Just like people in a bar or other noisy location, North
American right whales increase the volume of their calls as
environmental noise increases; and just like humans, at a
certain point, it may become too costly to continue to shout,
according to marine and acoustic scientists. "The impacts of
increases in ocean noise from human activities are a concern for
the conservation of marine animals like right whales," said
Susan Parks, assistant professor of acoustics and research
associate, Applied Research Laboratory, Penn State. "The ability
to change vocalizations to compensate for environmental noise is
critical for successful communication in an increasingly noisy
ocean." Right whales are large baleen whales that often approach
close to shore. They may have been given the name because they
were the right whales to hunt as they are rich in blubber, slow
swimming and remain afloat after death. Consequently, whalers
nearly hunted these whales to extinction. Currently right whales
are monitored to determine the