As New Zealand's first Covid-19 lockdown began on March 26, 2020, the country's busiest coastal waterway, the Hauraki Gulf, became devoid of almost all non-essential vessels and noise levels plunged, the Xinhua news agency reported.
"That first lockdown really did give us an unprecedented opportunity to measure or quantify the effects of human activity on marine life," said University of Auckland marine scientist Associate Professor Craig Radford. "So we decided to take a look at the response of our marine organisms in this new, relatively calm world."
Noise pollution is known to effect marine life which uses sound to communicate a variety of life-critical behaviours such as predator alarms or mate selection. Rising underwater sound has become a significant concern to marine scientists who have evidence of lethal and sub-lethal effects on marine life.
In this study, acoustic data were collected between February 2020 and May 2020 using seafloor mounted acoustic recording stations at five sites in the Hauraki Gulf. Recorders captured two minutes of sound every 10 minutes which equated to six samples per hour or 144 samples a day. The samples were then split into pre-lockdown and during lockdown.
Two species commonly found in the Gulf were the focus of this study, bottlenose dolphins and bigeyes fish. Both maintain social groups via acoustic communication and have well-documented acoustic source levels and hearing thresholds enabling scientists to accurately calculate their communication range.
Communication range is the maximum distance from a vocalising animal at which a second animal of the same species can detect sound. Scientists liken it to what happens at a human cocktail party: the more people in the room, the more difficult it is to hear a nearby companion and vice-versa.
Without small boats, the gulf became much quieter at all five acoustic monitoring sites, particularly at frequencies below 1 kHz. Median sound pressure levels were down by 8 decibels and 10 decibels on the first day and vessel noise levels dropped by almost half, before dropping even further - to 8 per cent of normal levels.
The study showed overall that the ability of dolphins and bigeyes to clearly hear each other more than doubled during lockdown.
"There is a growing body of evidence that shows vessel noise is highly invasive and audible to nearly all marine mammals and fishes," Associate Professor Radford said. "And the sheer number of recreational vessels in normal times is not offset by the fact they are often only present for short periods of time."
"Research into noise generated by smaller boats has been somewhat neglected because of the larger scale noise generated by ships but key data from this study provides strong evidence that small vessels, where there are enough of them, directly influence sound levels and are definitely having an impact."
The research is published in Global Change Biology and was done in collaboration with Dr Matthew Pine from Canada's University of Victoria.
(IANS)
Covid-19 lockdown reduces ocean noise: Study
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Covid-19 lockdown reduces ocean noise: Study
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A joint study by scientists from New Zealand and Canada showed that silence is golden for marine life as Covid-19 lockdown slowed global shipping and reduced ocean noise.
Wellington, July 22: A joint study by scientists from New Zealand and Canada showed that silence is golden for marine life as Covid-19 lockdown slowed global shipping and reduced ocean noise.
"Business Of Corruption Being Run In Mohabbat Ki Dukaan", Says Smriti Irani On Odisha I-T Raids
New Delhi, Dec 8: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday took a dig at Congress over the income-tax raids in Odisha and Jharkhand saying that the recovery of crores of rupees from the premises of their party MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu is evidence that a business of corruption is being run in Mohabbat Ki Dukaan.
The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said that the Gandhi family must tell the country for which Congress leader, Sahu was working as an ATM.
"Rs 200 crore has been recovered from the premises of their party MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu and the counting is still going on. Mohabbat Ki Dukaan Mein Corruption Ka Karobaar Chal Raha Hai (a business of corruption is being run in Mohabbat Ki Dukaan). The Congress high command, (means) the Gandhi family, will have to tell the country that for which Congress leader of the Gandhi family he was working as an ATM," she said.
Income Tax sleuths have recovered more than Rs 200 crore cash from several locations in Odisha and Jharkhand during their raids against Boudh Distilleries Private Limited (BDPL) and entities linked to it.
The residences of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu were also searched.
"Till now the Congress has maintained silence (over the issue). It has also been said in the newspapers that so much looted money was lying in the house of the Congress leader that even the counting machines broke down," the Union Minister said.
Also Read: PM Modi Targets Opposition After Rs 200 Crore Seized In IT Raids On Liquor Traders In Odisha
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his X handle, tagging a news report about the I-T department recovering Rs 200 crore in cash from various locations of a business group allegedly linked to Sahu, took a swipe at the opposition party.
Read More Odisha News
"Countrymen should look at these piles of currency notes and then hear the addresses of its (Congress) leaders on honesty. Every penny looted from people will have to be returned. This is Modi's guarantee," PM Modi said in a post with several emojis. (ANI)
Night Temperature To Drop By 3 To 5 Degree Celsius In Odisha: IMD
Bhubaneswar, Dec 8: Odisha is set to witness cold conditions in the upcoming days, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday forecast a drop in nighttime temperatures by 3-5 degrees Celsius in the next two to three days.
