News Finding: "They're probably also sharing less information, because they're just trying to be heard over the noise."
Paper Finding: Ambient noise levels are likely to rise in the future as vessel traffic increases and an offshore wind energy facility is proposed.
News Context: "They're probably also sharing less information, because they're just trying to be heard over the noise." Her research adds to a growing body of evidence that ocean background noise is affecting marine animals -- not just mammals, but other creatures like lobster and cod, as well. Bailey, for one, thinks new laws are in order.
Paper Context: The study area is adjacent to the shipping lanes into Delaware Bay (electronic supplementary material, figure S1 ) and had ambient noise levels comparable to other coastal areas with frequent vessel traffic . If a vessel is located in a different direction from conspecifics, there may be a decrease in masking (spatial release from masking) , but the observed changes in the whistle signals indicate that the dolphins simplified their calls to counter the masking effects of vessel noise. Ambient noise levels are likely to rise in the future as vessel traffic increases and an offshore wind energy facility is proposed.