Nov 15th, 2008 · This week the U.S. Supreme Court gave the Navy the OK to use sonar off the coast of California — environmentalists complain the sounds confuse whales. But it turns out the planet's oceans are actually getting louder anyway. Geochemist Peter Brewer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute talks about a recent study finding that global warming is changing the way sound travels underwater.
Nov 13th, 2008 · The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Navy over its use of sonar in submarine-hunting exercises off the coast of Southern California. By a 5-4 decision, the nation's highest court said the military training commands a higher priority.
Oct 8th, 2008 · Environmental advocacy groups say the Navy is required to adopt steps to minimize damage mid-frequency sonar causes to whales and dolphins. The president has gotten around the requirement by suspending environmental laws in the name of national security.
Feb 5th, 2008 · Whether Navy sonar training exercises off the coast of California are harmful to marine animals has long been a point of conflict. That dispute may be one step closer to being resolved. A federal judge in Los Angeles has said President Bush cannot waive environmental laws that require the Navy to take special steps to protect whales.
Jul 24th, 2007 · Federal regulators near a decision on whether to allow the Navy to test a new sonar, renewing tensions in a long-running fight over whether the sonar hurts whales.
Jan 18th, 2007 · The University of Utah on Wednesday opened a time capsule containing items from 1957. The plan almost fell apart because no one could remember its exact location, but a sonar scan found the sealed copper box.
Jul 10th, 2006 · The Navy and environmental groups who challenged the use of active sonar have reached an agreement over use of the technology. It allows the military to start using sonar in large multinational training exercises near Hawaii. But the Navy will have to take precautions intended to protect whales.
Jul 4th, 2006 · A federal judge in Los Angeles Monday temporarily blocked the Navy's planned use of high-intensity sonar in the waters around Hawaii. She said that the Natural Resources Defense Council had provided evidence that the sonar can kill and injure whales and other marine life.