Sonar Systems threaten the ocean and even the UN sees them as a great danger for dolphins, whales and fish.

 You might wonder what are these sonar systems? Surveillance Towed Array Sensor Systems (SURTASS) / Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS) are several microphones that are towed by a boat to sense underwater noises. The system was developed by the US Marine and is now also tested by the NATO and other navy to find the very silent submarines. They plan to cover 75% of the ocean with this system.

 The problem with this system is that it’s similar to the sonar system of sea mammals – but with much higher volume. They send out pings and from the reflection of this they can locate objects under water. To reach a high coverage they start sending signals with a volume of 215db. Even in a distance of 480km it’s still 160db – about the noise of a shoot. The navy claims that they tested the system according to the environment and say that even a noise of 180db (10 times louder than the start of a rocket (170db) ) has no influence on whales. Other independent research shows that already 120db has a negative influence on the behavior of whales. To consider these volumes in relation to humans – in a disco you’ll have a volume of about 90db and from 130db on it’s painful to humans.

 So what’s the influence of this to dolphins and whales?

The hearing is the most important sense for sea mammals – it’s important to find food, be aware of enemies and for orientation. With these low frequency noises they influence the sonar of the dolphins and whales. By that it influences the feeding, orientation and communication among the pod enormously.

There even have been several studies showing that many beached whales suffered from serious physical damages - like damages inside the ears, blood in their brains, blood behind their eyes, lung damages. It’s been several studies that show connection to tests in that area just before the beaching and death of whales.

 Because of this endangerment some organizations formed to fight for silent oceans – to help the dolphins, whales and other sea life . One of these organizations is the European Coalition for Silent Oceans (ECSO) which was founded in 2002 and is by now supported by over 50 organizations. The ESCO already submitted a petition to the EU showing that the LFAS-systems even aren’t in consent with agreements on the law of the sea. They are actively fighting for the stop of LFAS by the politicians. Here you can get some more information on ESCO.

To discuss this topic or to leave your opinion please visit our forum