Oceanography

A legendary research ship’s final sail. For nearly 50 years, the R/V Endeavor served as a floating laboratory for ocean science—supporting 700+ expeditions, training generations of students, and enabling research from CTD/rosette water sampling to seafloor mapping, deep-sea coring, and long-term climate and ecosystem monitoring. In this episode, the ship’s operations manager Brendan Thornton and l...

COP30’s biggest fault lines, explained. In this final installment of our COP30 arc, we zoom out from Belém to map the conference’s defining tensions: ambitious speeches versus stalled outcomes, science-led urgency versus market-led “solutions,” and the growing leadership of the Global South. We unpack why carbon markets remain so contested, what “net zero” really allows, and how China’s energy tra...

The ocean took center stage at COP30. This episode of Oceanography explores how ocean science, policy, and lived experience shaped the climate conversations at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. From marine carbon dioxide removal and blue carbon ecosystem restoration to funding gaps and governance challenges, the episode traces how the ocean is increasingly framed as both a climate solution and a site of urg...

Voices from Belém COP30 brought global climate negotiations to Belém, a city where the Amazon meets the sea. This episode offers a grounded introduction to the conference by centering the people who live there. Activist Catarina Nefertari and artist and event producer Danilo Pontes share what the event meant for their communities, the environmental challenges facing Pará, and how local experiences...

Dive into the ocean’s rainforests and how to save them. This episode explores the science and hope behind seaforestation —the restoration of underwater kelp forests that sustain marine life, capture carbon, and protect our coasts. Joined by Scott Bohachyk of OceanWise and James LaFlamme of the Tseshaht First Nation, Clark uncovers how innovative science and Indigenous stewardship are teaming up to...

  Film sparks action: from screens to shorelines. In this episode of Oceanography , host Clark Marchese talks with Julie Anderson, CEO and co-founder of Plastic Oceans International, about the Trees & Seas Film Festival and its “participatory film activism” model. We explore how curated films connect to on-the-ground efforts in global Blue Communities, turning awareness into cleanups, tre...

Turn seawater into a species map. In this episode of Oceanography , host Clark Marchese talks with OceanOmics director Dr. Michael Bunce about how eDNA (environmental DNA), DNA barcoding, and genomics reveal what’s living in the ocean—from microbes to megafauna—using just a few liters of water. We follow the journey from deck to lab, then into powerful, human-friendly AI dashboards that translate...

Antarctica’s Hidden Carbon Vault — Beneath the icy surface of the Southern Ocean lies a powerful ally in the fight against climate change: Antarctic blue carbon. In this episode of Oceanography , host Clark Marchese speaks with marine ecologist Dr. Narissa Bax about how deep-sea coral gardens, sponge fields, and seafloor ecosystems around Antarctica are quietly locking away carbon for thousands of...

Oceans at Climate Week: What We Learned in NYC — From hopeful storytelling to emerging ocean science, this special solo episode of Oceanography brings you inside New York Climate Week through the lens of the sea. Host Clark Marchese shares how oceans shaped this year’s conversations — from Indigenous leadership and NOAA’s challenges to groundbreaking coral restoration and marine carbon removal. Di...

What is the Ocean Twilight Zone? Explore the mesopelagic (200–1000 m) and why it’s central to climate, fisheries, and biodiversity. Ocean Conservancy’s Chris Dorsett explains daily vertical migrations, lanternfish and vampire squid, and the biological carbon pump that shuttles carbon to the deep. We unpack emerging pressures—industrial harvest for fishmeal/fish oil, deep-sea mining plumes, and mar...

Antarctic fish with antifreeze blood are revealing critical clues about evolution and climate change. In this special crossover episode from South Pole , marine biologist Dr. Jilda Alicia Caccavo from the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace joins us to explore pelagic notothenioids — fish uniquely adapted to the icy waters of the Southern Ocean. Learn how their antifreeze proteins, colorless blood, and...

