Humans long thought the depth of the oceans were silent, we now know that there is a symphony of various sounds that sea life depend on for survival.  A first of its kind new report is breaking the silence on the impacts of anthropogenic (human-generated) noise levels in our seas that are increasing at an alarming rate.  “Noise travels very far and very fast in the ocean, so in places we thought were pristine, acoustically speaking, now we hear noise from ships,” say Dr. Francis Juanes, a Fish Ecologist and Professor of Biology at the University of Victoria.

The loudest and most disruptive aquatic noise pollution comes from military operations, oil exploration and industrial shipping.  “On one level, it’s affecting communication…animals can also go deaf and it can be lethal.” continues Juanes.

Dive deep on this edition of the Big Blue Marble and monitor the volume - what you are about to hear is explosive!