Stange, Emma2019-04-042019-04-042019Stange, Emma. “Acoustic Assault: How Anthropogenic Noise Pollution Affects Marine Ecosystems.” Royal Road, 2019. https://doi.org/10.48497/0ZCW-SJ85.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11868/679Recommended Citation: Stange, Emma. “Acoustic Assault: How Anthropogenic Noise Pollution Affects Marine Ecosystems.” Royal Road, 2019. https://doi.org/10.48497/0ZCW-SJ85.Marine environments are essentially underwater cities; not only are they bursting with shrieks and shrills from animals, but humans have injected their own noises into the environment such as naval sonar, shipping traffic/boat noise, and blasts from oil exploration. Unlike humans, aquatic life relies on their auditory systems to navigate, communicate, forage, and reproduce. Due to the overlap of cetaceans’ hearing capacity and the operating frequencies of the aforementioned sources of anthropogenic noise, marine life is subjected to a multitude of life-altering effects, ranging from hearing loss and changes in behavior to internal bleeding of organs and mass strandings. Cetaceans are biological indicators of the oceans’ health and their longevity allows society to monitor the effects of other human activites and the changing conditions of the sea; without them, the balance within the ecosystem would cease to exist. An increase in awareness, education, and political involvement regarding marine disturbances could persuade legislators to hold these companies accountable and spark a movement towards quieter ocean-going technology, allowing oceans and the life within them to recover.en-USEcosystemsCetaceansMarine pollutionNoise pollutionArticlehttps://doi.org/10.48497/0zcw-sj85