Why We Should Worry When Whales Stop Singing<img src='https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6035286&cv=4.4.0&cj=1'>SubscribeSign inView Market DashboardHomeLatest NewsMarketsMarket NewsMark to MarketCommoditiesLive BlogsCryptocurrencyIPOStock MarketsMarket DataStock PagesIndex pagesBullionGold SilverFuelPetrolDieselNewsIndiaWorldWSJEconomistUS NewsTrendsPremium e-paperGlobal Partners WSJEconomistBarron'sMint SpecialsMint ExplainersMark to MarketLong StoryMint PrimerSnapviewSectionsCompaniesTechnologyMarketsMoneyMutual FundsInsuranceAutoIndustryPersonal FinanceCompaniesStart-upsCompany ResultsPeopleMoneyPersonal FinanceInsurance Ask Mint MoneyMutual FundsMyMintIPL Schedule 2025Personal LoanTechnologyGadgetsTech ReviewsApp News5G TechFoldable SmartphonesMint HindiMoreElection 2025OpinionAuto NewsSportsOrange Cap in IPLPurple Cap in IPLIPL 2025EducationTools IFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorMint LoungeMintGenie Multi-MediaVideosWebStories Photo GalleryPodcastsExplore MintAbout usPrint subscriptionMint AuthorsSubscriber terms of usePrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDisclaimerMint codeCookie PolicyCode of ethicsSitemapContact UsHindustan TimesLive HindustanHealthshotsCredit Card Hello UserSign inSign OutMy AccountSubscribeMy WatchlistNewslettersNotificationsMy ReadsFor YouView Less -View More +Data InsightsMarket DashboardBullionGoldSilverFuelPetrolDieselCommoditiesGoldGoldMAluminumMenthaoilSilverSilverMICGoldPetalNatural GasCopperZincSilverMCrudeOilGoldGinueaLeadCryptoCurrenciesView Less -View More +Top SectionsToday's NewsIndia NewsWorld NewsUS News TodayBudget 2025EconomyMoney NewsPersonal FinanceQ&AOpinionCompany Business NewsIPO NewsStart-upsCompany ResultsTop Company LeaderStock Market NewsStock MarketsCommodity NewsMark To MarketIPO NewsLive Blogpersonal loanpersonal loan emi calculatorPersonal Loan Interest RatePersonal Loan EligibilityBusiness LoanInstant LoanElection Results 2025Assembly Elections 2025Indian Industry AnalysisBanking NewsInfotech NewsInfrastructureAgricultureManufacturingEnergy NewsRetail NewsAuto NewsSports NewsOpinionViewsColumnsTechnology NewsGadgetsTech ReviewsApp NewsPolitics NewsLoungeBusiness of LifeSports NewsIPL 2025 IPL 2025 Points Table IPL 2025 Orange CapIPL 2025 Purple CapIPL Match Today | IPL 2025 ScheduleEducation News TodayView Less -View More +Premium Offeringse-paperWSJEconomistBarron'sMyMintMint PremiumView Less -View More +Tools and CalculatorsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorEMI CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorView Less -View More +MultiMedia CollectionsVideosWebStoriesPhoto GalleryPodcastsView Less -View More +More From MintMint GenieMint LoungeMint HindiView Less -Explore MintAbout UsPrint SubscriptionMint AuthorsTerms of UseDisclaimerMint CodeCode of ethicsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicySubscriber - Terms of UseSITEMAPContact UsMint AppsView Less -View More +Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limited All Rights Reserved.Why We Should Worry When Whales Stop SingingA hungry whale is a quiet whale. A new first-of-its kind study found the marine mammals vocalized less after a marine heat wave decimated their prey, making whale songs a barometer of the effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems.BloombergUpdated17 Mar 2025, 03:57 PM ISTWhy We Should Worry When Whales Stop Singing (Bloomberg) -- A hungry whale is a quiet whale. A new first-of-its kind study found the marine mammals vocalized less after a marine heat wave decimated their prey, making whale songs a barometer of the effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems. The waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary off central California are rich feeding grounds for blue, fin and humpback whales that cruise the coast during their annual migrations. Whales sense their surroundings largely through sound and create complex vocalizations, or songs, when they’re searching for mates and food. Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and their colleagues analyzed whale songs recorded by underwater microphones in the marine sanctuary between 2015 and 2021, a period that included a years-long marine heat wave that researchers have linked to climate change. It devastated populations of krill, anchovies and sardines that the cetaceans eat. “The whales all exhibited the lowest levels of song when conditions were the worst,” but vocalized more when the heat relented, said John Ryan, an biological oceanographer at MBARI and the lead author of the peer-reviewed paper published last month in the journal PLOS One. “Because they experience these very strong changes in their ecosystem in ways that we can perceive, they are good ecosystem sentinels.” Such data could also provide early warning when whales leave foraging grounds due to changing ocean conditions. “If they're seeking refuge in a new area that has more prey available, then we need to figure that out so we can protect those refuges,” said Vanessa ZoBell, a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Whale Acoustics Lab at the University of California at San Diego who was not involved in the study. The ocean absorbs nearly a third of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions and 90% of the excess heat generated by that pollution. Whales in turn play a role in the marine carbon cycle, sequestering CO2 in their gargantuan bodies while pooping in such great quantities as to stimulate the growth of other carbon-consuming organisms. Identifying