We all love whales. They're very cool to have around. And so when we hear of a threat

to them, it can be pretty traumatic. One such threat that's been proposed is the impact

of sonar, like the loud pings from Navy submarines, and also the explosive sounds used by the

oil exploration industry. Today we're going to see what the science shows for how well

these things correlate with whale groundings and deaths. That's coming up next, Unskeptoid.

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You're listening to Skeptoid. I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com. Whales and sonar.

Today we're going to sink into the deep ocean waters, the realm of great natural

denizens such as beach whales, and of the hulking artificial beasts called submarines.

In this world of darkness and near zero visibility, audio shimmers across the frequency spectrum

from the high frequency chatter of dolphins to the great long distance low frequency calls of whales.

And every once in a while, a tremendous electronic burst rips through the environment,

a sonar ping. What happens next is debated worldwide. Some say the whales are driven mad,

others say they're disoriented and beach themselves. Some claim they are deafened or even killed

outright. What's the truth? What is the real impact of navy sonar on marine life?

Briefly, there are two basic kinds of sonar, active and passive. Active sonar sends out loud

pangs, much like radar, and the returning sound waves paint a picture of the surrounding

environment, including the location of enemy vessels. Passive sonar listens only without

...