Sonacide is a term coined by merging the words "sonar" and "suicide." It refers to the intentional or unintentional act of marine creatures causing harm to themselves or other individuals due to the detrimental effects of human-generated marine noise. Sonar, short for sound navigation and ranging, is a technique widely used in underwater exploration, military operations, and commercial activities to detect submerged objects and navigate through the ocean.
Sonacide occurs when marine organisms become stressed, disoriented, injured, or even die due to the intense, high-intensity underwater sounds produced by activities such as military sonar systems, seismic surveys, oil exploration, underwater construction, and shipping. The excessive noise disrupts their natural behavior patterns, including communication, feeding, mating, and migration. This disturbance is particularly detrimental to marine mammals, such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises, who rely heavily on sound for survival and maintaining social structures.
The consequences of sonacide can be severe, leading to mass strandings, increased stress levels, reduced reproductive success, hearing loss, and damage to vital organs and tissues of these marine creatures. Furthermore, disrupted ecological balance and potential population declines can have cascading effects on entire marine ecosystems.
Addressing the issue of sonacide requires implementing mitigation measures, such as promoting the use of quieter technologies, establishing marine protected areas, regulating noise-emitting activities, and increasing public awareness about the ecological importance of maintaining acoustic habitats in the marine environment.
