• UGI USER
  • Mar 26, 2024
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CAN ‘GOOD SOUNDS’ HELP CORAL ISLANDS RECOVER FROM BLEACHING?

Why in the news?

Coral reefs dying due to climate change. Study explores using sound to aid reef recovery, showing promising but experimental results.Understanding the Coral Reef Crisis:

  • Rising temperatures due to climate change are causing coral reefs, vital ecosystems, to bleach and die off globally, including in India’s Lakshadweep islands.
  • Bleaching occurs when corals expel symbiotic algae, leading to discoloration and eventual death, threatening marine biodiversity and coastal communities.
  • Scientists, alarmed by reef degradation, experimented with playing healthy reef sounds in degraded coral areas in the Virgin Islands.
  • Their study found an increased settlement rate of coral larvae near speakers, suggesting that sound may aid in reef recovery by attracting new coral growth.
What are Coral Reefs?

●   Marine invertebrates, largest living structures on Earth, composed of polyps forming colonies by multiplying.

Two types:

●   Hard corals: build calcium carbonate exoskeletons, vital for reef ecosystems.

●   Soft corals: attach to and enhance existing structures.

●   Support 25% marine biodiversity, fuel fishing industries, and contribute USD 2.7 trillion annually through trade and tourism.

About Australia’s Great Barrier Reef:

●   World’s largest reef system spanning 2,300 km with nearly 3,000 individual reefs.

●   Home to 400 coral species, providing habitat for 1,500 fish species and 4,000 mollusc species.