(MWN / 21-12-09)  The high-latitude oceans will become a noisier place to live in this century because of climate change, which can affect the behaviour of some marine organisms, according to a study published in “Nature” magazine.

The concentration of chemicals that absorb the sound in the oceans worldwide has dropped after the seas have been acidified due to carbon dioxide increase.

The increase in loudness could cause the temporary loss of hearing ability in dolphins and in the behaviour of some cetaceans, among other negative effects.

The low frequency sounds that can be detected in the oceans are made by natural phenomena such as rain, waves and marine animals, and also by human activities such as the ones generated by sonar systems, fisheries and building at sea.

According to a simulation made by Tatiana Ilyna, teacher in Oceanographic Department at Hawai University (USA), the absorption of sound in the seas could be reduced up to a 60% in oceans close to the Poles and in areas with deeper waters.