Innovation
Citizen science: An app to help casual seafarers save the ocean
Next time you're out sailing with friends on a Saturday afternoon, don't forget the cold beer...and new software that records declining plankton levels.
Phyting for their lives: Many scientists believe that phytoplankton like these are in decline.
Worried about what some marine scientists say is an alarming decline of plankton? You should be, because the little things underpin the ocean's food chain. Bigger creatures eat them for nourishment. Without plankton, it could be bye-bye to the fishes in the seas.
Alas, if you are a sailor, even a casual one, you can help. Next time you head out boating on a Saturday afternoon, as you pack the cold beer and the sandwiches, there's something else that you should bring. And you can put it right on your smartphone or tablet computer.
Scientists at Plymouth University in the U.K. have developed an app that allows you to easily enter data about the presence of plankton, the BBC reports. Users can subsequently load the information into a giant database that includes readings from around the world, providing a big picture of international plankton comings and goings and perhaps giving clues about solutions (editorial comment: novel nuclear reactors could help).
It's another example of the "crowdsourcing" trend of using technology to enlist the help of the masses, and not the first time it has taken to the high seas. Another maritime project is recruiting people to record ocean depths. In a different twist, one crowdsourcing company is seeking assistance in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
Basically, it's a patterned, oversized dinner plate attached to a tape measure that you lower into the water. The further you can submerge the disk while still seeing its pattern, the clearer the water and by inference, the less phytoplankton. Enter that depth and your geographical coordinates into your app, upload it to the database later, and you've been a good soldier in the war to save plankton. You can get the free app here.
What - you don't have a Secchi Disk? No worries. Learn how to make one here. And dive deeper into the project at the New England Ocean Odyssey website.
One other thing before you shove off from the dock: Don't forget the sun screen.
Photo is from Gordon T. Taylor/Stony Brook University via Wikimedia
Another way to boost plankton:
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com