Marine mammals have fine-tuned hearing abilities, which makes them vulnerable to human-induced sounds from shipping, sonars, pile drivers, and air guns. Many species of marine birds, such as penguins, auks, and cormorants, find their food underwater where light is often limited, suggesting sound detection may play a vital role. Yet, for most marine birds, it is unknown whether they are using, and can thereby be affected by, underwater sound. The authors conducted a series of playback experiments to test whether Alcid seabirds responded to and were disrupted by, underwater sound. Underwater broadband sound bursts and mid-frequency naval 53 C sonar signals were presented to two common murres (Uria aalge) in a quiet pool. The received sound pressure levels varied from 110 to 137 dB re 1 μPa. Both murres showed consistent reactions to sounds of all intensities, as compared to no reactions during control trials. For one of the birds, there was a clearly graded response, so that more responses were found at higher received levels. The authors' findings indicate that common murres may be affected by, and therefore potentially also vulnerable to, underwater noise. The effect of man-made noise on murres, and possibly other marine birds, requires more thorough consideration.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2020
June 22 2020
The common murre (Uria aalge), an auk seabird, reacts to underwater sound
Kirstin Anderson Hansen
;
Kirstin Anderson Hansen
a)
1
Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark
, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
Search for other works by this author on:
Ariana Hernandez;
Ariana Hernandez
1
Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark
, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
Search for other works by this author on:
T. Aran Mooney
;
T. Aran Mooney
b)
2
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Marianne H. Rasmussen
;
Marianne H. Rasmussen
c)
3
The University of Iceland's Research Center in Húsavík
, Hafnarstétt 3, 640 Húsavík, Iceland
Search for other works by this author on:
Kenneth Sørensen
;
Kenneth Sørensen
d)
1
Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark
, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
Search for other works by this author on:
Magnus Wahlberg
Magnus Wahlberg
e)
1
Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark
, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Also at: Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Foundation, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany. Electronic mail: kirstin.anderson.hansen@tiho-hannover.de, ORCID: 0000-0002-4179-1465.
b)
ORCID: 0000-0002-5098-3354.
c)
ORCID: 0000-0002-6887-8616.
d)
ORCID: 0000-0002-1256-2495.
e)
ORCID: 0000-0002-8239-5485.
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 147, 4069–4074 (2020)
Article history
Received:
November 06 2019
Accepted:
May 26 2020
Citation
Kirstin Anderson Hansen, Ariana Hernandez, T. Aran Mooney, Marianne H. Rasmussen, Kenneth Sørensen, Magnus Wahlberg; The common murre (Uria aalge), an auk seabird, reacts to underwater sound. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 June 2020; 147 (6): 4069–4074. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0001400
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00