Event 3: Noise Aquarium

I attended the Noise Aquarium exhibit for my third event of the quarter. I was not sure what to expect when I walked in, but it was very interesting to learn about the purpose of the noise aquarium and how the exhibition worked. The Noise Aquarium is a simulation to exemplify the noise pollution that plankton and small organisms experience in the oceans. Enlarged plankton are portrayed on screen, and as the plankton moves closer to the individual, the noise becomes amplified to simulate how plankton may experience anthropogenic noise.

This is me balancing on the platform.

Although tiny, plankton are essential to the Earth’s ecosystem, not only being a primary foundation in the marine food chain but also contributing to about 70% of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere. This shows just how important and critical plankton are, yet these micro creatures may be greatly affected by noise sources. When in the Noise Aquarium, it gives you an idea of how much of an impact the participant creates with destructive visual and audio noises.

The result of someone being unbalanced - noise pollution.

The presentation of the Noise Aquarium was quite interesting, as the microscopic organisms (portrayed as large as whales) on the screen are actually real organisms that were tomographically scanned and then transformed into 3D models. I think the relationship between science and art is so prevalent in this example, as science and math were used to create the correct proportions of the creatures on the screen, yet art was crucial for the portrayal to be realistic.

One of the microscopic organisms / plankton.

When you are actually doing the presentation, you must stand on a platform and try to be perfectly balanced, as being out of balance creates underwater noises - noise pollution. Once fully balanced, the plankton becomes very large and the participant can hear whale songs, which I thought tied together the experience well. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the impact humans are having on other organisms, as it is important to be aware and concerned of our effects on Earth.

Picture of me at the Noise Aquarium.