Virtual Lab and the Underwater World

Because very few people, including myself, do not have the first-hand experience of diving into the underwater world or come into contact with coral reefs on a regular basis, these (colorful) coral reefs could disappear without our notice if we don’t pay attention to the carbon-dioxide emission. Ocean acidification, which is often mistaken for acid rain, refers to the process in which the ocean becomes more acidic by soaking up the carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere – and coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to the acidification effects. Basically, the ocean absorbs (invisible) human-caused carbon-dioxide molecules and as a result, coral reefs degrade and many marine lifeforms disappear as the underwater ecosystem becomes acidified.

I have only recently found out about this through a Youtube video, which is best viewed on a smartphone for the 360-degree experience:

In the video, Stanford researchers have designed, through virtual reality technology, an educational and virtual stimulation that allows participants to experience first-hand account of what coral reefs would look like by the end of the century if we do not reduce our carbon-dioxide emissions, as well as factors that contribute to ocean acidification. This first-hand account may also help legislators see contributing factors they hadn’t previously witnessed, allowing them to make more informed decisions relating to policy issues.

It’s nice to see that virtual technology can make an impact in the real world by sending participants to critically endangers ecosystems to raise awareness of the threats surrounding these areas, because one of the common misconceptions about VR devices is that they are mostly for gaming. I enjoying watching these videos and learning about science from platforms you don’t normally expect to see scientifically related contents, because virtual reality technology was orginally developed for entertainment purposes and science contents are just not considered “trendy” on Youtube. In an article I have recently stumbled upon, one Dutch non-profit company has found a way to allow disabled people to “swim” with dolphins through virtual reality, which allows these people to drift around a pool and watch dolphins playing around them. I thought this idea was equally interesting – because I can imagine being around dolphins (even if it is virtual) to be both therapeautic and joyful – and this may even solve the controversial issue of using captive animals. And not long ago, researchers use virtual reality technology to create empathy and to confront issues such as racism and sexism by allowing participants to embody a person of color or of different sex.

While virtual reality technology encounters a number of challenges and conerns including health and safety, and privacy and technical issues, the lack of awareness and action on climate change, I believe, is way more harmful than these virtual diasasters – and according to an article from the Washington Post, half of the world’s coral reefs have died in the past 30 years. Sometimes, I am surprised by how little we know of the things happening under the ocean and how little attention we pay to the underwater world. With the holiday approaching, I do want to end on the note that I am thankful for these people who go out of their ways to create in rich details these virtual coral reefs to bring to our attention and find solutions to some of the pressing issues surrounding the world thousands of feets deep below us – the one that we often come to neglect and take for granted.

— Jason