Oldest Whale Song Recording Reveals Noisier Oceans | NPR

The ocean’s soundscape is dramatically different today than it was in the mid-20th century, a reality underscored by the recent discovery of the oldest known recording of whale song. Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have identified a humpback whale’s song captured on March 7, 1949, near Bermuda, offering a rare glimpse into a quieter ocean and a baseline for understanding the impact of human activity on marine life. This finding isn’t just about a historical recording; it’s a window into how the acoustic environment—and potentially the behavior of whales themselves—has changed over decades.

A Historical Echo: The 1949 Recording

The recording was found on a fragile audograph disc within WHOI’s archival collections and digitized by Mass Productions. At the time, scientists aboard the research vessel Atlantis were primarily conducting acoustic experiments for the U.S. Office of Naval Research, testing sonar systems and measuring explosive volumes. The serendipitous capture of the humpback whale’s song highlights the early stages of underwater sound recording and the limited understanding of the ocean’s natural sound sources. This discovery coincides with the pioneering work of WHOI scientist William Schevill and his wife Barbara Lawrence, who, around the same time, were beginning to establish the field of marine mammal bioacoustics with their recordings of beluga whales in Canada. WHOI’s press release details the context of these early explorations.

The Changing Ocean Soundscape

What makes this recording particularly valuable isn’t just its age, but what it reveals about the ocean’s acoustic environment. Peter Tyack, a marine bioacoustician and emeritus research scholar at Woods Hole, explains that the ocean in the late 1940s was significantly quieter than it is today. The increase in noise pollution from sources like shipping, sonar and industrial activity has fundamentally altered the underwater soundscape. As reported by the Associated Press, this quieter backdrop provides a crucial point of comparison for understanding how whales communicate and navigate in a noisier world.

Implications for Whale Communication

Whales, particularly humpbacks, rely heavily on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging. Their complex songs can travel vast distances underwater. The increased noise levels in today’s oceans can mask these signals, potentially disrupting whale behavior and impacting their ability to find mates, locate food, and avoid predators. The 1949 recording offers a baseline to assess the extent of this disruption. Researchers can compare the characteristics of the whale song in the historical recording with contemporary recordings to determine how whales may have altered their vocalizations in response to increased noise. This is particularly critical given the documented impacts of noise pollution on other marine mammals, including stress responses and changes in foraging behavior.

Understanding Bioacoustics and its Evolution

The work of Schevill and Lawrence in the late 1940s, alongside the accidental capture of the humpback song, laid the foundation for marine mammal bioacoustics – the study of sound production and reception in marine mammals. Their early recordings, using rudimentary hydrophones and dictating machines, were groundbreaking for their time. Although, many recordings from this period are poorly preserved, making the discovery of the 1949 audograph disc all the more significant. Laela Sayigh, a marine bioacoustician and senior research specialist at WHOI, notes that “Data from this time period simply don’t exist in most cases.” As detailed in the WHOI news release, the scarcity of historical data makes this recording a uniquely valuable resource.

The Noisier Present: A Comparative Perspective

The contrast between the 1949 recording and the soundscape of today’s oceans is stark. Increased shipping traffic, naval activity, and industrial development have all contributed to a significant rise in underwater noise levels. This noise pollution doesn’t just affect whales; it impacts a wide range of marine life, from fish to invertebrates. The ability to compare the acoustic environment of the past with the present allows researchers to quantify the extent of this change and assess its potential consequences for marine ecosystems. NPR’s coverage highlights this crucial comparative aspect of the discovery.

What Comes Next: Continued Research and Monitoring

The discovery of this historical recording is not an endpoint, but rather a catalyst for further research. Scientists will continue to analyze the 1949 recording, comparing it with contemporary data to understand how whale songs and the ocean soundscape have evolved. Ongoing monitoring of underwater noise levels is also crucial, as is the development of strategies to mitigate noise pollution. This includes exploring quieter ship designs, implementing speed restrictions in sensitive areas, and regulating the apply of sonar. Further investigation into the specific characteristics of the 1949 whale song – its frequency, duration, and complexity – will provide valuable insights into the communication patterns of humpback whales and how they may have adapted to a changing acoustic environment. The preservation and digitization of historical recordings like this one will be essential for tracking long-term trends and informing conservation efforts.