Dear Marmam list members,
On behalf of my colleagues, I am delighted to announce our new paper about
the underwater noise pollution in the Yangtze River and its impact to the
Yangtze finless porpoise :
Wang, Z.-T., Akamatsu,
T., Duan, P.-X., Zhou, L., Yuan, J., Li, J., Lei, P.-Y., Chen, Y.-W., Yang,
Y.-N., Wang, K.-X., Wang, D., 2020. Underwater noise pollution in China’s
Yangtze River critically endangers Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena
asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). Environmental Pollution 262, 114310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114310
Abstract:
Underwater sound plays an important role in some critical life functions of
many aquatic animals. Underwater noise pollution has received relatively more
attention in ocean systems. However, little attention has been paid to
freshwater systems, such as the Yangtze River which is the habitat of
critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis
asiaeorientalis). In 2012, the underwater noise levels in 25 sites along the
middle and lower sections of the Yangtze River were measured. The root mean
square sound pressure level (SPL) and unweighted sound exposure level (SEL) at
each site ranged between 105 ± 2.4 (median ± quartile
deviation) and 150 ± 5.5 dB. Obvious spatial and temporal
variations in the SPL were detected among the 25 sites. The SPL and SEL in the
middle section of the Yangtze River were smaller (approximately 15 dB) and
fluctuated more compared to those in the lower section. The power spectrum in
the mainstem was site specific. However, all the spectra levels were higher
than the audiogram of Yangtze finless porpoises. Majority of the sites had an
averaged cumulative unweighted SEL (72%) and cumulative weighted SEL (68%) that
surpassed the underwater acoustic thresholds for onset of hearing temporal threshold
shifts for finless porpoise. Porpoise bio-sonars were detected in 89% of sonar
monitoring sites indicating that noise pollution in the Yangtze River greatly
threatened porpoise survival. In 8% of the sites, the averaged cumulative
weighted SEL exceeded that of underwater acoustic thresholds causing
non-recoverable permanent threshold shifts of finless porpoises auditory system
whereas it was less than 1 dB below the underwater acoustic thresholds in other
8% of the sites. These sites urgently needed noise mitigation and management
strategies. These results will facilitate the evaluation of the impacts of
anthropogenic noise pollution on local finless porpoises and give further
guidelines on its effective conservation.
Author for correspondence:
<mail to: wa...@ihb.ac.cn>
You can also contact me at <wan...@ihb.ac.cn>
for a PDF or if you have any additional questions.
With best wishes!
Zhi-Tao Wang
******************************************************
Zhitao Wang
Ph.D./Assistant Professor.
Research Group of Conservation Biology
of Aquatic Animals
Institute
of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
5# Donghu East Road, Wuhan 430074, P.R. China
Email: wan...@ihb.ac.cn; wangzhitao1...@gmail.com
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zhitao_Wang5/publications
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