unexampled research add to the bank of evidence that suggest military example involving sonar can be lethal for whales . In a study published in theProceedings of the Royal Society B , researchers have link several stranding events in the Mariana Archipelago to naval submarine sandwich operations involving mid - frequency active sonar ( MFAS ) .
Beaked whales , a group containing 23 metal money of cryptical - diving cetacean mammal , areparticularly susceptibleto MFAS . The body of work focus on the Mariana Archipelago , where MFAS tests have been conducted by groups of nations almost every twelvemonth since 2006 .
As the source wrote in theirpaper , " no peck whale strandings were report from the Mariana Archipelago between 1962 and 2006 , but from 2007 to January 2019 , eight beaked giant run aground issue ( 10 - 11 individuals ) have been reported on Guam and Saipan . "
The team found that one-half of the eight beak whale run aground events from June 2006 until January 2019 happened within six days of the MFAS exercises . Four events might not seem significant on its own but it adds to an extensive literature of cases . Since MFAS between 4.5 and 5.5 kHz were innovate in the 1960s , 12 beaked whale mass strandings have been linked to MFAS utilisation and 27 other mass strandings have been find near a naval Qaeda or ship .
Previousresearchsuggests that 9 percent of all aggregate strandings are due to naval operations where MFAS are in usance , but the authors consider this a conservative idea as anterior studies only focused on the strandings of multiple creature . In the Mariana Archipelago , most of the strandings were of a single somebody ( six out of eight ) and two of them were associated with MFAS .
One potential reason for why the naval physical exertion might be so prejudicial is the product of interference that are infrequent and unpredictable , scaring the creature . Previous researchhas show that beaked hulk purposely invalidate unexpected MFAS both near and far . Even beak hulk live near naval bases ( and supposedly more accustomed to human - made sound production ) changed their habits when MFAS was switch on .
" In the urine surrounding the Mariana Archipelago , the infrequent sonar action , in conjunction with quiet ambient noise levels , may increase the severity in the behavioral reaction of beaked whale to asdic compare to populations dwell with higher ambient noise levels or those which have become habituated to frequent MFAS activity , " write the generator .
The team ’s recommendations are simple : “ We powerfully recommend more visual monitoring efforts , at ocean and along coastlines , for stranded cetacean mammal before , during and after naval physical exercise . "
