Some whales blow bubbles to create a rising “curtain” that helps them trap fish. The folks doing the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm are looking into doing something similar during construction to reduce undersea noise. ReNews has the story.
A bubble curtain, which is comprised of large, perforated hoses and specialised air compressors, is designed to absorb and dampen sound during foundation installation.
The hoses are placed on the seafloor around the monopile before being filled by compress air.
Once the hoses are inflated, the air escapes through the perforations and creates a barrier of bubbles that reduce noise.
These operations will be conducted from the Northstar Navigator, a vessel that will be operated out of the Port of New Bedford.
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So, are the bubbles the whales produce just bubbles or is there an imbedded message? Just putting up a massive curtain of bubbles could produce catastrophic results for whales.