Breaking Waves

On today's episode, we explore the intricacies of a coral reef fish's life and how sound plays a critical role in its survival. We are joined by Dr. Tim Gordon, a marine biologist from the University of Exeter and reknowned science communicator. Tim updates us on his ongoing research, teaches us how healthy soundscapes promote coral reef regrowth after damage, and discusses his hopeful and uplifting perspective on working in ecosystems that are currently in crisis. 

It's easy to picture what the Arctic Ocean looks like, but have you ever thought about what it sounds like? On today's episode, we explore the underwater sounds of the Arctic and how soundscapes can be used to learn about underwater ecosystems. We are joined by two of the leading researchers in ocean acoustics Dr. Kate Stafford and Dr. Jennifer Miksis-Olds.  Dr. Kate Stafford is a senior principal oceanographer at the Applied Physics Lab and an affiliate associate professor at the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. Dr. Jennifer Miksis-Olds is the director of the Center for Acoustic Research and Education, a University of New Hampshire (UNH) research professor in the School of Marine Science & Ocean Engineering, and a researcher at the UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. 

On this episode of Breaking Waves podcast, hosts Ben Gottesman and Sarah Von Hoene usher you deeper into the soundscape rabbit hole. What is a soundscape, really? What can we gain from eavesdropping in on systems on the brink, like kelp forests? And lastly, urchins… make… sound?! Dr. Craig Radford from the University of Auckland joins us to answer this age-old quandary.  

On today's episode, we chat with fish-sound-guru and amazing marine bioacoustician Dr. David Mann about his unconventional introduction into the field of bioacoustics, how fishes communicate using sound, and the new, affordable, open-source acoustic tagging technique he hopes to introduce to the scientific research community. Dr. David Mann did his Ph.D. at the Joint Program in Biological Oceanography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and now runs Loggerhead Instruments.

In today's episode, we discuss the ever-so-important question that conservation scientists across research fields face: How do we make more people care? To explore this question, we are joined by Patagonia-sponsored environmental advocate, coral reef ecologist, and professional ultrarunner Clare Gallagher, who shares her experiences and insights related to this topic.