Alumni of the University of Essex matchfunded £250
By
Madeline St Clair Baker
Indonesia
I'm raising £3500 to fund my MSc thesis research in Indonesia this summer. I shall be heading to the heart of the coral triangle to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic (man-made) noise of coral reef fish. The funds I raise will go towards my expedition costs; I will spending 8 weeks researching on a remote island with NGO Operation Wallacea.
Hi! My name is Maddie, I'm a 21 year-old Tropical Marine Biology Master's student. I would consider myself a writer, photographer, dive junkie and all round adventurer! Oh, and of course, I am completely obsessed with the ocean... Prior to embarking upon an MSc at the University of Essex, I graduated from the University of Exeter in 2017, obtaining a BSc in Biological Sciences.
So, let's talk about noise! From the sound of motor boats to the drilling of oil rigs, anthropogenic noise literally means human-made noise. Noise pollution is probably one of the lessor known stressors of the ocean, but if you recently saw the finale episode of Blue Planet II you may know a little bit about it. Man-made noise has been shown to affect fish by:
My research will be investigating the impacts of noise pollution on the feeding behaviour of fish.
But why is this coral reef research so important?! Here are some quick (& fun coral) coral reef stats:
To conclude, if we can provide evidence to show that noise pollution negatively affects marine life, we can get governments to implement better management strategies to make sure that it doesn't add more stress to coral reefs!
What will you spend the funding on?
The cost of conducting the research is £3500, with money being paid directly to the NGO, Operation Wallacea. Research costs include:
If even only the minimum amount, £500, is reached, it go towards my flights, visa and internal travel. As a student and a scientist, I largely have to rely on grants and the goodwill of others to carry out my research. However near you can help me get to my overall goal of £3,500 will lessen the burden on me to meet the shortfall with further fundraising. Marine biology is known for not exactly being lucrative and I will not get paid to carry out my investigation this summer... so every little contribution will go such a long way!
If you think that my project sounds like something that you would like to donate to, there are some fab rewards on the right hand side to thank everyone for pitching in!
Follow my journey this summer on instagram: my handle is @mads.ocean . I will also be writing blog posts throughout my journey on www.themarinediaries.com .
Thank you for showing interest in my research this summer! If you would like to know how you can help me succeed, keep reading...
Select this reward if you just want to donate to the project without receiving a reward.
6 claimed
A personal email message from me whilst in Indonesia, containing photographs from my research.
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Estimated delivery: 1 October 2018
If you donate £10 or more, you will receive an email update containing photographs AND a 4x6" underwater photo print, which will be posted to you in October
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Estimated delivery: 1 October 2018
Donations of £20 or more will receive an email update containing photographs & FIVE 4x6" photo prints of my expedition, which will be posted to you in October
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Estimated delivery: 1 October 2018
As a thank you for your contribution, you will recieve an email update containing photographs, FIVE 4x6" photo prints, a hand-written thank-you note AND a small trinket from Indonesia which will be posted to you in October.
0 claimed
Estimated delivery: 1 October 2018
Wow - £100!!! As a HUGE thank you, you will recieve an email update containing photographs, FIVE 4x6" photo prints, a hand-written thank-you note, a small trinket from Indonesia which will be posted to you in October, AND access to a dropbox album of photos of my research for you to download and enjoy.
0 claimed
Estimated delivery: 1 October 2018