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How do loudspeakers save the coral reefs?
“Reefs become ghostly quiet when they are degraded, as the shrimps and fish disappear, but by using loudspeakers to restore this lost soundscape, we can attract young fish back again.”
Can sound help coral reefs?
Without the fish activity, reefs fall silent. A new study finds that playing the sounds of a healthy reef can attract fish back to dead or dying areas. Indeed, those sounds could help bring a reef back to life. Tim Gordon is a marine biologist at the University of Exeter in England.
How does technology help coral reefs?
To help preserve and restore coral, scientists are using an innovative technology called biorock. Biorock is a piece of technology that has a low-voltage direct current which is run through steel. This electricity can then interact with minerals in the seawater and cause solid limestone to grow on the structure.
What are some methods being used to restore coral reefs?
This is generally achieved through methods such as collecting and rehabilitating naturally broken coral fragments, propagating coral colonies, culturing coral larvae, or transplanting living coral colonies.
How do underwater speakers sound?
This technology is what gives these transducers that feel-it-in-your-bones rich sound. Most underwater speakers produce strong vibrations over a full range of tactile and audible frequencies, providing high-quality underwater sound through a combination of acoustic transmission and bone conduction.
What sounds do coral reefs make?
Listen to the fish sing: scientists record ‘mind-blowing’ noises of restored coral reef. From whoops to purrs, snaps to grunts, and foghorns to laughs, a cacophony of bizarre fish songs have shown that a coral reef in Indonesia has returned rapidly to health.
How can we help the coral?
Every Day
- Recycle and dispose of trash properly. Marine debris can be harmful to coral reefs.
- Minimize use of fertilizers.
- Use environmentally-friendly modes of transportation.
- Reduce stormwater runoff.
- Save energy at home and at work.
- Be conscious when buying aquarium fish.
- Spread the word!
What resources come from coral reefs?
Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They are also are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.
How do you restore coral bleaching?
Warmer waters can trigger a coral bleaching where the coral turns white as it expels the symbiotic food-producing algae living in its tissues. Prolonged bleaching events often cause corals to die from starvation, but they can recover if they reclaim their food source within a few weeks.
How Can coral reefs be improved?
Over the past few years, there’s been a steady increase and interest in a number of coral conservation activities that fall into the broad category of restoration. These include coral gardening, breeding corals in tanks and transplanting them onto reefs and growing corals on artificial reef structures in the water.
Can underwater loudspeakers rejuvenate coral reefs?
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. As coral reefs die they become silent graveyards, however, the introduction of underwater loudspeakers brings new life and helps to rejuvenate the coral reefs.
Can playing sounds help save coral reefs?
A recently published paper in Nature Communications highlights research focused on the impact of playing sounds around dead or dying corals. The findings were a pleasant surprise in the future conservation and recovery of coral reefs.
How do you know if a reef is acoustically enriched?
To make sure there was no bias in the acoustically enriched reefs, the research team studied dead coral areas with both dummy speakers and no speakers. After 40 days the acoustically enriched reefs had double the number of fish compared to the dummy speaker and no speaker control groups.
What is killing the coral reef?
Also, coral zooxanthellae require a narrow temperature range to live, increasing the temperature of the surrounding ocean water only a couple of degrees can cause zooxanthellae to leave corals en masse, essentially killing the coral reef. On a positive note, it appears corals are becoming more resistant to increasing ocean temperatures.