All in Wildlife

Saving the Right Whale: AUV’s and the Future of Whale Conservation

Saving the Right Whale: AUV’s and the Future of Whale Conservation

Stephen Riffle
Wildlife

When a species is on the brink, teetering at the edge of oblivion, every step towards conservation matters. This is particularly true for the North Atlantic Right Whale, a leviathan of ancient lore who is now among the most endangered mammals on the planet. Preservation of this species for future generations will require innovative and fast approaches to seemingly intractable issues like climate change. Decisive action to both reduce and maximally mitigate the common threats posed by noise pollution and ship strikes are required.

Sound beneath the waves

Sound beneath the waves

Stephen Riffle
Other, Wildlife

Unlike Space where lightwaves can travel vast distances without being scattered or absorbed, light can only travel short distances in water before it fades from repeated, energy draining collisions with water molecules. As a result, most of Earth’s ocean space exists in darkness, beyond the reach of both light and human exploration. Marine animals have evolved to navigate, communicate, and hunt without light by using sound to illuminate their environment. And, increasingly, humans are doing the same. Here, we’ll briefly explore how sound is being used by animals and humans to render ocean depths visible.