Oceanography

We may need to remove carbon from the atmosphere—can the ocean help? Biomass-based marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) explores whether natural ocean processes can help store carbon for the long term. Oceanographer and biogeochemist Dr. Morgan Raven explains how organic carbon moves through marine systems, why low-oxygen environments like deep-sea brines and fjords may enable long-term carbon sequestration, and what scientists still need to understand before these approaches can scale. This episode explores marine carbon dioxide removal, carbon sequestration, blue carbon, and ocean biogeochemistry, while addressing uncertainty, environmental risk, and the role these strategies might play alongside emissions reduction. A clear, grounded look at one of the most complex and debated frontiers in climate science.Support our science communication by joining us on Patreon or sending us a gift on PayPalEpisode Guests: Dr. Morgan RavenReview Dr. Raven’s publications on Google ScholarCheck out the work of the NOISE LabListen to COP30: Oceans on the Rise? for more on mCDR 10 New Insights in Climate Science for 2025 by Future Earth Episode Transcript  and more information on the Pine Forest Media websiteFollow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmediaHosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese Cover art by Jomiro EmingTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts belowListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

What is biocultural coastal conservation — and why does it matter for the future of our oceans? In this episode, conservation scientist Juan Carlos Cruz of the Amazon Conservation Team explains how Indigenous knowledge and Western marine science are being woven together through the Ancestral Tides initiative.Across Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, and Suriname, coastal Indigenous and local communities are protecting sea turtles, coral reefs, mangroves, and critical nesting beaches using community-based conservation strategies. This work combines biological monitoring, sea turtle tagging, hatchery protection, GPS tracking, fisher partnerships, and livelihood-based conservation — all grounded in ancestral knowledge systems.We explore: • What biocultural conservation actually means • Why sea turtles are biocultural keystone species • How Indigenous-led conservation strengthens marine ecosystems • The connection between coral reefs, fisheries, and food security • How land and sea conservation must work togetherSea turtles migrate thousands of kilometers across oceans — linking forests, beaches, reefs, and coastal communities. Protecting them requires protecting the full ecological and cultural system they move through.This conversation highlights a growing global shift: conservation that centers community leadership, respects traditional knowledge, and recognizes that protecting biodiversity also means protecting culture.Support our science communication by joining us on Patreon or sending us a gift on PayPalSpecial thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.Episode Guests: Juan Carlos CruzVisit the Amazon Conservation Team websiteVisit the Ancestral Tidesw webpageReview the Ancestral Tides Annual ReportEpisode Transcript  and more information on the Pine Forest Media websiteFollow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmediaHosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese Cover art by Jomiro EmingTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts belowListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Ocean trenches are Earth’s deepest habitats—and they’re full of life. This episode is a guided dive into the hadal zone (6,000–11,000 meters), where tectonic plates create steep trenches that plunge toward the mantle. Learn what trenches are geologically, what conditions are like at full ocean depth (cold, pressure, darkness), and why the deep sea isn’t a single ecosystem—each trench is its own world. You’ll also get myth-busting on how “the abyss” shows up in pop culture, plus an inside look at the technology that makes trench science possible: multibeam mapping, baited landers, and human-occupied submersibles. Finally, we explore the big research questions scientists are asking about biodiversity, evolution, and connectivity across the deepest ocean.Support our science communication by joining us on Patreon or sending us a gift on PayPalSpecial thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.Episode Guest: Professor Alan JamiesonListen to the Deep Sea Podcast!Browse Professor Jamieson’s publications on Google ScholarVisit the Hadal Zone Deep Sea Research Center and follow their work on InstagramEpisode Transcript  and more information on the Pine Forest Media websiteFollow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmediaHosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese Cover art by Jomiro EmingTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts belowListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

