Source Newsroom: Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Newswise —
Global temperatures directly affect the acidity of the ocean,
which in turn changes the acoustical properties of sea water.
New research suggests that global warming may give Earth’s
oceans the same hi-fi sound qualities they had more than 100
million years ago, during the Age of the Dinosaurs. The reason
for this surprising communication upgrade is that whales
vocalize in the low-frequency sound range, typically less than
200 hertz, and the new research predicts that by the year 2100,
global warming will acidify saltwater sufficiently to make low-
frequency sound near the ocean surface travel significantly
farther than it currently does -- perhaps twice as far. Rhode
Island acoustician David G. Browning, lead scientist on the
research team, will present his findings at the 164th meeting of
the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), held Oct. 22 – 26 in
Kansas City, Missouri. He explains the sea change this way: "We
call it the Cretaceous acoustic e