The dangers of a noisy ocean -- and how we can quiet it down | Nicola Jones

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

This is the sound of orcas off the coast of Vancouver.

這是虎鯨的聲音， 來自溫哥華海岸。

(Whale chirps and squeaks)

（鯨魚發出的聲音）

They make these fantastic sounds not just to communicate,

牠們發出這些聲音不只是為了溝通，

but also sometimes to echolocate,

有時也用做回音定位，

to find their way around and to find food.

幫助牠們找到方向和食物。

But that can be tricky sometimes,

但，那有時十分棘手，

because, well, here is the sound of a ship passing by,

因為，嗯，這是 船隻經過所發出的聲音，

recorded underwater.

在水裡錄音的。

(Screeching oscillating sound)

（尖銳振盪的聲音）

You know, when we think about marine pollution,

提到海洋污染時，

I think we usually think about plastics.

我們通常都想到塑膠。

Maybe toxic chemicals,

也許有毒化學物質，

or even ocean acidification from climate change.

或甚至氣候變遷造成的海洋酸化。

As a science journalist who often writes about environmental issues,

身為經常撰寫環境 相關議題的科學記者，

those are the things that have passed my desk

那些都是過去十年左右 出現在我桌上的題材。

over the past 10 years or so.

But as I recently realized

但，我最近在幫科學雜誌《自然》 撰寫特別報導時才了解，

when I was writing a feature for the science journal "Nature,"

noise is another important kind of pollution.

噪音是另一種重要的污染。

One that often gets ignored.

這種污染常被忽視。

You know, maybe you've heard of the dark-skies movement,

也許各位聽過暗天運動，

which aimed to raise awareness of the issue of light pollution

它的目標是要讓大家 意識到光害的議題，

and create pockets of unilluminated night,

並在一些區域創造無光照的夜晚，

so that people and animals

讓人與動物

could enjoy more natural cycles of light and dark, night and day.

更能享受光與暗、 夜晚與白天的大自然循環。

Well, in much the same way,

現在，有些人用類似的方式想要

there are people now raising awareness

of the issue of noise pollution

讓大家意識到噪音污染的議題，

and trying to create pockets of quiet in the ocean,

並試著在海洋中 創造出一些安靜的區域，

so that marine life can enjoy a more natural soundscape.

讓海洋生物能夠享受更自然的聲景。

This is important.

這很重要。

Noise isn't just an irritation.

噪音不只是惱人而已。

It can cause chronic stress,

噪音也可能造成慢性壓力

or even physical injury.

或甚至實體的傷害。

It can affect marine life's ability to find food and mates

噪音可能會影響海洋生物 覓食和找尋配偶的能力，

and to listen out for predators and more.

以及偵聽是否有掠食者等的能力。

Think of all the sounds we inject into the ocean.

想想所有我們注入海洋中的聲音。

Perhaps one of the most dramatic is the seismic surveys

其中最大的聲音可能是來自

為了尋找石油和天然氣 所做的震波探勘。

used to look for oil and gas.

Air guns produce loud blasts,

氣槍會產生巨大的聲響，

sometimes every 10 to 15 seconds,

有時每十到十五秒就有一次，

for months on end.

持續數個月。

And they use the reflections of these sounds

他們會用這些聲音的反射

to map the ground beneath.

來繪製海底的地圖。

It can sound like this.

聽起來像是這樣。

(Explosion sounds)

（爆炸聲）

Then, there's the sound of the actual drilling for oil and gas,

接著，還有其他聲音， 來自實際鑽採石油和天然氣、

the construction of things like offshore wind farms,

建造海岸風車農場、

sonar

聲納，

and of course, the nearly constant drone from more than 50,000 ships

當然，還有全球超過五萬多艘

商船隊所持續製造的聲音。

in the global merchant fleet.

Now the natural ocean itself isn't exactly quiet.

自然界的海洋本身並不安靜。

If you put your head under the water,

如果你把頭浸入水中，

you can hear cracking ice, wind, rain,

你可以聽見裂冰聲、風聲、雨聲、

singing whales, grunting fish,

鯨魚唱歌、魚類咕噥、

even snapping shrimp.

