Ocean Noise Pollution
Some scientists say that animals in the ocean are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.
The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities．It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines．Such noises are added to natural sounds．These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels (分贝) measured in water are different from those measured on land．A noise of one hundred-twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears．in water, a decibel level of one-hundred ninety-five would have the same effect.
Some scientists have proposed setting a noise limit of one-hundred-twenty decibels in oceans．They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales (鲸鱼).
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals．The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing．This seriously affected the whales' ability to exchange information and find their way．Some of the whales, even died．The explosions had caused their ears to bleed (出血)and become infected (感染).
Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds object to a limit of one-hundred-twenty decibels．They say such a limit is a greater er than they believed．They want to pr noises from harming creatures in the ocean.
According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly erous to sea creatures?