Listening to Life: Underwater Acoustics Reveal Coral Reef Health.

In a groundbreaking effort to improve the monitoring of coral reef ecosystems, scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), along with their collaborators, have refined acoustic techniques to better interpret the health of reefs through sound. By closely examining underwater noises produced by marine life and human activity, researchers are uncovering valuable insights into biodiversity, species abundance, and habitat variation.

The research, detailed in several peer-reviewed journals—Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Ecological Indicators, and Frontiers in Remote Sensing—demonstrates how reef soundscapes vary significantly across different habitats, reflecting subtle shifts in biological communities. These findings are a result of innovative approaches to recording and analyzing underwater acoustics.

Dr. Miles Parsons, AIMS acoustic scientist and senior co-author of the studies, emphasized the importance of this research. “Coral reefs are essential for biodiversity, local economies, and coastal protection,” he explained. “As climate change continues to affect these ecosystems, acoustic monitoring presents a scalable and effective tool to better understand and support their resilience.”

He noted that one of the strengths of acoustic monitoring lies in its ability to autonomously collect data over long periods, capturing information that would be challenging to gather through visual surveys—especially in dark, murky, or deep-water conditions. This method also reveals behaviors and species, such as cryptic organisms, that are typically difficult to observe.

Juan Carlos Azofeifa Solano, a Ph.D. candidate at AIMS and Curtin University who led two of the papers, said the research used data from three key locations: Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Bay in the Ningaloo World Heritage Marine Park, and the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica.

At Lizard Island, the team discovered that they could distinguish between habitats with and without a particular coral species, Pocillopora, simply by analyzing the reef’s acoustic signature. This coral’s branching structure shelters sound-producing invertebrates like snapping shrimp, which are particularly noisy at night.

Using a tool called the Soundscape Code, the researchers were able to detect unique acoustic profiles within a single reef—sometimes from sites just 30 meters apart. This finding highlights the need for multiple sampling locations within a single reef to accurately capture the diversity of its habitats.

Another study led by Dr. James Kemp, a postdoctoral researcher at AIMS@UWA, explored how processing criteria influence sound data interpretation. The results emphasized the importance of standardized methodologies to ensure consistent, reliable comparisons across studies. The orientation and placement of hydrophones also emerged as critical factors in recording quality.

Dr. Kemp explained, “Our work is helping to validate and refine underwater acoustic methods for ecological monitoring. By addressing potential biases and integrating field-based ecology, we’re laying the foundation for dependable, long-term monitoring systems.”

These studies collectively underscore the power of underwater acoustics as a tool for better understanding and conserving coral reef ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.

Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-05-health-coral-reefs.html

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.