甚至蝦螯夾鉗的聲音。

Altogether, that can create a soundscape

所有這些聲音一共能產生出

of maybe 50 to 100 decibels,

也許五十到一百分貝的聲景，

depending on where and when you are.

依你所在的時間、地點而異。

But mankind's addition to that has been dramatic.

但人類外加上去的聲音太大了。

It's estimated that shipping has added three decibels of noise to the ocean

估計在最近的幾十年，運輸業每十年

就讓海洋中增加三分貝的噪音。

every 10 years in recent decades.

That might not sound like a lot,

聽起來可能沒有很多，

but decibels are on a logarithmic scale,

但分貝是對數尺度，

like the Richter scale for earthquakes.

就像芮氏地震規模。

So a small number can actually represent a large change.

所以，很小的數字 就能代表很大的改變。

Three decibels means a doubling of noise intensity in the ocean.

三分貝就表示海洋中的噪音強度加倍。

A doubling.

加倍。

And that's only an estimate,

那只是估計，因為沒有人真正

because no one is actually keeping track of how noisy the ocean is

追蹤全世界海洋的噪音有多大。

all around the world.

There is a body called the International Quiet Ocean Experiment,

有一個團體叫做 國際寧靜海洋實驗計畫，

and one of their missions

他們其中一項任務 就是要把那些資料補齊。

is to try and plug the hole in that data.

So for example, last year,

比如，去年，

they managed to convince the Global Ocean Observation System

他們想辦法說服了 全球海洋觀測系統

to start including noise

開始把噪音納入成為 監控的重要變數之一，

as one of their essential variables for monitoring,

alongside things like temperature and salinity.

其他被監控的變數 還有溫度、鹽度等等。

We do know some things.

我們確實知道的是，

We know that sonar can be as loud, or nearly as loud,

聲納有可能和海底火山

一樣或差不多大聲。

as an underwater volcano.

A supertanker can be as loud as the call of a blue whale.

超大型油輪可能 和藍鯨的叫聲一樣大聲。

The noises we add to the ocean come in all different frequencies

我們加到海洋中的噪音 有各種不同的頻率，

and can travel great distances.

且可以傳到很遠的地方。

Seismic surveys off the East Coast of the United States

在大西洋中間可以聽到

can be heard in the middle of the Atlantic.

美國東岸的震波探勘。

In the 1960s, they did an experiment

在六〇年代有一項實驗，

where they set off a loud noise off the coast of Perth, Australia,

他們在澳洲珀斯的海岸 製造一個很大的噪音，

and they detected it as far away as Bermuda,

遠在百慕達都還能偵測到它，

20,000 kilometers away.

那是兩萬公里之外。

So what does all this sound like to marine life,

對海洋生物而言， 這些聲音是什麼樣子的？

what do they hear?

牠們會聽見什麼？這有點難描述。

It's kind of difficult to describe.

Sound travels further, faster in water than it does in air,

比起在空氣中，聲音在水中 傳遞得更快、更遠，

and it also packs a different punch.

它也蘊含不同的能量。

So sound of the same pressure will have a different intensity

同樣壓力所產生的聲音，

在空氣中和在水中測量， 會得到不同的強度。

whether you measure it in the air or underwater.

Then there's the fact that whales don't have ears exactly like human ears.

且鯨魚沒有像人類的耳朵。

Creatures like zooplankton

浮游動物這類生物

don't even have what you would consider to be ears.

甚至沒有我們認為是耳朵的部位。

So what does this mean,

所以，這代表什麼？

what is the impact on all this marine life?

對海洋生物有什麼影響？

Perhaps the easiest thing for scientists to assess

也許，科學家最容易評估的

is the effect of acute noise,

是尖銳噪音的影響，

really loud sudden blasts

可能會造成實體傷害

that might cause physical injury or hearing loss.

或聽覺損傷的突然巨響。

Beaked whales, for example, can go into panicked dives

舉例來說，劍吻鯨 若暴露在巨大的噪音中，

when exposed to loud noises,

牠們可能會慌張地下潛，

which may even give them a condition similar to the bends.

