Even the most peaceful of water worlds has a dark side we cannot ignore: the harming of the oceanic environment through underwater noise pollution. The Liquid Sound team campaigns against the acoustic pollution of the oceans through military sonar. An appeal started among guests of the Toskana Therme in 2003 resulted in thousands of signatures for the "European Coalition for Silent Oceans". A high-profile event at the Berlin Liquidrom and Tempodrom held on the 11th June 2003 brought "Whale Song or Noise Attack" to the attention of the international public and the campaign has continued ever since, with some degree of success. Actual information:
http://de.wdcs.org/laerm/index.htm
www.oceancare.org/de/thementiere/liste.php?kat=silent_oceans

Further news:

    The European Coalition for Silent Oceans (ECSO) celebrated a further milestone: for the first time, the UNO has incorporated "noise pollution in the oceans" into its agenda. The noise pollution level of the oceans doubles almost every ten years, exerting a detrimental effect on ocean life, in particular that of the whales and dolphins.

    On the 29th October 2005, the WDCS (Whales and Dolphin Conservation Society www.wdcs-de.org) held a whale gala at the Hotel Bayrischer Hof in Munich with prominent guests who have pledged to help protect the whales. Noise pollution in the oceans was a central topic of discussion. At the culmination of the event, the guests were invited to dip into the hotel pool, which had been optically and acoustically designed by the Liquid Sound team. The guests could experience Mark Fischer's Whalegraphs http://aguasonic.com, tnl's atmospheric light projections www.lightmotiv.net, Ortwinn Klipp with his 'Liquid' photo series www.ortwinnklipp.de and Thomas Lüttig with his acoustic systems www.tl-raumklang.de.

    The new GEO Special on the "Canary Islands" (2006) features an extensive article on the work of the ocean wildlife conservationists in La Gomera. The article also warns of the dangers that the military application of sonar presents to whales and other sea mammals, and reports on the large-scale whale-strandings that have repeatedly occurred in recent years on the Canary Islands.

    The following article from "Waterview" magazine informs about the activities of the "European Campaign For Silent Oceans", which were partially successful. A Court in California has limited Sonar-tests by the US Navy.

    Even the most peaceful of water worlds has its dark side, and nothing is so lovely and idyllic that only good news comes of it. Micky Remann, the developer of Liquid Sound and artistic director of the Toskana Therme and Berlin Liquidrom reports on a military project that threatens the oceanic environment and what we can do about it.

    Gently swaying and floating through water, pearl-like sounds in your ears you savour your senses being caressed for once instead of being numbed… that's how the organism body experiences Liquid-Sound, all senses open to experience all that the water carries, a lesson learned from those masters of sensoral song throughout our seven oceans, the whales and dolphins. This is the essence of "bathing in light and water" in Liquid Sound. You don't need your ears to feel sound underwater, your body, bones and water-filled organism become a single resonating chamber. In water we become especially aware of how sensitive we are to vibrations and how we react to pleasant as well as unpleasant sounds. Being able to enjoy music underwater is just one side of the coin, on the flip side a less than gentle project strikes at the very life nerve of sea dwelling organisms, in particular the sound-sensitive whales. In a press report the Süddeutsche Zeitung (26.09.2002) details: "Whales Die in Manoeuvre Area. Las Palmas (dpa). In the Canary Islands twelve whales have been washed up dead on land. Environmentalists and the local government put the blame on the NATA who are undertaking marine-manoeuvres in the area. They say that sound waves transmitted by boats and submarines in the area have damaged the whale's hearing and their sense of orientation." And, painful as they are, it looks as if such reports won't remain an exception. The suspected cause is a new system of Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS) with which marine forces aroud the world (headed by the NATO) are equipping their fleets in order to be able to detect enemy submarines at a greater distance. These sound waves are up to 240 decibels loud. Half of this level, comparable to jet aircraft starting, is deemed harmful to health on land. What long-term effects such sounds will have on underwater lifeforms, the behaviour of whales and dolphins, the reproductive cycles of fishes and metabolism of plankton has quite simply not been researched and the the first alarming signals have been simply ignored. The NATO seems determined to implement its system regardless of the "side-effects" it may have. If they cannot be stopped the rest of the world will follow and soon over 80% of the world's oceans will be filled with LFA-Sonar risking consequences that would far overshadow the effects of uncontrolled whale-fishing.

    There is no escaping from LFA-Sonar which can extend to cover an area of 800,000 km². 17 whales were stranded after US-Navy manoeuvres in the Bahamas in March 2000. A connection was denied until an autopsy of the whale's hearing mechanism showed clear proof. In March 1988 a diver was hit by sound waves at a level of 160db at the edge of a LFA-test area and suffered acute cranial trauma. Remember: the entire body becomes a resonating body in water. Ear protectors, such as those legally required to be carried when operating pneumatic drills have no effect underwater. All those who have experienced Liquid Sound will understand the sensitivity to natural sounds underwater. They can imagine how it must feel when gentle sounds become steadily louder, threatening and finally to a weapon. And they are in a position to voice their opinion against the horrifying noise attacks in the oceans. Even without PFAS motor boats, seismic investigations and other noise sources provide continual noise congestion for the ears of the oceans. The aim should be to reduce noise pollution throughout the world on land and underwater. LFAS is giant step in the opposite direction: Into a world which no longer rings but roars.

    The NATO project is still in its infancy but public opposition is gradually awakening. The US-scientist Marsha Green held a moving lecture at the "Whalezone 02" in Zürich in July 2002. The organisers from the ASMS (Swiss Campaign for the Protection of Amphibian Life) are coordinating an international petition. This initiative is supported by the Liquid Sound network and Waterview. We appeal to all partners and all friends of the oceans to join our protest. The petition against LFAS can be found on all our homepages.

    We do not know if our strength and creativity will be enough to counter the plans of the military but we do know that we cannot accept it without taking action. Not when the beauty of the oceans and whale song mean something to us.

    On the 30th April 2003 a concert will take place in the Berlin Tempodrom and Liquidrom together with the Toskana Therme to highlight the alternatives "Whale Song or Noise Attack". A wonderful programme awaits those who come and all are welcome. The date too has a special significance. The 30th April 2003 is "International Noise Awareness Day".

Micky Remann

Download the petition
You can also help distribute the petition in German, French, Spanish and Italian!

Further information:
ASMS (Schutz der Meeressäuger-Schweiz):
www.silentoceans.org

Marsha L. Green, PhD (Ocean Mammal Institute):
www.oceanmammalinst.org