Solution to Noise Pollution

Because noise fills our every day lives and has no negative effect on us as humans, many do not realize that noise can actually harm animals in the ocean. An article by New York Times titled "A Rising Tide of Noise Is Now Easy To See" addresses the possible solutions to noise pollution in the ocean. This source is considered very credible since it comes from such a common as well as famous paper such as the New York Times. Therefore the information provided is reliable and accurate.

Map of noise pollution in the ocean
Source

1. In an effort to help reduce noise pollution, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration created a project that maps human made noises in the ocean. Bright colors appear on the map to represent sound waves for thousands of miles. This project is significant because it is the largest current effort to help noise pollution in the ocean. Mapping the noise in the ocean is a big step to finding a solution making this project very significant.

2. Not only will the project help in our understanding of noise pollution and how it affects animals, but it will also raise awareness to the problem. When people hear about noise pollution and how it affects the animals in the ocean, most are shocked and have no idea that noise pollution is such a large problem. This is just another reason why this project is so important and significant.

3. Through mapping, researchers have been able to detect areas where there is very high or low noise pollution. Those who are working on the project found that most areas in the ocean are appearing to be orange when mapped. These orange colors indicates that above average noise pollution. This is important because it shows how large of a problem noise pollution has become in the ocean and gives people even more reasoning as to why this is such a large problem.

4. Large uses of transportation such as ships as well as navy submarines are a large cause of the ocean pollution in the ocean. In an attempt to reduce the amount of noise pollution ships create, laws such as The Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act exist. But the military is exempt from these laws which is important because possibly if these rules applied to the military as well, the noise pollution could reduce even more.

5. In addition to the project as well as laws, vessels for fishing and research are being quieted down to limit the amount of noise they produce. This is done by shaping ship propellers exactly right which is actually quite straight forward. This is important because it demonstrates that here is an easy solution to limit the amount of noise produced

6. When these new vessels are produced, because of their efficiency so they won’t make a lot of noise, the amount of gas consumption is reduced greatly. This means that the ships can go longer without refilling gas which will save money. This is significant because it demonstrates that not only will the new vessels benefit the ocean but also the ship.

7. Large cruise ships with underwater rooms also produce some noise into the ocean. A way to reduce the noise is to add tile to rooms which is an easy fix and is not very time consuming. This is significant because it shows another easy to fix to reduce the amount of noise produced.

8. Large mechanisms such as pumps, air compressors, and other machinery on ships definitely contribute greatly to the amount of noise produced in the ocean. Researchers have found that by mounting these things on vibration isolation machines, the amount of noise produced is greatly reduced. This is also another simple way to reduce noise production and it shows that researchers as well as companies are putting in an effort to find a solution.

9. Another way to help noise pollution that many people may think is an easy solution is just by designing better ships. By doing this, making all of the changes and improvements like installing new engines, tiling rooms, and placing vibration isolation machines would be much easier by just making new ships. This is significant because it demonstrates a large solution that could greatly improve the problem of noise pollution.

10. Connecting to the fact that making new ships would be greatly beneficial, ships have a lifetime of 30 to 50 years. This is important because in order to make new ships, the current ships must die or be quite old before the production of new ships to eliminate over production of ships. The fact that ships live so long is important because it sets back the time it will take to help noise pollution in our oceans. 

Future Research Question: What are some organizations that are currently putting in an effort to help ocean pollution and what do they do?