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Point of DiscoveryAuthor: University of Texas at Austin, College of Natural Sciences, Marc Airhart
Behind every scientific discovery is a scientist (or 12) and a story. Point of Discovery takes you on a journey beyond WHAT we know to HOW we know it. Along the way, listeners will meet the sometimes quirky, always passionate people whose curiosity unlocks hidden worlds. Music by: Podington Bear. Learn more at: http://pointofdiscovery.org DISCLAIMER Point of Discovery is part of the Texas Podcast Network, which is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. Language: en Genres: Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Can Tiny Bubbles Help Save the Planet?
Episode 59
Thursday, 22 May, 2025
Seagrasses are more efficient at storing carbon in the soil or sediment, acre for acre, than a tropical rainforest. That could make them a powerful tool for slowing the rapid rise of atmospheric CO2. The ability to quantify how much carbon a specific seagrass bed stores over time could help governments, businesses and environmental groups better manage these natural carbon sinks. Ken Dunton, a marine biology professor and Preston Wilson, an engineering professor may have found one weird trick to measuring carbon storage in seagrass beds: listening to the sound of tiny bubbles.With current technologies, being able to accurately measure how much carbon a seagrass bed stores from year to year takes a lot of time, people and money. It requires going out and physically digging up plants and sediments and bringing them back to the lab and spending days analyzing them—and doing this repeatedly over time. The new method Dunton and Wilson are developing relies on a simple idea: As seagrasses turn sunlight into energy, they absorb carbon dioxide from the water, store the carbon in their roots and other tissues and release the oxygen back into the water, some in the form of bubbles. The more bubbles a seagrass plant emits during the day, the more carbon it stores. By continuously measuring the sound intensity, they can infer how much carbon is stored over time.Episode creditsOur theme music was composed by Charlie HarperOther music for today’s show was produced by: Podington BearCover image: Concept for a new way to infer carbon storage in seagrass beds using sound intensity recorded with hydrophones (black). Illustration credit: 5W Infographics. About Point of DiscoveryPoint of Discovery is a production of the University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences and is a part of the Texas Podcast Network. The opinions expressed in this podcast represent the views of the hosts and guests, and not of The University of Texas at Austin. You can listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS, Amazon Podcasts, and more. Questions or comments about this episode or our series in general? Email Marc Airhart.
