◎蔡子岳
The ocean has gotten noisier for decades, with man-made racket from oil drilling, shipping and construction linked to signs of stress in marine life that include beached whales and baby crabs with scrambled navigational signals.
海洋近幾十年來愈來愈吵，鑽油、船運、建築等人為噪音，對海洋生物構成壓力，包括鯨魚、螃蟹由於四面八方混雜的導航訊號而擱淺。
The United States aims to change that as a federal agency prepares a plan that could force reductions in noise-making activities, including oil exploration, dredging and shipping off the nation’s coast.
美國將由一個聯邦級機構提出計畫，改變這種情況，要求各類製造噪音的活動，包含探勘、打撈，以及美國沿岸船運等，都必須降低噪音。
The draft plan calls for developing noise limits and setting up a standardized listening system. It would also call for the creation of an online archive of noise data that could hold thousands of hours of recordings, which scientists could then cross-reference against data on where marine life congregates.
這項計畫的草案呼籲研擬噪音上限，並成立標準化的監聽系統。計畫也要求建立線上噪音資料庫，以保存上千個小時的錄音，俾使科學家可將這些噪音，與令海洋生物聚集而來的聲音，作交叉比對。
The plan urges more research on the effects of noise on sea creatures and more coordination with environmental and industry groups, the military and government.
這項計畫籲請對海洋生物受噪音影響的效應做更多研究，以及環境、產業團體、軍方及政府等各部門間更多的合作。
Noise also takes on greater urgency with Arctic seas increasingly open to shipping and development with the melting of ice from global warming.
因全球暖化，北極海融冰更多，船運也更容易通過，噪音的影響就也更迫切需要研究。