--- title: "Scientists Alarmed as Whales Suddenly Going Silent" description: "Researchers are alarmed after observing a significant drop in the amount of vocalizations from blue whales. As National Geographic reports, scientists used specialized, underwater hydrophones, or underwater microphones, to record and trace the songs of marine life. This data allowed them to analyze the impact human activity is having on various species. However, as detailed in a study published in the journal PLOS One, devastating heat waves triggered worrying changes, allowing toxic algae to bloom and undermine food sources for whales. \"It caused the most widespread poisoning of marine mammals ever documented,\" coauthor and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute biological […]" date: "2025-08-01" modified: "2025-08-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/scientists-alarmed-whales-silent" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "blue whale" - "marine life" - "whales" --- # Scientists Alarmed as Whales Suddenly Going Silent ![Researchers are alarmed after noticing a significant drop in the number of vocalizations from blue whales.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Researchers are alarmed after noticing a significant drop in the number of vocalizations from blue whales. As [*National Geographic* reports](), scientists used specialized underwater hydrophones, meaning the aquatic version of microphones, to record and trace the sounds of marine life, allowing them to analyze the impact human activity is having on various species. However, as detailed in a [study]() published in the journal *PLOS One*, devastating heat waves have triggered worrying changes over the past decade, allowing toxic algae to bloom and undermine food sources for whales. "It caused the most widespread poisoning of marine mammals ever documented," coauthor and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute biological oceanographer John Ryan told *NatGeo*. "These were hard times for whales." As a result, blue whale vocalizations dropped by almost 40 percent, according to the study, with populations of krill and anchovy collapsing. "When you really break it down, it’s like trying to sing while you're starving," Ryan explained. "They were spending all their time just trying to find food." Scientists are still racing to understand the causes of devastating marine heatwaves. An ominous pool of warm water in the ocean, nicknamed "The Blob" following its discovery in early 2013, confounded scientists. By 2016, it had grown to a region spanning over 2,000 miles in the Pacific Ocean, *NatGeo* reports. The rising temperatures caused important sources of sustenance for blue whales to all but vanish. Scientists are still racing to understand the effects of rising ocean temperatures. And as climate change continues to rear its ugly head, scientists are worried about future extreme weather events, including marine heatwaves. Scientists have [found]() that the duration of these heatwaves has tripled since the 1940s. "There are whole ecosystem consequences of these marine heat waves," coauthor and Monterey Bay Aquarium marine biologist Kelly Benoit-Bird told *NatGeo*. "If they can't find food, and they can traverse the entire West Coast of North America, that is a really large-scale consequence." Worse yet, "fewer feeding opportunities" mean that blue whales "put less effort into reproduction," as Oregon State University ecologist Dawn Barlow added. "Where they are, and what they’re doing can tell you a lot about the health of the ecosystem," Barlow explained. "The Blob really highlighted how long-term these consequences can be." Benoit-Bird voiced concerns of reaching a "tipping point," which could have devastating consequences on our climate, changing how the "ocean absorbs carbon." "Science shows that climate change is impacting the oceans," Barlow told *NatGeo*. "Listening and learning from these places is essential to our future. Now more than ever, it’s important to listen." **More on marine life:** *[Using the Ocean to Suck Up CO2 Could Come With the Small, Unintended Side Effect of Wiping Out Marine Life]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()