Mar 2, 2003 05:21
22 yrs ago
English term
Scrambled sonar
Non-PRO
English
Art/Literary
The whale swam to the land and died on the beach;
In the newspaper article, a scientist said any number of conditions could be causing them to do it, scrambled sonar, parasites in their inner ears, some primal instinct to seek land.
What does it mean by scrambled sonar, I think it's used by submarine. But is the sonar used by the whale too.? And does it mean the sonar from submarine cause the whale to come to the beach?
In the newspaper article, a scientist said any number of conditions could be causing them to do it, scrambled sonar, parasites in their inner ears, some primal instinct to seek land.
What does it mean by scrambled sonar, I think it's used by submarine. But is the sonar used by the whale too.? And does it mean the sonar from submarine cause the whale to come to the beach?
Responses
| 5 +1 | Whales use sonar; ships use sonar. |
Refugio
|
| 4 +1 | see comment |
Susana Galilea
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| 4 +1 | the whale's own "internal sonar" |
Hermeneutica
|
Responses
+1
5 hrs
Selected
Whales use sonar; ships use sonar.
The interference caused by the emission of high frequency sonar from ships "scrambles" (messes up) the whales' ability to receive (not send) the other ambient sound signals that help them navigate. If the ship sonar is very loud, it may cause inner ear damage. But even if it doesn't, it still interferes with the natural sounds that whales rely on, including signals transmitted among themselves.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much indeed everyone"
+1
25 mins
Susana Galilea
United States
United States
United States
Customized Translation Services ENG>SPA
Native in: Spanish (Variants: Standard-Spain, US, Latin American) 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish
Related KudoZ points
:
110
see comment
Scrambled as in scrambled eggs, only this is a sonar which I assume means the sonar was emitting scrambled signals, i.e. was malfunctioning. Certain sonar frequencies are damaging to whales and other sea creatures, it is believed they can damage their inner ears--which the animals use for navigation. The excerpt below explains it in further detail.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/07/28/beached.whales/
Navy to study possible link between beached whales and sonar
Seven whales that beached themselves in the Bahamas might have been affected by powerful sonar from Navy ships
July 28, 2000
Web posted at: 3:25 PM EDT (1925 GMT)
(CNN) -- Important clues have surfaced that may help prove a suspected link between beached whales and powerful sonar equipment used by the U.S. Navy and other nations around the world.
Scientists discovered the clues earlier this year in March, when seven whales were found dead on a Bahamas beach, near the time and location of a U.S. Navy sonar operation.
[...]
The seven dead whales were found to have inner ear damage, which scientists said might have ruined their sense of direction and ability to navigate.
Whales with inner ear damage can become disoriented and mistakenly swim too close to shore, beaching themselves and eventually dying.
Because multiple inner ear damage among beached whales is very rare, officials said creatures might have been injured by the Navy's powerful sonar technology.
[...]
The report may provide more insight into how marine mammals use underwater sounds and possibly may prevent deadly whale beachings in the future.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/07/28/beached.whales/
Navy to study possible link between beached whales and sonar
Seven whales that beached themselves in the Bahamas might have been affected by powerful sonar from Navy ships
July 28, 2000
Web posted at: 3:25 PM EDT (1925 GMT)
(CNN) -- Important clues have surfaced that may help prove a suspected link between beached whales and powerful sonar equipment used by the U.S. Navy and other nations around the world.
Scientists discovered the clues earlier this year in March, when seven whales were found dead on a Bahamas beach, near the time and location of a U.S. Navy sonar operation.
[...]
The seven dead whales were found to have inner ear damage, which scientists said might have ruined their sense of direction and ability to navigate.
Whales with inner ear damage can become disoriented and mistakenly swim too close to shore, beaching themselves and eventually dying.
Because multiple inner ear damage among beached whales is very rare, officials said creatures might have been injured by the Navy's powerful sonar technology.
[...]
The report may provide more insight into how marine mammals use underwater sounds and possibly may prevent deadly whale beachings in the future.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Marie Scarano
1 hr
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| agree |
luskie
3 hrs
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| disagree |
Refugio
: The sonar would not have been emitting scrambled signals. Scrambling is a term dating back to World War II jamming of enemy radar signals. In this case, the ship's sonar jams the signals the whales need to pick up.
1 day 10 hrs
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thanks for your input, Ruth
|
+1
1 hr
Hermeneutica
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in English
&
English
Switzerland
Accurate, idiomatic value and service
Native in: Spanish 
, English
Works in: Dutch to English, German to English, French to English, and 16 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
the whale's own "internal sonar"
Hi Buttercup,
I think Susanna's explanation is possible, but that in this case the writer is transposing what a machine [a submarine] would have as its method for finding its depth range [the sonar] to a living being similar in some ways to a submarine [operates in similar ways to go down and surface, shape, etc.] ... and indeed they do have it by means of their inner ear. Point is if their own internal sonar is scrambled, i.e. sending incorrect signals, they could be misled into ending up on the beach not realizing that they are literally out of their depth.
You're reading some very interesting stuff, would you let us know the titles?
Best
Dee
I think Susanna's explanation is possible, but that in this case the writer is transposing what a machine [a submarine] would have as its method for finding its depth range [the sonar] to a living being similar in some ways to a submarine [operates in similar ways to go down and surface, shape, etc.] ... and indeed they do have it by means of their inner ear. Point is if their own internal sonar is scrambled, i.e. sending incorrect signals, they could be misled into ending up on the beach not realizing that they are literally out of their depth.
You're reading some very interesting stuff, would you let us know the titles?
Best
Dee
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Susana Galilea
: this is plausible, but the fact that they next mention "parasites in their inner ears" leads me to my conclusion...Buttercup is reading Wally Lamb's "She's come undone" (a few of us have been developing an addiction to her queries, that's how I know :-)
35 mins
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Hi, I think it's a list of possibles, either their inner sonar is on the blink, or they have parasites, or they've gone bonkers ... I don't think we can resolve it, as long as it helps Buttercup get a better picture :)
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| agree |
Nadia-Anastasia Fahmi
45 mins
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