本人最近参加了一年一度的Ocean Exchange峰会，并度过了不少有趣的时刻。参与其中的同时，我希望了解保护海洋的各种技术与方法的革新。让人喜出望外的是，这些进步在其他领域带来的可能性和实用性都让我大开眼界。
I recently attended the annual Ocean Exchange event and came away with quite a few “a-ha” moments. What I was struck by in particular was that, going in, I expected to learn about all sorts of innovations and advancements in technology and methodologies to protect and preserve our oceans. And I did. What I didn’t expect was to have my eyes opened to all the possibilities and practicalities these advancements might have in other industries and sectors.
我受多家公司邀请，担任三场$100,000赠款的评委会成员。每家公司的路演内容都引发了巨大的思考，其中Lios公司（一家“致力于消除噪音污染”的公司）更加引人入胜，使我联想到了相关的问题，并考虑了其他影响。Lios一直致力于应用所谓的“触变材料”来对抗海洋噪音污染，海洋噪音污染可能会对水生海洋生物造成危害和破坏。
I was invited to serve on a judging panel for a number of companies competing for three generous $100,000 grants. While each and every one elicited tremendous food for thought, one presentation by Lios, a company “striving to eradicate noise pollution,” sparked quite a few “a-ha” moments, allowing me to connect some dots and consider additional implications. Lios has endeavored to apply what’s known as “thixotropic materials” to combat marine noise pollution, which can be harmful and disruptive to aquatic sea life.
不可否认，在次之前，我对噪音污染对海洋生物的有害影响是了解不足的，根据新斯科舍省Dalhousie大学生物学系Linda S.Weilgart博士发表的白皮书指出：
Linda S. Weilgart, Ph.D.
Dalhousie University
大多数的海洋生物（包括海洋哺乳动物和鱼类）对声音是十分敏感的。噪音在水下的传播距离远，可覆盖范围广。并且有可能阻碍海洋生物感知到猎物或捕食者，迷失路线，或者与配偶、种群、后代的联系。鲸鱼和海豚物种多样性的减少与地震噪声的增加有关。海军声纳不仅杀死了鲸鱼个体，甚至可能杀死了当地物种隔离的鲸鱼种群。无脊椎动物如龙虾、螃蟹和虾也会产生噪音影响。噪音使鱼类无法感知声音，导致捕获率大幅下降，引起应激反应，并干扰了鱼类的交流、学习，以及可能的栖息地选择。
I confess to not knowing enough about the harmful effects of noise pollution to marine life prior to this event, but according to a white paper published by Linda S. Weilgart, Ph.D. in the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia:
Most marine animals, particularly marine mammals and fish, are very sensitive to sound. Noise can travel long distances underwater, blanketing large areas, and potentially preventing marine animals from hearing their prey or predators, finding their way, or connecting with mates, group members, or their young. Decreased species diversity in whales and dolphins was related to an increase in seismic noise. Naval sonar has killed individuals and perhaps even genetically-isolated local populations of whales. Invertebrates such as lobster, crab, and shrimp also show noise impacts. Noise has deafened fish, produced dramatically reduced catch rates, caused stress responses, and interfered with fish communication, schooling, and possibly the selection of suitable habitat.
Lios的创新是噪音抑制材料的进步，因为它在静止时是固体，然后在受到能量的作用时变得更像液体。因此，该产品比传统上用于对抗噪声污染的其他材料具有优势。据说他们的产品是：
-比传统材料纤薄3倍
-比传统声学材料更有效
-采用无毒环保材料制成
-可持续，因为它可以在使用周期结束时回收
Lios’s innovation is an advancement in noise suppression materials in that it’s solid at rest and then becomes more liquid-like when subjected to energy. As a result, the product has advantages over other materials traditionally used to combat noise pollution. Their product is said to be:
- three times thinner than traditional materials
- significantly more effective than traditional acoustic materials
- made using non-toxic eco-friendly materials
- sustainable, as it can be recycled at end of life
同一时刻，我开始设想这种创新可能应用于其他很多行业。在我的职业生涯中，我一直与汽车原始设备制造商合作，他们一直在不懈地追求新技术，以降低车辆的噪音和振动。对于航空航天，甚至国防，也亦是如此。我还想到了Martec在建筑和施工领域的众多客户，他们使用隔音材料和绝缘材料来消除地板和墙壁的噪音传导。
Almost immediately, I began to envision the other myriad business sectors for which such an innovation might be applied. Throughout my career, I’ve worked with automotive OEMs who are in a never-ending pursuit of new technologies to reduce noise and vibration in vehicles. The same could be said for aerospace, and even defense. I also thought of Martec’s numerous clients in building and construction, who use sound damping materials and insulation to eliminate noise conduction through floors and walls.
纵观全球隔音市场，根据Markets and Markets的数据，到2026年全球隔音市场预计将从目前的140亿美元增长到170亿美元以上。
Global Acoustic Insulation Market at a Glance. It turns out that the global acoustic insulation market is projected to grow from $14 billion today to more than $17 billion by 2026, according to Markets and Markets.
正如Lios在讲台上所说的，“声学材料就在我们身边。”
与Ocean Exchange会场有如此多演讲和想法一样，对我们的海洋和环境有好处的东西对其他行业和应用也十分有益处。我赞扬所有致力于保护地球上71%被海洋覆盖的地区的创新者们，感谢他们的同时提出的一个谦逊的请求，即相邻部门借鉴这些创新，并将其技术应用于地球上其他29%的地区。
As Lios states in their pitch deck, "acoustic materials are all around us."
As was the case with so many pitches, presentations and ideas buzzing around Ocean Exchange, what’s good for our oceans and environment can be great for other sectors and applications as well. I applaud all the innovators working to protect the 71% of our planet covered by oceans and thank them with a humble request that adjacent sectors borrow from such innovations and apply their technologies to the other 29% of the planet.