How do you tell the difference between sound science and pseudoscience? In this special feed drop from All Around Science , we explore the red flags that signal when claims aren’t backed by real evidence — and how to think critically about the information we encounter every day. At Pine Forest Media, our mission is to make science more accessible, reliable, and engaging. That doesn’t just mean sha...

Dive into Ghana’s coral future with Coral Reef Restoration Ghana, a nonprofit bringing new life to reefs and new opportunities to young scientists. Founder George Amadou and cinematographer David Selasi Kuwornu share how their groundbreaking Dive Lab—the first of its kind in Ghana—trains marine biology students to scuba dive, explore coral reefs, and capture stories through underwater film. We dis...

Discover how Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protect our oceans and why California is home to the largest connected network in the world. In this episode, we sit down with Jamie Blatter, climate specialist and tribal liaison at the California MPA Collaborative Network, to explore how MPAs are created, maintained, and measured for success. Learn about the science proving their impact, the importance...

Tiny ocean drifters are shaping Earth’s climate. Microzooplankton, some no larger than a grain of sand, are crucial players in the biological carbon pump — the system that moves carbon from the atmosphere into the deep sea for long-term storage. In this episode, PhD candidate Erin Jones explains how these single-celled organisms regulate climate, why their diversity matters, and what NASA’s EXORTS...

Glowing sharks & blue beaches spark curiosity— journey with marine ecophysiologist Dr. Laurent Duchâtelet into the luminous world of ocean bioluminescence. Discover how lantern sharks, dragonfish, plankton and more deploy living light for hunting, hiding and flirting; why wavelengths shift from blue to green to rare red; and how decoding luciferin–luciferase chemistry is powering pollution sen...

Why the UN declared an Ocean Decade -  The United Nations Ocean Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) is more than a global framework—it’s a chance to rethink how science informs action. In this episode, Alison Clausen, Deputy Global Coordinator of the Ocean Decade at UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, explains what the Decade is aiming to achieve b...

Plastic straws and sea turtles collide in this episode featuring marine biologist Dr. Christine Figgener, whose viral 2015 video of a straw pulled from a turtle’s nose launched a global anti-plastic movement. We explore the long history of sea turtles, the modern threats they face from plastic pollution, and how science and activism can work together to drive change. From migration research to mar...

How deep sea worms eat without a mouth is just one of the astonishing discoveries in this episode with microbial symbiosis expert Dr. Shana Goffredi. We dive into the strange and beautiful world of methane seeps and hydrothermal vents, where animals form life-saving partnerships with chemo synthesizing bacteria. From feather duster worms powered by natural gas to mixotrophic anemones thriving in v...

Fish full of pharmaceuticals. Submarine groundwater discharge is quietly delivering human contaminants—like heavy metals, fertilizers, and even antidepressants—into our oceans. In this episode of Oceanography , marine geochemist Dr. Tristan McKenzie explains how these hidden pathways are impacting coastal ecosystems around the world. Drawing from fieldwork in Hawaii and Sweden, he breaks down the...

Episode Description: Whales whisper, volcanoes rumble, and fish sing at sunset. In this episode of Oceanography , host Clark Marchese explores the science of underwater sound with marine biologist and bioacoustics researcher Dr. Jesús Alcázar-Treviño. You'll learn how toothed whales use echolocation to hunt in the deep sea, how volcanic eruptions reshape marine soundscapes, and why some whales may...

New tech is making waves in marine science. In this debut episode of Oceanography , we dive into the world of innovative fishing gear designed to protect endangered species—especially the North Atlantic right whale. Guest Megan Amico, a fisheries biologist with NOAA, shares how scientists and fishermen are working together to reduce harmful bycatch through smart design, including on-demand lobster...

Oceanography is a marine science podcast about the research happening beneath the surface—literally. It’s where your favorite science 101 class meets environmental journalism, with weekly conversations featuring marine biologists, oceanographers, and climate scientists from around the world. One week we might explore whale communication or how sound travels underwater; the next, we’re looking at f...