Paris: Marine scientists would soon meet at the Paris-based Unesco to discuss measuring the impact of noise on marine life, the UN agency said.
The main agenda of the meeting - to be held Aug 30-Sep 1 - would be to discuss the programme of the International Quiet Ocean Experiment, Xinhua reported.
"This decade-long project aims to fill the considerable knowledge gaps in this area, so that management of ocean noise can be more informed and effective," Unesco said in a statement.
The Quiet Ocean Experiment was initiated against the background that human activities on the high seas have increased significantly in recent decades. This has had a great impact on many marine species relying mainly on sound to communicate.
Some sounds are suspected to alter the behaviour of marine animals. For example, several whale species have raised the volume of the squeaks, clicks and moans by which they communicate with each other.
The experiment is being organised by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO), of which Unesco's Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) is a member.
IANS
First Published: Saturday, August 20, 2011, 11:19