A Study of Ultrasonic Effects on the Marine Biofouling Organism of Barnacle, Amphibalanus Amphitrite

Abstract

Marine biofouling generates serious impact on the marine industries, in particular in the shipping industries. Among the fouling organisms, barnacles are a major problem due to their sizes and gregarious nature. In this thesis, a systematic study of ultrasound on barnacle is investigated.

Firstly, the effect of high intensity ultrasound on barnacle cyprid settlement, mortality, and exploration behavior was explored and the inhibitory mechanism was verified to be ultrasonic cavitation. Also, low intensity ultrasound application in an intermittent mode in a low frequency range produced the same effect as with the continuous ultrasound application.

Furthermore, the effect of ultrasound on cyprid temporary adhesive protein and juvenile barnacle?s adhesion strength was explored using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nano-tensile tester, respectively.

Finally, the effect of cavitation bubbles on the removal of juvenile barnacle was studied using high speed photography.