There has been a plethora of whale strandings in Northern Europe (especially in the Faroe Islands and Ireland). Many of these events have involved beaked whales (29 of these were recently beached). These cetaceans normally feed at great depths and individual animals often appear confused, when driven into shallower waters. Although experts admit that storms could be problems, they also feel that these mass strandings may be largely consequences of military sonar exercises and/or seismic studies for oil in the northern seas (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/24/beached-whale-increase-may-be-due-to-military-sonar-exercises-say-experts). This sound pollution could interfere with the whale's own sonar direction finding systems.
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