As wildlife recordist Chris Watson looks for solutions to ocean noise pollution, he hears from Tim Gordon, whose long-awaited trip to the Great Barrier Reef became a devastating experience when he heard the eerie silence of a dying coral reef, caused in part by global warming.
But despite the pessimistic tone evident in many environment debates, reduction in ocean noise pollution is one area that could spark optimism. Action is being taken across the world – from policymakers to private companies – to address some of the causes of sonic assaults on the underwater acoustic environment. While more action is needed, the future of marine soundscapes is still very much in play.
Watson calls in Markus Reymann, whose organisation TBA21–Academy uses a state-of-the-art sound recording sea vessel to connect scientists and policymakers with the ocean. Watson also talks to Nicolas Entrup of Oceancare, an organisation attempting to build international consensus on how to address oceanic noise pollution.
Watson also calls again on scientists and ocean conservation advocates, including Asha de Vos and Prof Christopher Clark.
We would like to thank all our contributors for the series, as well as: Carlos Duarte, Jana Winderen, Knut Korsbrekke at Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, Steve Simpson at the University of Exeter, Marianne Helene, Roger Payne, Michel Andre, Bob Dziak, Ray Fischer and Christ de Jong.
Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images
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