The SeaBank Chronicles

There’s a submersible in the SeaBank supply closet. Locate that—and some thick socks. We’re off to find some hooligan, and they like it cold.   Hooligan are a forage fish that spawn in glacial-fed SeaBank rivers where ideal temperature and salinity conditions support the survival of this rich species. Made of 20% oil, hooligan are a link between essential fatty acids found in plankton and the rest...

Sensors in your smart shirt indicate you're overheating. Follow the voice of your radio operator to the shelter of a forest canopy. This adventure in the cooling power of trees is sponsored by Earthjustice . You’ve worked up a sweat groundtruthing the SeaBank ecosystem. Lucky for you, there’s a forest in your future—a place where temperatures dip to human-friendly levels beneath feathery western h...

Grab all the foul-weather gear you can find—in this transmission, you’ll trek across a tumultuous landscape in search of resilience strategies for wild Alaska salmon. Sponsored by Acme Smoked Fish. Ice-age glaciers, volcanoes, tectonic motion, windstorms, and flooding are all part of the package when it comes to salmon’s biggest defense against climate change: genetic diversity. While Alaska is ho...

You're cold. You're wet. You're hungry. Come in out of the rain for a classic SeaBank dinner. This culinary adventure is sponsored by Sitka Seafood Market. After groundtruthing the SeaBank ecosystem, it's time to gather around a crackling fire in a cozy SeaBank outpost to explore a delicious recipe—miso and soy-glazed sablefish. Amid a collage of lively cooking sounds and musical soundtrack that f...

What's your boot size? There's a pair waiting in your Stikine River jet boat. This birding adventure is sponsored by Audubon Alaska. Step into another universe during the Stikine River Shorebird Festival, which takes place near the SeaBank outpost of Wrangell each year in late April. You’ll travel a 27,000-acre intertidal delta to reach an otherworldly expanse of silvery mudflats where shorebirds—...

That noise? It's your helicopter. Put on your headset and climb aboard! This trip to Canada's boreal forest is sponsored by Salmon Beyond Borders. Step aboard the Coho Cruiser helicopter for a flyover of the Taku River watershed, a 4.5-million-acre transboundary salmon stronghold that connects the SeaBank and boreal forests of northern British Columbia. Learn why this ecosystem is a global hotspot...

Do you copy? Weather data shows it's a beautiful day in the SeaBank. Pull out your snorkel and prepare to dive in. Sponsored by Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. In this transmission about Alaska's coastal rainforest ecosystem, you’ll combine a snorkeling excursion in SeaBank waters with an immersive economics lesson on negative externalities. While floating amid the sounds of seagulls and be...

Episode Notes Go ahead—knock on any door. Logbook 1, Transmission 7. In the final episode of this season, find yourself in the path of a powerful coastal storm. Follow instructions from your radio operator and seek shelter in the communities of Southeast Alaska. Protected by the might of ancient forests and sturdy wetland buffers, residents of these resilient SeaBank outposts are gathering to shar...

Episode Notes Logbook 1, Transmission 6. Even rainforests have sunny days. It’s time to put on your hiking boots and climb a SeaBank watershed. Along the way, learn about the relationship between watersheds and Southeast Alaska’s ultimate ecosystem engineer: salmon. But prepare yourself—you’ll also encounter the well-kept secret of transboundary mines. Test a tailings pond for heavy metals and hea...

Episode Notes Logbook 1, Transmission 5. Travel to the SeaBank’s deepest realm—the Gulf of Alaska. Start by examining a photograph of an icy glacial plume where it crosses the coastal boundary, then consider the mystery of why Southeast Alaska’s offshore waters are among the most biologically productive in the world. But danger lurks, too. Learn how industrial trawling threatens food security and...

Episode Notes Good news from your radio operator. You receive a supply box in this transmission—pilot bread, chocolate, and the latest research in carbon science. Weather patterns are changing across the world, including the SeaBank. Yet scientists are hopeful about the carbon-sequestering might of Southeast Alaska. Discover why cool, wet temperate forests like the SeaBank contain the world’s most...

Episode Notes An ecosystem with four dimensions? In this transmission, survey the SeaBank’s interconnected habitats (forests, glaciers, estuaries, offshore waters) and enter their fourth dimension: time. Learn about ecological succession, the transformational powers of wind, and dynamic equilibrium—a state of balance amidst constant change. Enjoy the sounds of windchimes, time passing, and songbir...

Episode Notes In this transmission from your radio operator, take a trip back in time to hear how the SeaBank foundation formed nearly half a billion years ago, what conditions aligned to create its coastal temperate rainforest, and the benefits to human communities that arose as a result. Learn about orogeny, orographic lift, and adiabatic cooling—all of which play a part in the SeaBank’s unrival...

Episode Notes Do you copy? Follow the voice of your trusted radio operator to a climate refuge. Take a 7-minute journey into the SeaBank—a bank in and of the sea where ecological riches find refuge. Pull a map of Southeast Alaska from your pack and pencil in the boundaries of this rare ecosystem, then discover why scientists believe its coastal temperate rainforest and connected marine perimeters...