NOAA testing of ocean noise a needed step

The undersea world is a quiet place, by human standards, so there is reason to wonder how human incursions into that realm affect its normal inhabitants.

One of the biggest worries for environmental advocates in recent years has been the Navy’s use of sonar and other activities connected with its marine training exercises.

Now there’s hope that the regulation of activities in this area will be informed by fresh research and testing — conducted as part of the new federal Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap, unveiled last week.

This is a very encouraging step forward.

The debate over managing disturbance to whales and other marine mammals dates back years.

A Navy plan to expand its use of sonar off Southern California and Hawaii led to a major legal challenge. Last year that lawsuit, filed by several environmental groups, culminated in a settlement. The Navy agreed to limit its use of sonar and other activities that have harmful effects on whales, dolphins and other marine mammals in those Pacific regions.

Evidence continues to support a cautious approach. Last month, researchers in New England reported that ocean noise appeared to interfere with the foraging behavior of 10 different species of whales.

So the Sept. 13 announcement by the federal regulatory agency in charge, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a welcome one. NOAA officials said they will use the new “roadmap” as guidance for the next decade as it strives to improve the management of ocean noise.

The document directs the agency to build the science for better understanding of the impacts, create new tools to assess and mitigate the problems and educate the public.

It’s not only the Navy at issue, of course. Officials acknowledged that an increasing level of human activity more broadly has compounded the environmental stress.

In addition to sonar and commercial shipping, there is even construction noise. Seismic airgun blasting for fossil fuel exploration is one example there.

What’s known is that those sounds can be deafening for animals, making it hard for them to navigate, find food and mates, and avoid predator attacks.

NOAA working groups already have mapped both the ocean sounds and the density of marine life in U.S. waters as part of the fact-finding process.

But it’s surprising that, given the long history of the concern for marine mammals, there is a relative lack of key data points.

For example, there’s now resolve, long overdue, to draw a more comprehensive picture of the impact of human sound waves on species other than the mammal class.

Better late than never, the work is beginning now to fill in the gaps. For example: An ocean-noise listening station network is being built, comprising 12 listening stations to help chart any long-term trends.

NOAA has embarked on other initiatives, with plans to:

>> Develop a long-term passive acoustic data archive.

>> Work with the International Maritime Organization on the adoption of voluntary guidelines to lessen noise from commercial vessels.

>> Lead a new U.S. forum, the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology Interagency Task Force on Ocean Noise and Marine Life.

The strategy is being applauded by groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, which in a statement expressed the hope that NOAA, “after years of inaction, is turning a corner on a critical conservation issue.”

Hawaii, which has just celebrated the expansion of its Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, must serve in active partnership in this continued research drive.

The mission to keep the ocean environment healthy is a critical one for an island state, and it will take more than setting boundaries around a preserve. It will take a commitment to science. This is a road map that humans, stewards of the Pacific region, should follow.