BBC News
By Victoria Gill
image copyrightWegner Institute
image captionThe noise put into the ocean impacts marine mammals such as humpback whales, which communicate over vast distances with complex songs
Noise from shipping, construction, sonar and seismic surveys is "drowning out" the healthy ocean soundscape, scientists say.
And an "overwhelming body of evidence" has revealed the harm human-made noise does to marine life.
"We've degraded habitats and depleted marine species," said Prof Carlos Duarte, who led the study, said.
"So we've silenced the soundtrack of the healthy ocean and replaced it with the sound that we create."
image copyrightAlamy
image captionResearchers say evidence of the harm ocean noise pollution can do has been building for decades