The rapid growth of commercial and military aviation across cities has resulted in large-scale air traffic (Barber et al., 2010). As birds dwelling in urban areas and even protected areas become increasingly exposed to these extreme levels of anthropogenic noise, they are forced to adapt to their new acoustic environments, influencing their behaviour, occupancy of existing habitats, and population numbers (Francis et al., 2011; Schroeder et al., 2012).  A study…

Birds are highly vocal animals that depend on songs and calls as a primary mode of communication (Mena and Garcia, 2018). They use vocal communication to carry out many essential functions such as exchanging food, securing territories, finding mates, and warning their counterparts against predators (Gil et al., 2015; Vincelette et al., 2021). However, anthropogenic noise has become a major, growing pollutant for many city birds dwelling in our urban…

Today, many private corporations in the renewable energy sector still view deep-sea mining as an alternative solution to the world’s energy crisis. However, environmentalists are arguing otherwise, highlighting its deep and long-lasting environmental threats to deep-sea ecosystems (Dacey, 2020), with one of the most prominent ones being underwater noise pollution.  So, what are some measures that have been taken by international organisations to tackle this environmental problem, and are they…

Deep-sea mining and its far-reaching effects on marine life are becoming an increasing cause for concern as more profit-driven companies extract from the ocean’s seafloor for natural minerals.  The multiple sources of noise coming from the different components of deep-sea mining can adversely affect marine life across the water column, ranging from the surface level to the seabed (Alberts, 2021).   Here are some possible ways that deep-sea mining activities…

Located more than 200 metres deep in the ocean, the deep sea is the largest global biosphere (OceanCare, 2021), with about two-thirds of marine species living in this region having yet to be found (Appeltans et al., 2012). Ranging from microorganisms to huge marine animals, deep-sea habitats teem with a wide variety of marine species (Miller et al., 2018). Due to their slow reproductive rates and extended lifespans, some of…

The rising global demand for seafood has pressured fishermen to increase their catches using more efficient fishing methods (Kornei, 2018). This has led to the pervasiveness of unsustainable and destructive fishing methods which often leave detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems (United Nations Environment Programme, 2019).  One such method is fish bombing (also known as blast or dynamite fishing) which uses explosives to kill or stun fishes (The Nature Conservacy, 2022).…

The problem of underwater noise pollution and its ramifications on marine life have drawn widespread attention, with international and non-governmental organisations stepping in and implementing underwater noise mitigation measures to tackle the issue (Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment, 2019).   Despite these measures, underwater noise pollution still remains largely unaddressed in the Arctic. Why is that so? In today’s entry, I will highlight some existing measures in place and their…

Rising ocean temperatures and the melting of ice caps have resulted in a prolonged ‘open water’ season in the Arctic Ocean (McWhinnie et al., 2018). As a result, these ice-free waters have drawn further shipping and seismic activities in the Arctic Ocean, increasing marine vessel traffic levels. Such marine industrial development has transformed the Arctic Ocean from a quiet sanctuary to a man-made racket, posing an overwhelming threat to our…

With the rapid advancement of technology along with its concomitant human activities, oceans are no longer an acoustic refuge for our marine mammals. Regardless of whether these man-made sounds are intentional or not, they result in underwater noise pollution that interferes with and endangers our marine life (Hildebrand, 2004).  So, what can we do about the situation? First, we need to understand the root causes of underwater noise pollution by…