Episode Summary
Join us this episode as we dive into the hidden world of ocean soundscapes with Professor Steve Simpson – yes, you “heard” right. The ocean isn’t the ‘Silent World’ many people believe it to be. They are in fact bustling with a cacophony of noise and sounds, from the pop of tiny shrimp snapping their claws to the low-frequency bellow of a blue whale. Throughout this episode, Professor Simpson will be helping us unpack the important role that sound plays underwater, the threat that human noise poses, and how his research is supporting habitat recovery in our oceans.
Our Guest
Professor Steve Simpson is a professor of marine biology and global change at the university of Bristol. He specialises in fish ecology, with particular interests in the behaviour of coral reef fishes, marine bioacoustics, and the effect of climate change on fisheries and marine ecosystems. Steve was also an Academic Advisor and featured scientist on Blue Planet 2, as well as Chief Scientific Advisor for Our Oceans.
Timestamps
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:36) - Why is sound important for marine life?
(03:24) - What kinds of animal noises can we hear in the ocean?
(07:08) - What inspired Steve to begin studying underwater soundscapes?
(11:23) - How do you listen to the sounds of the reef?
(15:16) - Citizen science through the ‘Calling in our Corals’ Project
(17:15) - Steve’s best imitations of his favourite fish noises
(22:22) - How can bioacoustics help us to protect and restore ocean habitats?
(27:33) - Should we be worried about noise pollution from offshore wind farms?
(32:30) - The impact of climate change and noise pollution on ocean soundscapes
(40:15) - POP QUIZ for Steve!
(43:17) - A final message on Ocean Optimism
(46:36) - Outro
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Additional Resources:
Calling in Our Corals Project
Settlement-stage coral reef fish prefer the higher-frequency invertebrate-generated audible component of reef noise
The sound of recovery: Coral reef restoration success is detectable in the soundscape
Impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine life
UK joins European offshore windfarm plan to create world’s largest ‘clean energy reservoir’
