Military Sonar Blamed For Deafness In Dolphins

From The New Scientist:

Sonar can temporarily deafen dolphins, a new study has found, suggesting that mass strandings of cetaceans could be caused by military activities.

The US Navy has suspected as much for years. In 2002, it admitted that a beaching incident was caused by military sonar, and autopsies on the dead whales revealed haemorrhaging near the ears.

The new study, by Aran Mooney and colleagues at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology found that repeated sonar "pings" cause temporary hearing loss in dolphins.

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