"There will be no large change in the minimum temperature (night temperature) during the next 24 hours, and it will gradually fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius in the next 2 to 3 days at places in the districts of Odisha," Director of IMD, Bhubaneswar HR Biswas, told ANI.
Sundargarh has recorded the lowest temperature of 15.0 degrees Celsius during the last 24 hours.
Crops in various parts of Odisha suffered damage due to heavy rainfall due to Cyclone Michaung.
On December 6, the Odisha Special Relief Commissioner directed district collectors to immediately assess the damage caused to crops due to rains under the influence of Cyclone Michaung. Assistance will be given as per SDRF norms.
In a letter dated December 6, Satyabrata Sahu, IAS, to all collectors said, "I am to say that widespread rain has been observed across that state during the past couple of days under the influence of Cydone "Michaung', which might have caused damage to standing Kharif crops and horticulture crops. To ameliorate the sufferings of the affected farmers, the Agricultural Input Subsidy (AIS), as per the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund, will be provided to farmers sustaining crop losses of 33% and above."
The letter further requested the collectors conduct a field-level crop loss assessment through joint inquiry by the officials of the Revenue and DM Department and Agriculture and FE Department through eye estimation to ascertain the crop areas damaged of 33 per cent and above and submit a ULB/Bock GP/village-wise report as per the format enclosed by December 12.
Read More Odisha News
"While assessing the extent of crop loss, the land schedule/ROR of affected farmers should be verified from Bhulekh. Collectors will accord approval of crop loss (famer-wise extent of crop area damaged as assessed) and intimate requirement of funds or disbursement of AIS as admissible," the letter stated. (ANI)
Pradhan Bats For 'Medical College' Status To Newly Inaugurated Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Govt Hospital
Bhubaneswar, Dec 8: Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday requested Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take necessary steps to give the status of a medical college to the newly inaugurated Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Government Hospital at Talcher of Angul district.
CM Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Government Hospital at Talcher in Odisha’s Angul district.
Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Prahllad Joshi, among others, joined the event via video conference.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said," The new hospital at Talcher in Odisha’s Angul district was built by the Government of India's funds and named after freedom fighter & Odisha's former Deputy Chief Minister Pabitra Mohan Pradhan. It would have been better if the hospital was inaugurated as a medical college from the first day."
ଅନୁଗୋଳ ଜିଲ୍ଲା ତାଳଚେର ସ୍ଥିତ ପବିତ୍ର ମୋହନ ପ୍ରଧାନ ହସ୍ପିଟାଲର ଶୁଭାରମ୍ଭ କାର୍ଯ୍ୟକ୍ରମରେ ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ମୁଖ୍ୟମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ, ସହଯୋଗୀ ତଥା କେନ୍ଦ୍ର ସଂସଦୀୟ ବ୍ୟାପାର, କୋଇଲା ଓ ଖଣି ମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ @JoshiPralhad, ଓଡ଼ିଶା ସରକାରଙ୍କ ସ୍ୱାସ୍ଥ୍ୟ ଓ ପରିବାର କଲ୍ୟାଣ ମନ୍ତ୍ରୀଙ୍କ ସହ ଯୋଗଦେଲି । ଲୋକଙ୍କୁ ଉତ୍ତମ ସ୍ୱାସ୍ଥ୍ୟସେବା ପ୍ରଦାନ ଦିଗରେ… pic.twitter.com/W3szE6sQSQ — Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) December 8, 2023
Minister Pradhan further said, "This hospital has been built in collaboration with Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide better healthcare to the people."
Pradhan thanked PM Modi, Union Coal Minister Prahllad Joshi and MCL for providing financial assistance around Rs 1,600 crore for the construction and other infrastructural development of the hospital. He also expressed gratitude to the State government for taking over the management of the hospital. The day will be remembered by the local people as the hospital is named after its son of soil, he added.
The foundation stone was laid for this hospital on September 3, 2015 in the presence of the Chief Minister and the then Union Coal and Mines Minister Piyush Goyal by the central state-owned enterprises MCL and Coal India. While the old hospital located there had 100 beds, MCL spent Rs 500 crore and expanded it to 330-bed hospital and provided other infrastructure facilities.
Read More Odisha News
On March 5, 2019, the proposed Mahanadi Institute of Medical Science and Research (MIMSAR) was inaugurated at a cost of Rs 500 crore. Later, the MCL provided Rs 628 crore for management of the hospital for next 5 years.
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