Tuesday 31 March 2015

Electrifying the ocean


Getting electricity underwater? This doesnt really sound serious or even possible. Even if it is possible with the technology available nowadays, what is the purpose of electricity at the bottom of the ocean??

Well, surprisingly, getting the ocean 'electrified' could save our marine life and increase biodiversity.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150506-why-we-should-electrify-the-ocean

So what is really happening?

The new technology used is called "biorock technology".
It was originally developed by marine scientists Thomas Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz.

The system is basically a stell rod structure with the current running through it. Electricity interacts with the minerals in the seawater and limestone begins to grow on the structure.Throughout time, the limestone that builds up, gets solid and acts as a skeleton, creating a perfect environment for the marine breeding.The whole idea is to speed up the growth of the corals and to make the heal faster.

When divers spot a coral that has been injured, they move it onto the Biorock structure, the results are amazing! The process of healing gets 20 times faster and the coral has 50 times more chance to survive!
But the Biorock is not only helpful for the coral healing, it is also beneficial for fish population, providing shelter and surely, making the quality of the water better.

The size of the structure is not limited, the only limitation with the biorock system is that it need to get power. It has to be constantly connected to electricity.

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