Sensory overload
Key Points: Noise pollution can impact how marine organisms process and respond to visual and chemical stimuli. This has primarily been studied through tank experiments with species that are not … Continue readingSensory overload
Author: Eliza Heery
Square
Illuminated
Illuminated seascapes: The many known negative impacts of light pollution begs the question of whether illuminated seascapes in urban areas are exerting selective pressure on marine organisms. Thus far, studies … Continue readingIlluminated
Towards the light
Key Points: Artificial lighting in urban areas disorients sea turtle hatchlings, resulting in high mortality. Over time, this has led to fewer sea turtle nests in urban areas, however nesting … Continue readingTowards the light
Complexity
Artificial structures, such as seawalls, breakwaters, and bulkheads, are far less structurally complex than natural marine environments. They form homogenous seascapes in which there are few places for marine organisms … Continue readingComplexity
Rock pools
On rural coastlines, rock pools form naturally over centuries or millennia and serve as refugia for marine life, offering protection from the elements and predators, and consequently support a high … Continue readingRock pools
How does seeding and targeted enhancement work?
Novel substrates in the marine environment are subject to natural processes of succession, whereby competitively dominant species overtake opportunistic and poorly established species over time. Seeding preemptively populates novel substrates … Continue readingHow does seeding and targeted enhancement work?
What is ecological enhancement?
Ecological enhancements are design features, retrofitting structures, or stand-alone units that ameliorate conditions for marine organisms. In urban marine environments, ecological enhancements are primarily aimed at increasing biodiversity, supporting functionally important … Continue readingWhat is ecological enhancement?
What is underwater light and sound pollution?
Light and sound are introduced into the marine environment from a variety of human activities, including coastal construction and development, shipping, oil and gas extraction, marine renewable energy, military operations, … Continue readingWhat is underwater light and sound pollution?
What is a seascape?
Ecologists typically use the word ‘landscape’ to refer to mosaics of interacting ecosystems that become evident when you zoom out from a single habitat. Though these mosaics can occur at … Continue readingWhat is a seascape?
What is ocean sprawl?
Ocean sprawl is the proliferation of human-made structures on the seafloor. These structures include everything from seawalls to discarded garden statues. Many of the structures that lead to ocean sprawl … Continue readingWhat is ocean sprawl?