DARTMOUTH, MA (March 19, 2009) – After powering down their cell phones and iPods, high school science students settled into their seats to listen to a different kind of noise: whale songs.
They giggled at the recorded grunts and whistles of right and pilot whales. Then they grew quiet as marine scientist Danielle Cholewiak explained her research into how human-made sounds such as freighter ship engines and fish-finding sonar affect the way whales and dolphins communicate with each other to find food, care for their young and navigate the dark ocean.
"The oceans are getting noisier and noisier," said Cholewiak, an acoustics specialist for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
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