Fifty years ago Jacques Cousteau introduced the public to the submerged visual splendor of the sea in his book and film "The Silent World." Unfortunately his title also introduced the public to the misconception that all of the oceans' stunning and majestic beauty occurred in a world of somber silence.
We know now that the Sea is anything but silent. Given that sunlight does not penetrate more than a few hundred feet below the surface, and at any time more than half of the world oceans are under the dark veil of night, the ocean is actually an acoustic realm. Sound travels almost five times faster and much more efficiently underwater.
Most animals use sound perception to sense and communicate into their habitat. Unfortunately, most human activities in the ocean also use sounds, and generate noise. We are rapidly finding that there is a serious conflict between human generated ocean noise, and sea animals' need to communicate, navigate and hear their surroundings.