Do you have a favourite soundtrack?
Because apparently this track is helping coral reefs recover and that's a big deal because coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine species!
And, like many essential ecosystems, they're having a tough go - losing more than half of the world's reefs since the 1950s - so anything we can do to help them is great. And that makes me happy!
"Scientists working off the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean found that coral larvae were up to seven times more likely to settle at a struggling reef where they played recordings of the snaps, groans, grunts and scratches that form the symphony of a healthy ecosystem.
“We’re hoping this may be something we can combine with other efforts to put the good stuff back on the reef,” said Nadège Aoki at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. “You could leave a speaker out for a certain amount of time and it could be attracting not just coral larvae but fish back to the reef.” (Guardian UK)
Of course, this isn't a smoking gun solution because while the sounds attract coral larvae, they don't solve the underlying issue that caused the coral to die, and so researches need to ensure that they're not attracting larvae to a location that is unlikely to sustain them.
And so we need to keep using a tech solutions like this along with other methods - including the most impactful task of reducing fossil fuel emissions - to ensure that we keep our reefs and our planet in good working order.
Of course, this isn't a smoking gun solution because while the sounds attract coral larvae, they don't solve the underlying issue that caused the coral to die, and so researches need to ensure that they're not attracting larvae to a location that is unlikely to sustain them.
And so we need to keep using a tech solutions like this along with other methods - including the most impactful task of reducing fossil fuel emissions - to ensure that we keep our reefs and our planet in good working order.
