Salty Wave Newsletter
Salty Wave Story #18
Welcome to the Salty Wave® Newsletter (February 2024) a place where curious digital travelers can discover the weird and wonderful of science, follow my strange sidetracks into nature, listen to soundscapes, and learn a bit of scientific knowledge and lab talk. I specialize in producing videos for scientists, labs, institutes, museums, and universities through Research Journey Narratives. In this newsletter there is something for everyone to read, view or listen to.
This February …
· Tripping Through Soundscapes
· Dogs Know No Bounds
. Video Project Update
. On the Eco Front
· I Dig This
. Endpoint
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Tripping through soundscapes
The soundscape below is located in the Amazon Rainforest (George Vlad).
In the next recording, you’re in Tanjung Piai Mangrove Forest (Anilume, 2020) and the spectrogram attached helps visualize the soundscape and particular sound marks of interest. You’ll hear the difference between the two ecosystems straight away.
Marine Biologists Tzu-Hao Lin, Tomonari Akamatsu, Frederic Sinniger and Saki Harii have monitored the health of coral reefs in Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan, since 2017 by recording the soundscapes reported in their research paper - Exploring coral reef biodiversity via underwater soundscapes.
With this data the scientists can detect early signs a coral reef is dying from the effects of bleaching or anthropogenic activity. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the biodiversity of reefs can also be explored, by listening to the fascinating sounds marine life make in their underwater gardens. Studying ocean acoustics is still a very new and exciting area of research because the sounds produced by fish, crustaceans and many other marine species are yet to be recorded, identified or verified.
Follow the links to read the following open access research articles featuring soundscape topics. There are lots of other free resources listed, which you can explore further by following the breadcrumbs.
“Soundscape segregation based on visual analysis and discriminating features.”Ecological Informatics Volume 61, March 2021, 101184
“Monitoring animal diversity using acoustic indices: Implementation in a temperate woodland.” Ecological Indicators Volume 13, Issue 1, February 2012, Pages 46-54
Dogs Know No Bounds
Having a dog as a best friend has always been a big part of my life. I can’t think of being without a furry friend beside me. Dogs are highly intelligent, something most people know, without being informed by science. These wonderful animals are not just a loyal, playful friend, they are also an integral part of the many services we take for granted in society. For example, Guide Dogs, Rescue Dogs, Police Dogs, Defence Dogs, Border Security Dogs, Companion Dogs and Security Dogs to name but a few.
Recently, Ronald Pizzoferrato, looked at how prisoners in Latin America, are developing deep affectionate bonds with dogs, whose loyalty and generosity knows no bounds. This is a story that highlights the importance of animals in everyday life - no matter where or how you live that life.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/feb/26/mi-perro-prisoners-and-their-dogs-in-latin-america-a-photo-essay
Video Project Update
Technology is similar to humans, fallible. Unfortunately, my laptop has been in repairs for a few weeks so there has been a lapse in my video projects. There is good news though, my LabTop is coming back! I'm leaving a light on in the meantime. Stay tuned!
On the eco front
In March, Salty Wave is taking on the challenge by Earth Hour 2024.
“From 1 March until Earth Hour on 23 March, challenge yourself to walk, run, cycle or swim for 60 minutes a day and raise critical funds to regenerate nature!”
If you want to support Team Salty Wave, follow this link!
https://www.earthhour.org.au/fundraisers/saltywave
I Dig This
Here I am pals! This photo is going to have to be one of my Top Five #TOT moments for 2024! Tails are wagging & tongues are flapping already so I'm getting a calendar ready.
[Don’t pawget, if you want to share your shenanigans about treatos, stuffed frens or sniffaris here, I’m contaktibel through my hooman. You can find my floofy tail on Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon & Twitter 💙 Rocket @saltywavedog🐶]
End Point
We’ve reached the endpoint of the Newsletter and I hope you enjoyed learning more about the curiosities of science with Salty Wave Stories!
In March, I’ll feature more interesting tales about science, updates about my LabTop and how I’m coping without it, what’s happening on the eco front, and a Walk Repawt by Rocky. Thank you for following my stories! See you in March!
Gabrielle Ahern, Founder / Visual Storyteller, Salty Wave® saltywave.com.au
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Poster Image / Cotton Bro Studio