Image of the Day: “Ringing” Coral Reefs

Algae on the reefs make a sound when they produce gas bubbles.

Written byAshley Yeager

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ABOVE: Bubble-making algae (Salicornia gracilaria)
SIMON FREEMAN

During photosynthesis, marine algae tend to let off a little gas. The bubbles, made of oxygen and nitrogen, “ring” in the 2 to 20 kiloHertz range as they assume a spherical shape, and the intensity of the sound correlates with the amount of algae in the area, Simon and Lauren Freeman of the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center and their colleagues report Wednesday (October 3) in PLOS One. Algae grow on coral reefs, so measuring the intensity of the ringing could provide a quick, easy, and noninvasive way to assess the health of the reefs, the researchers report.

S.E. Freeman et al., “Photosynthesis by marine algae produces sound, contributing to the daytime soundscape on coral reefs,” PLOS One, 13:e0201766, 2018.

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Meet the Author

Ashley Yeager
Ashley started at The Scientist in 2018. Before joining the staff, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, a writer at the Simons Foundation, and a web producer at Science News, among other positions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT. Ashley edits the Scientist to Watch and Profile sections of the magazine and writes news, features, and other stories for both online and print.
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