Symposia
Assessing the Cumulative Impacts of Underwater Noise with Other Anthropogenic Stressors on Marine Mammals: From Ideas to Action
An international, multi-disciplinary group of scientists and resource managers gathered in Monterey, California, in August 2009, to discuss ways to manage the cumulative impacts of noise and other threats to whales and other marine life.
Cumulative impacts are the total suite of consequences for individuals and populations when they face various threats and challenges. They may combine in an additive way, or become more or less than the sum of their parts. Presentations and discussions addressed various aspects of the issues, ranging from the impacts of noise and other threats on marine mammals and the available management tools, to a possible path forward and the outstanding information needs.
Participants agreed that noise needs to be considered equally with other threats as a contributor to the overall suite of cumulative impacts. The path forward involves using two case study populations where enough is known that cumulative impacts and their effects on the populations could be modelled. These results could then be applied to other populations, through exposure mapping, to provide managers with an effective tool for reducing the overall risk of population decline in even little known populations.
The results of the workshop will be published on our website.