Whale Songs Help Scientists Explore Oceanic Crust
Fin whale voices can help scientists explore the structure of the earth's crust. Note that these sounds are considered one of the loudest in the ocean, Science Advances reports .
Representatives of the Institute of Geophysics in Prague and the University of Oregon conceived a similar experiment when they recorded seismic activity from earthquakes off the coast of the United States. They could not immediately identify some signals. Later it became known that these are the songs of the common minke whales, or fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus).
Studies have shown that the voices of whales pass through the water and reach the ocean floor, then “bounce” off the layers of the oceanic crust and return to the surface, where they are recorded by seismic stations.
“If you know the distance between the whale and the station, and it can be calculated from the frequency of the sound waves, you can measure these returning sound waves and determine the composition and thickness of the earth's crust,” the authors noted.
Scientists have tested a new method and found that whale songs can indeed show the thickness of the upper layers of sediment. The results obtained in this way coincided with the data of geologists.
Previously, such studies were carried out using seismic air guns. But the loud sounds they made disturbed the animals. It is also a very expensive way.
Studying fin whale songs is a more sustainable way of exploring mineral resources. True, it is not as effective. The guns emit a wider range of frequencies that can simulate the Earth's oceanic crust at higher resolution. But you can use the voices of other whales, such as sperm whales, which have a wider range.
Earlier it was reported that man-made noise harms the inhabitants of the ocean. It prevents them from communicating, looking for food and watching the approach of predators.
