Soundtrack of the sea: divers use underwater speakers to help dying coral reefs

Divers deploy underwater speakers off Jamaica’s coast in a novel attempt to revive dying coral reefs using the power of sound. | Contesto: cronaca

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• Soundtrack of the sea: divers use underwater speakers to help dying coral reefs

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Beneath the turquoise waters off Jamaica’s northern coast—a setting once used for the James Bond film No Time to Die—a team of divers is undertaking an unconventional mission to save a dying coral reef. Their tools are not the typical instruments of marine biology: they are installing waterproof speakers on the seafloor. The man leading the effort is not a scientist but a diver with a bold idea: that sound can help pull the reef back from the brink. The project, which has drawn international attention, aims to harness the acoustic environment of the ocean to encourage coral larvae to settle and grow. Researchers have long known that healthy reefs produce a complex soundscape—crackling shrimp, fish calls, and the rustle of life—that guides young corals to suitable habitats. Degraded reefs, by contrast, are often eerily quiet. By broadcasting recordings of healthy reef sounds, the team hopes to trick larvae into believing the area is thriving, prompting them to take root. Jamaica’s coral reefs have suffered decades of decline due to overfishing, pollution, and rising sea temperatures. In recent years, bleaching events have killed large swaths of coral, threatening the biodiversity that supports local fisheries and tourism. The northern coast, once a vibrant underwater ecosystem, now shows vast stretches of barren rock and algae. Traditional restoration methods—such as transplanting nursery-grown corals—have had limited success in the face of ongoing environmental stress. The use of acoustic enrichment represents a relatively new frontier in marine conservation. Early studies in Australia and the Caribbean have shown that playing healthy reef sounds can increase coral settlement rates by up to 40 percent. While the technique does not address the root causes of reef decline, such as climate change, it offers a potential low-cost tool to buy time for endangered ecosystems. The Jamaica installation is one of the first large-scale tests of this approach in the Atlantic. Local conservation groups have welcomed the initiative but caution that it is not a silver bullet. “Sound alone cannot restore a reef if the water is too warm or polluted,” said a marine ecologist...

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Categoria: cronaca