individual songs from specific species amid the cacophony of ocean sounds and then correlating those vocalizations with the abundance or absence of whale chow proved a complex undertaking. The researchers relied on machine learning developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Google artificial intelligence researchers to parse humpback whale songs from background noise. Ryan and his colleagues analyzed data from a long-running NOAA survey of krill, anchovies and other whale favorites to match the prevalence of prey to the songs’ volume. Researchers also ventured out in small boats and used crossbows fitted with darts to collect whale skin samples to confirm changes in their diets in years when prey was plentiful or scarce. “We can use sounds like whale song as a metric for understanding biodiversity and ocean health, and if all those sounds go away, it kind of lets us know that a change might be happening in a certain area,” said ZoBell. Blue whales — the planet’s largest animal — subsist on tiny crustaceans called krill. As populations of this food source recovered from the marine heat wave, detections of blue whale singing soared. When krill numbers fell again, so did the whales’ songs. Unlike blue whales, humpback whales can also eat anchovies and sardines, and their choruses returned when there was a population explosion of those fish. Ryan said that given how important singing is to whales’ reproduction, social interactions and foraging, their silence signals trouble. A whale has no energy for song “if it’s harder to gather the food resources it needs to sustain a body that can weigh more than 300,000 pounds.” “Beyond being beautiful compositions that are wonderful to listen to, these songs are a window into their lives and their resilience through a heat wave as well as their vulnerability,” he added. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.Business NewsScienceNewsWhy We Should Worry When Whales Stop SingingMoreLessFirst Published:17 Mar 2025, 03:57 PM ISTGet Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!Enter Mobile NumberEmployment TypeSalariedSelf-Employed BusinessApply NowMost Active StocksMarket SnapshotTop GainersTop Losers52 Week HighTrending In Market Gold Price TodayBis raids amazon flipkartOla Electric share priceTata Motors shares Indusind Bank Share Price IRFC share priceRecommended For YouMore RecommendationsGold Prices24K22KFuel PricePetrolDieselPopular in ScienceStory Url has been added to your clipboardDownload AppDownload the Mint app and read premium storiesTrending StoriesAirtel Spacex Maharashtra state budget Maharashtra budget 2025 LIVE Chhaava Box Office Collection Champions Trophy 2025 Indian stock market Mark Carney Suzlon Share Price ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Runs ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Wickets Livemint Hindi Bank Holidays in Gujarat Bank Holidays in Delhi Bank Holidays in September Income Tax Calculator 2025 Bank Holidays in Jammu And Kashmir Instant Personal Loan Check Credit Score Online Business Loan Personal Loan Interest Rate Personal Loan Eligibility Personal Loan EMI Calculator Gold Rate in Delhi Gold Rate in Bangalore Gold Rate in Chennai Gold Rate in Hyderabad Gold Rate in Mumbai Business Radio - FAB Play Assembly Election Results Credit Card Personal Loan Online Gold Rate India Bank Holidays India Stocks to Watch Stocks to Buy Popular StocksJSW INFRASTRUCTURE share priceR R KABEL share priceCONCORD BIOTECH share priceIDBI Bank share priceYes Bank share priceAdani Power share priceHUL share priceIndian Oil share priceVedanta share priceJio Financial Services share pricePaytm share pricePunjab National Bank share priceCanara Bank share priceAdani Green Energy share priceIndian Railway Finance Corporation share priceSuzlon Energy share priceIREDA share priceVodafone Idea share priceOrient Technologies share pricePremier Energies share priceBajaj Housing Finance Share PriceGaruda Construction And Engineer share priceHyundai Motor India share priceNifty 50 companiesADANI ENTERPRISES share priceADANI PORTS share priceAPOLLO HOSPITALS share priceASIAN PAINTS share priceAXIS BANK share priceBAJAJ AUTO share priceBAJAJ FINANCE share priceBAJAJ FINSERVE share priceBPCL share priceBHARTI AIRTEL share priceBRITANNIA share priceCIPLA share priceCOAL INDIA share priceDIVIS LABORATORIES share priceDR REDDYS LABORATORIES share priceEICHER MOTORS share priceGRASIM INDUSTRIES share priceHCL TECHNOLOGIES share priceHDFC BANK share priceHDFC LIFE share priceHERO MOTOCORP share priceHINDALCO INDUSTRIES share priceHINDUSTAN UNILEVER share priceICICI BANK share priceITC share priceINDUSIND BANK share priceINFOSYS share priceJSW STEEL share priceKOTAK BANK share priceLARSEN & TOURBO share priceMAHINDRA & MAHINDRA share priceMARUTI SUZUKI share priceNTPC share priceNESTLE INDIA share priceONGC share pricePOWER GRID share priceRELIANCE INDUSTRIES share priceSBI LIFE share priceSBI share priceSUN PHARMA share priceTCS share priceTATA MOTORS share priceTATA STEEL share priceTATA CONSUMER share priceTECH MAHINDRA share priceTITAN share priceUPL share priceULTRATECH CEMENT share priceWIPRO share priceLatest StoriesSectionPremiumOpinionNewsMarketPoliticsCompaniesMoneySportsMutual FundIndustryTechnologyToolsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorData PagesMarket DashboardIndicesTop GainerMutual FundsGold PriceSilver PriceFuel PriceAbout UsMint AuthorsContact usTerms of UseCode of EthicsPrivacy PolicyRSSCopyright © 2025 HT Digital Streams Limited. 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