The numbers are in the Navy's new draft environmental impact statement for exercises planned from 2014-2018. In it, the Navy says that, under its preferred alternative, sonar training and testing might unintentionally harm marine mammals 2.8 million times a year over five years  :http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/11/11659008-navy-raises-sonar-impact-on-dolphins-whales-dramatically?lite © 2012 NBCNews.com By Miguel Llanos, msnbc.com

Given the extreme importance of sound to many cetaceans, researchers speculated that the noise from the sonar may have been directly or indirectly responsible; the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) noted that:

Many of these beached whales have suffered physical trauma, including bleeding around the brain, ears and other tissues and large bubbles in their organs. These symptoms are akin to a severe case of "the bends" -- the illness that can kill scuba divers who surface quickly from deep water. Scientists believe that the mid-frequency sonar blasts may drive certain whales to change their dive patterns in ways their bodies cannot handle, causing debilitating and even fatal injuries.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/navy-sonar-scares-whales-110323.html ,Copyright © 2012 Discovery Communications, LLC. The number-one nonfiction media company,Analysis by Kieran Mulvaney
Wed Mar 23, 2011 07:21 AM ET