Diving on a coral reef.
Noisy coral reefs, melting ice sheets and whale speak
25 January 2011
In this latest watery-themed Planet Earth Podcast, Richard Hollingham hears how the underwater world isn't the soundless place you might imagine.
From chirping, gurgling and snapping sounds from busy coral reefs to clicking sperm whales, scientists are finding that all sorts of marine life use sounds to find a suitable home, to find a mate, to avoid being eaten or to communicate.
First up, we hear from a marine biologist from the University of Bristol who explains how manmade noise might not affect just whales and dolphins, but also much smaller creatures that live in and around coral reefs.
Later, Richard meets a British Antarctic Survey scientist to find out how fossils of tiny marine creatures called bryozoans give us clues about when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet last collapsed.
Listen
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A full text transcript is available.
We also hear the strange clicking sounds sperm whales use to communicate with each other, and find out how very far leatherback turtles can swim.
As always, let us know what you think of this podcast. If you have any ideas for future subjects, get in touch. You can email us at editors@nerc.ac.uk or if you're on Facebook or Twitter, contact us there – see the links below.
Keywords:
Biodiversity,
Hazards,
Oceans,
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