Marcela is a Marine Biologist from the Austral University of Chile and has a Master's Degree in Strategic Management and Project Evaluation. With more than 8 years of experience in the area of development of productive promotion and strategic management, she was Manager of Development and Innovation of Clean Energy, and is currently director of Acústica Marina, a company of Hydroacoustic Technology led by women, headquartered in Valdivia. In this news interview of "Mujeres de Mar", we learned more about her history, motivations and challenges leading a company that seeks to create technological solutions for environmental problems.

Why should we be concerned about noise pollution in the ocean?

Any type of contaminant whether on land, atmosphere or water should concern us because it alters ecosystems. Regarding noise pollution in the ocean, we should be concerned because, among other things, it masks the biological sounds that many species use to communicate, as is the case of cetaceans, one of the most studied groups in this regard, but it also affects smaller fauna such as marine invertebrates. If the fauna is not healthy, the health of the seas and oceans is in danger, therefore, in the medium and long term ours too. We must remember the role that these bodies of water play for our planetary sustainability.

How can you help ocean conservation by monitoring your sounds?

In this case, the quantification of sound pressure levels will allow establishing a regulatory framework capable of regulating how much acoustic energy each anthropogenic source can emit on the system and how much is the tolerable range. This is the importance of globally traceable data monitoring, that is, with calibrated equipment that ensures accurate measurement. On the other hand, the relevance of open data being available to all who wish to investigate, regulate and/or use; it is the present future in which we are and are going to live. Our proposal is to work with the available technology that facilitates the analysis of data in real time and under international traceability standards.

 

http://maryciencia.org/mujeres-de-mar/marcela-ruiz-2/