What is the deep sea — really? Deep-sea researcher Dr. Thom Linley (Curator of Fishes at Te Papa Tongarewa, National Museum of New Zealand) breaks down the deep ocean as a connected world with distinct zones, ecosystems, and rules — not one mysterious “blob.” From the bathyal and abyssal to the hadal trenches, this conversation maps what’s down there, how life survives crushing pressure and perpetual darkness, and why the deep sea functions as the engine under the hood of the entire planet.This episode explores:What counts as “deep sea” (and why the definition is changing)The major deep-sea zones and how they blend into each otherWhale falls — the deep ocean’s sudden “feast events” and the strange life they powerWhy trenches can be food-rich funnels (and why that matters)How deep-sea animals adapt at the molecular level (cells, fats, enzymes)The technology that makes deep-sea science possible: landers, traps, cameras, and autonomous systemsThe reality of deep-sea pollution: plastic and “forever chemicals” showing up even at extreme depthsWhy museum collections are time capsules for future ocean scienceAnd this is part one of a deep dive: next episode continues into ocean trenches and the hadal zone with Prof. Alan Jamieson, co-host of The Deep Sea Podcast.If you’re into thoughtful mythbusting, weird deep-ocean ecology, and the real logistics of studying a place humans can barely access — you’re in the right place.Support our science communication by joining us on Patreon or sending us a gift on PayPalSpecial thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.Episode Guests: Dr. Thomas LinleyListen to the Deep Sea Podcast!Browse Dr. Linley’s publications on Google ScholarEpisode Transcript  and more information on the Pine Forest Media websiteFollow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmediaHosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese Cover art by Jomiro EmingTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts belowListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Ocean oxygen shapes marine life in ways most of us never think about. This episode explores how oxygen enters the ocean (air–sea exchange and photosynthesis), how it circulates through surface waters and the deep sea, and why scientists track changes in oxygen over time. Learn what oxygen minimum zones are, how they form, and what they can mean for midwater ecosystems in the mesopelagic (“twilight”) zone.Featuring research that uses fossil fish ear bones (otoliths) preserved in seafloor sediment, the conversation looks back thousands of years to reconstruct a past oxygen shift in the Mediterranean—and what long-term records can teach us about ocean dynamics today.Support our science communication by joining us on Patreon or sending us a gift on PayPalSpecial thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.Episode Guests: Dr. Sven PallacksFind Dr. Pallacks’ publications on Google ScholarRead Dr. Pallacks’ article,  Ocean deoxygenation linked to ancient mesopelagic fish decline. Visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute websiteVisit the O'DEA Lab hereEpisode Transcript  and more information on the Pine Forest Media websiteFollow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmediaHosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese Cover art by Jomiro EmingTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts belowListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Making marine biodiversity visible for everyone Marine biodiversity is vast, complex—and mostly out of sight. In this “ocean story hour” episode, a Paris-based science communicator, Anabelle Chaumun, shares how to translate marine research into stories people can actually feel and remember. We explore why misinformation spreads faster than evidence, why ocean issues can feel distant, and how storytelling (and images) can make the invisible ocean world tangible. Anabelle also introduces EMBRC (the European Marine Biological Resource Centre) and how its network of marine stations supports research that improves food safety, sustainable aquaculture, and ecosystem understanding across Europe. Along the way, we dig into solutions-oriented communication, ethics, representation, and documentary photography as a tool to amplify communities often missing from environmental narratives.Support our science communication by joining us on Patreon or sending us a gift on PayPalSpecial thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.Episode Guests: Anabelle ChaumunConnect with Anabelle Chaumun on LinkedInVisit the European Marine Biological Resource Center (EMBRC) websiteCommunications: for science and society, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Espace by Anabelle ChaumunArtists residencies as part of the TREC expeditionEMBRC's latest annual report 2024EMBRC's websiteA few examples of applications of EMBRC research:Portugal: Preventing a deadly dinner: How EMBRC Portugal’s marine research is keeping dinners safeGreece: Innovative disease control strategies in marine aquacultureEMBRC Political RecommendationsEpisode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media websiteFollow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmediaHosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese Cover art by Jomiro EmingTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts belowListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts