As noise levels rise, whales reduce their diving activity\u2014effectively entering a forced fasting period that weakens them over time.<\/p>\n
From Disruption to Damage<\/p>\n
In the narrow, 21-mile-wide funnel of the strait, military activity introduces shock waves and pressure changes that marine species are not built to withstand. Underwater explosions can be strong enough to kill fish outright and damage the auditory systems of larger marine mammals.<\/p>\n
Aaron Bartholomew, professor of biology, chemistry, and environmental sciences at the American University of Sharjah, suggests that \u201cwhile whales and dolphins may temporarily move out of areas where there is significant naval sonar activity,\u201d the intensity of modern maritime conflict poses lethal risks.<\/p>\n
Adam warns that the impact can be lasting: \u201cThese explosions can also damage the auditory system of cetaceans, which may temporarily or permanently lose their hearing.\u201d Even when not immediately fatal, the effects can weaken animals over time and disrupt their ability to survive in already stressed conditions.<\/p>\n
Naval mines introduce similar risks even before detonation. When triggered, they generate high-pressure shock waves that can rupture internal organs in fish and damage the auditory systems of marine mammals.<\/p>\n
Bartholomew says that while some species may attempt to move away from high-activity zones, that displacement comes at a cost. \u201cWhales and dolphins may temporarily move out of areas where there is significant naval sonar activity. Their short-term behavior in the region may be negatively affected,” he says. “Overall, they will likely be fine. The most likely outcome is temporary displacement from areas with extensive sonar use.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a confined corridor like the strait, even temporary displacement can interfere with feeding patterns and habitat use, turning short-term disruption into longer-term ecological stress.<\/p>\n
\u201cSlow-Flush\u201d Nature<\/p>\n
The Arabian Gulf is uniquely vulnerable, because it does not easily reset.<\/p>\n
It is what scientists describe as a \u201cslow-flush\u201d sea, taking between two and five years to fully exchange its waters. That means contaminants\u2014whether from oil, fuel, or debris\u2014can persist long after the initial event, spreading across both surface and seabed ecosystems.<\/p>\n
Bartholomew warns that even a single major spill could have far-reaching consequences: \u201cA major oil spill in the Strait of Hormuz could contaminate beaches and severely affect turtle nesting sites, including islands such as the Sir Bu Nair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOil spills can kill adult turtles and sea snakes and damage nesting habitats. They could also harm marine mammals such as the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in Musandam waters [near the strait] and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, as well as kill seabirds.\u201d<\/p>\n
The danger is not limited to the surface. Whale sharks that migrate seasonally into the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, particularly between May and September, are vulnerable to floating oil because they feed near the surface.<\/p>\n
Bartholomew adds: \u201cAlthough oil generally floats, storms and high waves can mix it to deeper depths, which could negatively affect coral in the strait\u2019s region, where coral diversity is the highest in the Gulf, especially on the Iranian side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surface pollution can also alter animal behavior in unexpected ways. Oil slicks create shaded areas on the water\u2019s surface, similar to fish-aggregating devices, which naturally attract small fish. This can draw other animals\u2014including turtles, sharks, and marine birds\u2014into contaminated zones, exposing them to toxins and increasing the risk of ingestion or coating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As noise levels rise, whales reduce their diving activity\u2014effectively entering a forced fasting period that weakens them over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396981,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[264,2138,61,11829,60,30434,82,4380,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-396980","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-ecology","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-iran","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-marine-science","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-whales","16":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}