Sea Power – Solutions from our Oceans and Rivers

Our seas and oceans are an impressive force of nature, but they also hold the potential for innovative new environmental solutions.

Autor*in Mark Newton, 05.04.22

Translation Sarah-Indra Jungblut:

The Earth’s oceans often come with some impressive statistics. Water covers 71 percent of the planet’s surface, and our seas and rivers home to 50-80 percent of our biodiversity. But our oceans and waterways often come with some less desirable statistics: there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean, one third of all sharks and rays are threatened with extinction and the ocean is warming at a rate of around 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade.

But, some of the solutions to these issues can perhaps also be found at sea. At RESET, we covered a number of innovative technologies intimately connected to our oceans and rivers.

Lab-On-a-Fish: The New Biosensor Being Described as ‘Fitness Tech for Fish’

As humans tamed rivers and waterways, they also intruded into the natural cycles of many fish species. Hydroelectric dams in particular have often blocked traditional migration and spawning routes. Solutions such as fish-ladders have been devised, but how effective are they actually? The ‘Fitbit for Fish’ wants to find out just how stressful these new journeys are for the fish who make them.

Read more here!

Can Artificial Whale Excrement Restore the Natural Balance of the Ocean?

One side-effect of there being less whales, is there being less whale poo. But it turns out whale excrement plays a fundamental and important role in the natural cycle of the ocean. A laboratory is now using bio-mimicry to add artificial whale faeces to the seas.

Read more here!

Could Dumping Corn Waste into the Deep Sea Solve our Carbon Woes?

Ocean dumping is not usually seen as a potential way to help the planet, but one project is doing just that. By sinking corn waste deep into the ocean, where it will take centuries to decompose, researchers hope to lock carbon away for the long term. But could there be a danger of the ocean depths becoming the Earth’s new trash heap?

Read more here!

Seawind: Twin-Bladed Offshore Turbines That Can Weather the Toughest Storms

Offshore wind has the potential to become a huge energy resource. But tapping into it comes with many issues. Although the wind is more reliable over the seas and oceans, its also stronger and potentially dangerous to turbines. A new radical design to turbine looks to change this.

Read more here!

Could Dumping Corn Waste into the Deep Sea Solve our Carbon Woes?

We're already used to seeing bales of corn waste in our fields, but could they soon become a familiar sight on the ocean floor?

Dutch Startup Replicates Hydropower on the Seafloor With Innovative Energy Storage System

A new approach to storing renewable energy looks to recreate the process of hydroelectric dams under the ocean.

A Simple Technological Solution Could Save Endangered Marine Animals and Make Fishermen More Money

LED lights on nets have long been theorised as a method of reducing bycatch, but only now has a full scientific study been conducted into their use.

ARC: Bubbles and AI Robotics Combine to Clear Plastics from Polluted Rivers

A student-led initiative in Zurich called Autonomous River Cleaning (ARC) wants to tackle plastic pollution in rivers with a robotic vessel that can gather, sort and analyse waste.

IVF For Coral Reefs: ‘Coral Babies’ Grow to Maturity in Breakthrough Restoration Research

With coral IVF proven to work, researchers turn to robots and citizen science to deliver the new aquatic 'bundles of joy'.

Is the Ocean Cleanup Back on Track? New System Starts Cleaning Up the Pacific Trash Patch

The last version of the Ocean Cleanup's concept failed out at sea, but now a new version is cleaning up the waves.

Mussel Power: Can Molluscs Help Clean Up the Microplastic Crisis?

UK scientists are investigating a natural solution to microplastic pollution in our oceans: mussels. These molluscs serve as efficient water purifiers, but can they make a real dent in our pollution problem?