Humpback whale ’spy hopping’: Pic courtesy BRAHSS
A new international study has measured the effect of loud sounds on migrating humpback whales as concern grows as oceans become noisier. University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science 's Dr Rebecca Dunlop said one of the main sources of ocean noise was oil and gas exploration, due to geologists firing off loud acoustic air guns to probe the structure of the ocean floor in search of fossil fuels. "The study, titled The Behavioural Response of Humpback whales to Seismic Surveys (BRAHSS), involved an air gun array - as used for oil and gas exploration," Dr Dunlop said. Associate Professor Michael Noad from UQ's Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory ( CEAL ) was also part of the whale-noise study's international team of researchers from Curtin University, University of St Andrews, Sydney University and Newcastle University. Dr Dunlop said it was unknown if, and how, the whales would also respond to the presence of the vessel towing the array as well as the array itself. "It was unclear how humpback whales might react to the airgun sounds and whether the proximity of the disturbance was a concern as well as the received level," she said. The BRAHSS team investigated the animals' reactions to strings of repetitively firing air guns as they were towed for an hour across the migrating whales' path.
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