會讓牠們發生類似減壓病的狀況。

In the 1960s, after the introduction of more powerful sonar technologies,

六〇年代，更強大的 聲納技術問世之後，

the number of incidents of mass whale strandings of beaked whales

劍吻鯨集體擱淺的狀況

went up dramatically.

就開始大增。

And it's not just marine mammals,

不僅是海洋哺乳類動物，

fish, if they stray too close to the source of a loud sound,

如果魚類離巨大聲響的音源太近，

their fish bladders may actually explode.

牠們的魚囊可能真的會爆炸。

The airgun blasts from seismic surveys

震波探勘的氣槍響聲

can mow down a swath of zooplankton,

能將一部分的浮游動物掃殺殆盡，

the tiny creatures near the base of the food chain,

牠們是接近食物鏈底層的微小生物，

or can deform scallop larvae while they're developing.

或者導致發育中的扇貝幼蟲畸形。

Well, what about chronic noise,

那麼，長期的噪音又如何呢？

the more pervasive issue of raising background noise

比如從船舶發出的 背景噪音越來越大，

from things like shipping?

所引發更普遍的議題。

That can mask or drown out the natural soundscape.

它有可能會把大自然的 聲景給蓋過或淹沒。

Some whales have responded to this by literally changing their tune,

有些鯨魚對這個現象的反應方式 就是去改變牠們的音調，

a little bit like people shouting to be heard in a noisy nightclub.

有點像是人類在噪音 很大的夜店中大聲喊叫。

And some fish will spend more time patrolling their borders

有些魚類會花更多時間 去巡邏牠們的邊界，

and less time caring for their young,

照顧幼兒的時間就減少了，

as if they're on high alert.

好像處於高度警戒狀態似的。

Chronic noise can affect people too, of course.

當然，長期噪音也可能會影響人類。

Studies have shown that people living near busy airports

已經有研究指出，住在繁忙機場

或高速公路附近的人

or really busy highways

may have elevated levels of cardiovascular disease.

心血管疾病發生的可能性比較高。

And students living under busy flight paths

住在繁忙飛航航線下的學生

may do worse on some educational tests.

在一些教育測驗的表現會比較差。

And even while I was researching this subject,

甚至，當我在研究這個主題時，

they were actually blasting out about three meters of solid granite

在我家中辦公室另一頭的工地，

from the lot across from my home office

為了清出空間蓋新房子，

to make room for a new house,

正在震碎三公尺厚的實心花崗石，

and the constant jittering of the rock hammer

持續的鑽敲聲

was driving me completely insane.

完全要把我逼瘋了。

And whenever the workers stopped for a moment,

每當工人停下來一會兒，

I could feel my shoulders relax.

我就能感覺到我的肩膀放鬆了。

This effect has been seen in whales, too.

在鯨魚身上也能看到這種效應。

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11,

在九一一恐怖攻擊之後，

international shipping largely ground to a halt for a little while

美國東岸的國際運輸

in the waters off the East Coast of the United States.

暫停了一陣子。

And in that lull,

在那暫時的平靜時期， 研究者注意到，

researchers noticed that endangered right whales in that region

該區域的瀕臨絕種的北大西洋露脊鯨

had fewer chemical markers of stress in their feces samples.

糞便樣本中壓力相關的 化學標記減少了。

As one researcher I spoke to likes to say,

和我談過的一位研究者很喜歡說：

"We were stressed, but the whales weren't."

「我們很緊張害怕， 但鯨魚的壓力卻釋放了。」

Now you have to remember,

各位要記得，

we have evolved to be a visual species.

我們已經演化成視覺的物種。

We really rely on our eyes.

我們很依賴我們的眼睛。

But marine life relies on sound

但海洋生物對聲音的依賴

the way that we rely on sight.

就像我們對視覺的依賴。

For them, a noisy ocean

對牠們來說，充滿噪音的海洋

may be as befuddling and even dangerous

可能會讓牠們迷惑 甚至置牠們於險地，

as a dense fog is for us.

就像我們在濃霧中一樣。

And maybe sometimes that just means being a little more stressed,

也許，有時那代表的是更緊繃一點，

maybe sometimes it means spending a little less time with the kids.

也許，有時，那代表的是 比較少時間照顧孩子。

Maybe some species can adapt.

