Marine mammals and low-frequency sound : progress since 1994 / Committee to Review Results of ATOC's Marine Mammal Research Program, Ocean Studies Board, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council
Sound is an important tool used by ocean scientists to study the topography of the seafloor and its substructure; the direction and speed of ocean currents; and the size, shape, and number of organisms in the ocean. It is well known that some marine organisms produce low-frequency sounds and/or can hear such sounds. As a result of issues raised by the Heard Island Feasibility Test (HIFT), the Office of Naval Research (ONR) requested that the National Research Council examine the state of knowledge of the effects of low-frequency sounds on marine mammals and assess the trade-offs between the benefits of underwater sound as a research tool and the possible harmful effects on marine mammal populations of introducing additional low-frequency sound into the ocean
