Tampa Bay is having a lot of problems with noise (<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/01/1228286349/south-tampa-mystery-where-is-the-sound-coming-from-neighbors-investigate" rel="nofollow">https://www.npr.org/2024/02/01/1228286349/south-tampa-myster...</a>) that none of the neighbors can figure out. Some speculate on a party boat with speakers. Some are speculating is it the black drum fish (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drum" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drum</a>) making loud noises when mating.
Seems like very misleading science reporting. It relies on the wow factor of a 12mm fish producing a sound as loud as what many people would associate with a jet engine (>140db).<p>- Sound levels are usually assumed to be measured 1m away. For the fish, it’s measured one body length away (inverse square law applies)<p>- Jet engines are often measured from many meters away (again inverse square law)<p>- The fish’s sound is pulsed and lasts only 2.5ms, while jet engine noise is continuous.<p>- The frequency emitted by the fish “exceeds 20kHz”. The frequency range of a jet engine spans almost the entire range of human hearing.<p>- Standing next to one might startle you a bit, the other will irreversibly damage you.