也許有些物種可以適應。

But some researchers worry that for endangered species

但有些研究者擔心，

對於瀕臨絕種邊緣的物種而言，

already on the brink,

noise may be enough to push them over the edge.

噪音可能就足以將牠們推向懸崖邊緣。

So take, for example, the southern resident killer whales

以南方定居虎鯨群為例，

that live in the waters off my hometown of Vancouver.

牠們住在我家鄉溫哥華外的海域。

There are only 75, maybe 76, animals left

牠們的數量只剩下

in this population.

七十五或七十六隻。

And they're facing a lot of challenges.

且牠們要面臨許多挑戰。

There are chemical pollutants in these waters,

在這些水域中有化學污染物質，

and they are running low on the salmon that they really rely on for food.

且牠們賴以為生的鮭魚也越來越少。

And then there's noise.

接著，還有噪音。

When researchers studied these and similar killer whales,

研究者研究牠們及類似的虎鯨時，

they found that they spend between 18 and 25 percent less time

發現在有船隻發出 巨大噪音的情況下，

牠們覓食的時間 少了 18%~25%。

feeding in the presence of loud boat noise.

And that's a lot for a species that's already struggling

對於已經很難找到足夠食物 來成長茁壯的物種而言，

to find enough food to thrive.

這是很嚴重的。

The good news, as I heard from all the researchers I spoke to,

好消息是，跟我談過的 研究者都告訴我，

is that you can do something relatively easily about ocean noise.

我們可以用相對簡單的方式 來處理海洋噪音。

Unlike the wicked problems of climate change

不像氣候變遷及海洋酸化

and ocean acidification,

這些災害性議題，

you can just dial down the knob on ocean noise

你只要把海洋的噪音降低，

and see almost immediate impacts.

幾乎馬上就能見效。

So for example, in 2017,

比如，2017 年，

the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

溫哥華菲沙港口局開始請求船隻

started asking ships to simply slow down

在經過哈羅海峽時要減速，

when going through the Haro Strait,

where the southern resident killer whales are feeding in late summer.

南方定居虎鯨群 夏末時會在那裡覓食。

Slower ships are quieter ships.

船隻減速之後噪音也會減低。

And because it's Canada, you can just ask,

因為那是加拿大， 用告知的方式即可，屬於自願性。

it can be voluntary.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

In that 2017 trial, most of the ships complied,

2017 年實施測試， 大部分的船隻遵守了，

adding about half an hour to their travel time,

航程時間要增加大約一個半小時，

and reducing noise by about 1.2 decibels

讓噪音減少 1.2 分貝，

or 24 percent of noise intensity.

換算成噪音強度是下降 24%。

This year, they decided to extend the length of time

今年，他們決定把時間再延長，

and the area over which they're asking ships to slow down.

並把請求船隻減速通過的區域擴大。

So hopefully that has a positive impact for these whales.

希望這個措施會對 這些鯨魚有正面影響。

In 2017, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

2017 年，溫哥華菲沙港口局

also introduced discounts in docking fees

也針對實體設計上比較安靜的船隻

for ships that are physically designed to be quieter.

提供碼頭碇泊費的折扣做為獎勵。

You know, weirdly, a lot of the noise from a ship like this

奇怪的是，這類船隻 發出的噪音大多來自

comes from the popping of tiny bubbles off the back of its propeller.

螺旋槳後面打出的小泡泡。

And you can simply design a ship to do less of that

所以可以在設計上 減少這些泡泡產生，

and to be quieter.

船隻就會比較安靜。

The International Maritime Organization has published a huge list of ways

國際海事組織列出了許多

可以讓船隻航行時更安靜的做法。

that boats can be made quieter.

And they also have a target

他們設定的目標是

of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from global shipping

將全球運輸的二氧化碳排放量

by 50 percent by 2050.

在 2050 年前減少 50%。

And the great news is that these two things go hand in hand.

好消息是，這兩件事可以並行。

On the whole, a more efficient ship is a quieter ship.

