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Eavesdropping on the Reefs

August 28, 2015

In two recent studies, WHOI scientists demonstrated an new way to assess the health of coral reefs and to monitor threats on remote atolls: They used low-cost underwater recorders designed by WHOI engineers to collect “soundscapes” of reefs. The collective recordings of noises made by reef inhabitants—including marine mammals, fish, and shrimp—painted vivid pictures of the reefs’ abundance and diversity. The recordings also picked up sounds of boats, indicating human activities. The study was led by WHOI biologist Aran Mooney and MIT-WHOI Joint Program student Max Kaplan. Another graduate student, Tom DeCarlo (shown here), helped take measurements for the studies.(Photo by Max Kaplan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)