Ocean Insight and Georgia Aquarium team up to create better habitats by exploring light and its impact on aquatic environments.
Georgia Aquarium holds 10 million gallons of water and is home to over 1,000 species of all shapes and sizes from seahorses to sharks, piranhas to penguins.
The aquarium is on the leading edge of creating the very best habitats for what they call their “animal ambassadors,” creatures living in captivity who create a bridge to the natural world and help us understand the importance of ocean conservation.
Aquarium staff are dedicated to learning more about natural habitats and using technology to recreate the water, air and light conditions that animals need to thrive. Monitoring these conditions can be challenging, requiring the best technical solutions and expertise available.
Species have different lighting needs to support their natural life cycle such as feeding, molting and breeding. For example, turtles depend on light to synthesize vitamin D3 to maintain strong, healthy shells. Corals, on the other hand, need a different segment of the spectrum to support photosynthesis. Other animals require total darkness for certain periods, which requires a way to measure very low levels of blue intrusion light that can cause disruption.
The scientists at Georgia Aquarium believe that we are just beginning to understand all the ways that light affects aquatic life, and are committed to deepening the understanding of these phenomena and sharing their findings with other scientists.