整體而言，比較有效率的船隻 也是比較安靜的船隻。

People have also invented quieter ways of hammering in the giant posts

也有人發明了較安靜的方式來錘打

像這種巨型風力渦輪 所需要的巨型柱樁，

needed for giant wind turbines, like this one,

and gentler ways of doing seismic surveys.

以及比較溫和的方式來做震波探勘。

And there are some incentives for using quieter technologies.

還有一些激勵措施來鼓勵 使用比較安靜的技術。

The European Union, for example,

以歐盟為例，

has a healthy marine system directive for 2020.

他們提出了 2020 年 健康海洋系統指南。

And one of the ways that they define a healthy marine system

他們定義健康海洋 系統的其中一種方式

is by how much noise is going in those waters.

就是有多少噪音在那些水域中。

But on the whole, most waters remain completely unregulated

但整體來說，大部分的水域

仍然沒有受到海洋噪音的管制。

when it comes to ocean noise.

But again, most of the scientists I spoke to

但，跟我談過的多數科學家都說

said that there's real momentum right now in policy circles

在政策圈現在已經真的動起來

開始注意這個議題了，

to pay attention to this issue

and maybe do something about this issue.

也許還會為這個議題採取一些行動。

We already know enough to say that quieter seas are healthier seas.

我們已有足夠的知識可以說： 較安靜的海洋就是較健康的海洋。

But now scientists are really scrambling to come up with the details.

但，現在科學家 還在努力拼湊整理出細節。

Just how quiet do we need to be?

我們到底需要有多安靜？

And where are the best places to make quiet or preserve quiet?

製造安靜或保持安靜的 最佳地點是哪裡？

And how best can we hush our noise?

我們能把噪音降到多低？

And you know, I'm not trying to tell you

我並不是在試著告訴各位噪音是

that noise is the biggest environmental problem on the planet

地球甚或海洋上最大的環境問題。

or even in the ocean.

But the point is that humankind has a lot of impacts

但，重點是人類對自身的

on our environmental system.

環境系統有著巨大的影響。

And these impacts don't act in isolation.

這些影響並非獨立的。

They act together, and they multiply.

它們會一起作用，會加乘。

So even for the ones that are not so obvious,

所以即便是對那些不太明顯的影響，

we really need to pay attention to them.

我們也需要多加注意。

I'll tell you about one last experiment,

讓我再跟各位說最後一個實驗，

just because it's so beautiful.

因為它真的很美好。

So Rob Williams,

羅勃‧威廉斯是致力研究 南方定居虎鯨群的研究者之一，

one of the researchers who works on southern resident killer whales,

他在峇里島也做了些研究。

also does some work in Bali.

And there, they celebrate a Hindu tradition

那裡的人會慶祝 一種傳統的印度教節日，

called nyepi, or a day of silence.

叫做安寧日或寧靜日。

And this day, apparently, is very strictly observed.

很明顯，這一天被嚴格遵守著。

No planes take off from the airport,

在機場不能有飛機起飛，

no boats go out fishing,

沒有船隻可以出海捕魚，

the tourists are gently led off the beach back into their hotel rooms.

遊客被帶離海灘， 請回他們的飯店房間中。

And Rob Williams put some hydrophones in the water there

羅勃‧威廉斯在海中放了水中聽音器，

to see what the impact was,

以了解安寧日的影響，結果驚人。

and it was dramatic.

Sound levels dropped by six to nine decibels,

聲度下降了六到九分貝，

about the same as in the waters after 9/11.

和九一一之後海中的聲度差不多。

For an "acoustic prospector" like Williams,

威廉斯稱自己為「聲音勘探者」，

which is what he calls himself,

對他這種人來說，

this silence is golden.

這種寧靜跟黃金一樣珍貴。

Now he and other researchers can go back to this place

現在，他和其他研究者 可以回到這個地方

and see what the fish choose to do

看看魚類在這額外 寧靜的一天做了什麼。

with all this additional acoustic real estate.

(Soft bubbling)

（輕柔的泡泡聲）

I like to think of them having their own holiday,

我會想像魚類也有了自己的假期，

feasting and finding mates.

可以去吃大餐和找伴侶。

Celebrating their own spot of calm

在這喧鬧的世界中，

in an otherwise noisy world.

慶祝屬於自己的一隅寧靜之地。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）