Phys.org March 24, 2022
A considerable fraction of marine life depends on sound, marine mammals exploit sound in all aspects of their life. Researchers in Italy studied the impact of climate change in sound propagation by computing the three-dimensional global field of underwater sound speed based on present conditions (2006–2016) and a future climate scenario identifying two “acoustic hotspots” where larger sound speed variations are expected. Their results indicated that the identified acoustic hotspots would present substantial climate-change-induced sound speed variations toward the end of the century, potentially affecting the vital activities of species in the areas. They provided evidence of the impact of such variation on underwater sound transmission. The study provides a starting point for policies-oriented research to promote the conservation of marine ecosystems and endangered marine mammals…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Global sound speed annual mean and standard deviation maps… Credit: Rearth’s Future, 22 March 2022