The soundscape of the Anthropocene ocean

Oceans have become substantially noisier since the Industrial Revolution. Shipping, resource exploration, and infrastructure development have increased the anthrophony (sounds generated by human activities), whereas the biophony (sounds of biological origin) has been reduced by hunting, fishing, and habitat degradation. Climate change is affecting geophony (abiotic, natural sounds). Existing evidence shows that anthrophony affects marine animals at multiple levels, including their behavior, physiology, and, in extreme cases, survival. This should prompt management actions to deploy existing solutions to reduce noise levels in the ocean, thereby allowing marine animals to reestablish their use of ocean sound as a central ecological trait in a healthy ocean.

Automated summary

Oceans have become noisier due to human activities since the Industrial Revolution, affecting both biological and abiotic sounds. Climate change also plays a role in altering natural sounds in the oceans. The increased noise levels in the ocean pose threats to marine animals' behavior, physiology, and survival, prompting the need for management actions to mitigate the impact.