| 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. |
http://www.silentoceans.org
http://www.oceanmammalinst.org
http://www.aquawellness.com
http://www.tag-gegen-laerm.de
http://www.tempodrom.de
http://www.liquid-sound.de
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Gently swaying and floating through water, pearl-like sounds in your ears you savour your senses being caressed instead of being numbed… that’s how the organism experiences Liquid-Sound, all senses open to to a musical experience of being carried by water as a medium of sound, a lesson learned from those masters of song throughout the oceans, the whales and dolphins. This is the essence of Liquid Sound “bathing in light and music”, and that’s where you realize you don’t need your ears to feel sound underwater. Your whole 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. Enjoying 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 NATO 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 have an effective source level of up to 240 decibels. 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 75% 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 km_. 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 had a gentle Liquid Sound experience also have an understanding of the sensitivity to natural sounds underwater, and they can imagine how it must feel when sounds become steadily louder, turn into a health hazard and finally into a weapon. And the Liquid Sound-experienced are in a prominent position to voice their opinion against the horrifying noise attacks in the oceans. Even without the navies’ LFAS boats, current noise sources like seismic explorations provide continual acoustic pollution for the ears of the oceans. The aim should be to reduce such noise pollution throughout the world on land and underwater. |
LFAS is a 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” conference in Zürich in July 2002. The organisers from the ASMS (Swiss Campaign for the Protection of Marine Mammels) are coordinating an international petition. This initiative is supported by the Liquid Sound network and Waterview magazine. 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 whale song means something to us.
On April 30th 2003 a concert will take place in the Berlin Tempodrom and Liquidrom to publically highlight the alternative “Whale Song or Noise Attack”. A great programme of music, information and experience awaits those who come and all are welcome. The date too has a special significance. April 30th 2003 is “International Noise Awareness Day”.
Micky Remann
Further Information:
ASMS (Schutz der Meeressäuger-Schweiz): www.asms-swiss.org
Marsha L. Green, PhD (Ocean Mammal Institute): www.oceanmammaliinst.org
www.tag-gegen-laerm.de
www.tempodrom.de
www.Liquidrom.com
www.Liquid-Sound.de
www.aquawellness.com
www.waterview.de
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