SONIC REEF

8 ECHOES

Location: Brisbane

Leah Barclay

www.leahbarclay.com @LeahBarclay

Sonic Reef is a call to action to protect the Great Barrier Reef, one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. This installation draws on scientific recordings from the reef that showcase the value of sound in understanding ecosystem health. Sonic Reef is a pilot project developed in collaboration with the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Australian Marine Conservation Society, JASCO Applied Sciences and a team of passionate artists, scientists and conservationists.

Launching for World Science Festival Brisbane 2017, the South Bank Augmented Reality Sound Walks use GPS points along the Brisbane River to trigger audio based on location and movement. Walk towards the points on the Sonic Reef map and the sounds will play automatically when you are in the right locations. Sonic Reef is best experienced with headphones. The augmented reality sound walks for World Science Festival Brisbane have been developed by Leah Barclay as part of 100 Ways to Listen (100waystolisten.com)

Tweet @LeahBarclay or #SonicReef for further information.

100xListen #WSFB2017

Great Barrier Reef, Healthy Ecosystems

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem on our blue planet, representing about 10% of all the world's coral reefs. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is dearly loved by locals and visitors alike.

Spanning 2,300km along the Queensland coast, the Great Barrier Reef's 3,000 coral reef systems contain a huge diversity of marine plants and animals, such as sea turtles, reef fish, sharks, hard and soft corals and migrating whales. It supports a $6 billion tourism industry, supports 69,000 jobs, recreational and commercial fishing and represents a unique way of life for coastal communities along the Reef coast.

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Sounds of a Healthy Reef

Listen to the sounds of a healthy reef. It is possible to explore the health of a reef ecosystem using a hydrophone - a noninvasive recording device that captures aquatic recordings. Marine species use sound to communicate and survive and it is believed marine fish larvae use sound as a cue to settle on coral reefs. A healthy reef is full of sonic activity - snapping shrimp, fish and a diversity of marine life.

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Australian Marine Conservation Society

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) is Australia's only national charity dedicated exclusively to protecting ocean wildlife and their homes. AMCS has a long, proud history of fighting for the Great Barrier Reef. They played a critical role in establishing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area. They stopped coral mining and oil drilling on the Reef decades ago. They are there every step of the way asking the Queensland and Australian Governments to make decisions in the best interest of the Reef and its communities, rather than deals with the mining companies and big developers.The future of the Reef hangs in the balance. Big decisions are being made that will have a lasting impact and ultimately determine if our Reef survives and thrives.

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Sonic Reef

Recordings provided by JASCO Applied Sciences - and international research group with over 30 years of experience in the science of underwater noise and its effects on marine life.

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Great Barrier Reef Soundscapes

These recordings were made between April and July 2013 at Wheeler Reef, on the Great Barrier Reef. They were collected as part of a collaborative project involving JASCO Applied Sciences and the Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture (CSTFA) at James Cook University.

The primary aims were to characterise the soundscape of a reef close to a large population centre and in a green zone; provide data which could be (and was) used to assist in verifying acoustic modelling of vessel traffic in the Great Barrier Reef off Townsville and provide data which could be used by CSTFA in acoustic performance validation of the acoustic tags used in their acoustic monitoring studies, and the possible detection ranges for tagged animals.

Data from this project provided an understanding of the ‘ecoacoustics’ of Wheeler Reef, including the characterisation of the contribution of natural, biological and anthropogenic underwater sounds at the location. Some of the highlights including the presence of humpback and minke whales during their migration, spawning aggregations of fish, and the contribution level from shipping.

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Ocean Noise

Marine species use sound to communicate and survive. Marine fish larvae use sound as a cue to settle on coral reefs. Ocean noise pollution, particularly from ship traffic, is highly disruptive and detrimental for marine life. The sound of ship traffic makes it impossible for many marine species to navigate and communicate in the ocean.

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Future of the Reef

The Carmichael mine would be the biggest coal mine ever dug in Australia. Once its coal is burnt, it will contribute more climate-changing pollution to the atmosphere than the entire country of New Zealand does every year. Last year record-breaking ocean temperatures triggered a devastating coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef – a natural wonder that visitors from every nation love. Another bleaching event is currently underway for an unprecedented second consecutive year. Pollution from burning coal is the single biggest driver of global warming, threatening life in Australia, India and all over the world.

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