Break down the 'spooky tranquility', use sound to recover… the dead corals

Finding ways to help the world's coral reefs recover from the devastating effects of climate change has created some radical solutions recently.

Currently, in the Caribbean, researchers are nourishing corals . They can even replant fresh corals on degraded coral reefs. In Hawaii, meanwhile, scientists are trying to breed corals for better resilience to rising ocean temperatures.

Most recently, British and Australian researchers have come up with an entirely new method that can help efforts to restore coral reefs using sound.

Picture 1 of Break down the 'spooky tranquility', use sound to recover… the dead corals
Scientists have said there is a new method to help restore the great coral reefs on Earth.(Source: AFP).

In a 6-week field experiment, the researchers placed underwater loudspeakers in dead coral plaques in Australia. The goal is to see if it can engage the diverse fish communities needed to combat coral reef degradation.

The results are very promising. The study, published in Nature Communications , found that twice the number of fish that landed on dead reefs.

Steve Simpson, a professor of marine biology at Exeter University and lead author of the study, said healthy reefs are often a noisy place that is noticeably noisy with the rattle of shrimps and fighting fish and snakehead fish Together they form a brilliant biological sound.

According to the study, the number of species present in coral reefs where sound is played increases by 50% compared to other arrays. New fish populations include species from all parts of the food web, such as pompano, herbivores and predatory fish.

Coral reefs will become 'ghostly tranquility' when they degrade, as shrimp and fish disappear. But using audio speakers can attract fish back.

This technique, if scaled up could provide scientists another tool to revive coral reefs around the world that have been ravaged by climate change, Overfishing and pollution in recent years.

The researchers admit that pulling fish back to dead or dying corals will not reverse the damage on their own. But degraded coral reefs are better able to recover if they have healthy fish populations, playing many different roles in keeping corals healthy.

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