AAAS: "Noise pollution is causing potentially massive problems for wildlife across the globe."
"Scientists have long known that noise from human activities—from the roar of jet engines to the whir of ship propellors—can harm animals, stunting their growth + even scrambling their eggs."
"Behavioral ecologists Hansjoerg Kunc + Rouven Schmidt of Queen’s University Belfast compiled data from 214 studies that measured the effects of noise on species that live in 97% of the world’s countries." Identified > 1000 instances of noise pollution affecting species, with consequences ranging from physiological changes to alterations in how species interact.
Overall, noise altered at least one trait in 80% of species—a statistic that surprised Kunc. “This is really the shocking thing … basically nearly every study found at least one change.” For some species, noise altered gene expression, in others, immune function or respiration. Also changed how some animals forage, move, + try to avoid predators.
When there’s noise in their environment, bats take longer to find moths, so they lose time + have to fly more, investing more effort while capturing less prey. "“Here, the bat is a clear loser,” Kunc says. “On the other hand, the moth is actually a winner because … it might be less affected.”
"Shore crabs, lobsters, + other marine critters often take shelter to avoid predators, but enclosed shelters can amplify annoying noises from ships + drive them out into the open—potentially leading to more predation." “One [very loud] sound can actually kill an animal,” says Chapuis. Seismic surveys, an acoustic method that uses an air gun to produce a powerful sound wave to locate oil deposits under the sea floor, can cause a fish’s swim bladder to explode.
The U.S. National Park Service...aims to preserve “natural soundscapes”—a term that’s used to describe the auditory equivalent of a physical landscape. "Some ideas to mitigate our noise levels include the increased use of electric cars + ships," Kunc says, "as well as creating zero-noise zones on both land + water."