POPULARITY
Each winter southern Australia hosts the return of Southern Right Whales from Antarctica, who come to warmer waters to calve. These mysterious whales were hunted almost to extinction during commercial whaling, but unlike other whales, their recovery has been much slower. New research suggests it may even have stalled.To find out why, and what that means for the oceans, we speak to researcher Anne Grundlehner at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. Her answers offer a fascinating insight into the world of these whales.Image: Southern Right Whale mother and calf. robdownunder/Flickr
As the oceans warm, marine life is on the move. In Australia, fish and other marine species are moving beyond their usual ranges to keep pace with climate change.What does that mean for marine ecosystems? To find out, we chat to Dr Barrett Wolfe from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, who is tracking the movement of species.Read Dr Barrett's latest research here >>. You can also help monitor marine life movement by getting involved with Redmap or the Reef Life Survey.Image: Sea urchins are one of the species moving south. John Turnbull.
In this episode of That's What I Call Science, hosts Dr. Olly Dove and Emma Hamasaki interview Ann Kristin Lund Johansen from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Originally from Norway and having studied in the UK before coming to Tasmania, Ann Kristin discusses her PhD research on the drivers of ice mass loss in East Antarctica. She explains the importance of studying ice mass loss for accurate sea level rise projections, her use of Full Stokes equations in her research, and how her international academic journey has shaped her scientific perspective. Beyond her scientific work, Ann Kristin shares her passion for dance, outdoor activities, and poetry, highlighting how these artistic pursuits complement her scientific research.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Dr Olly Dove (@olly_dove)Co-Host: Emma HamasakiProduction: Ryan SmithMedia & Promotion: Georgia Stewart (@ggstew25)
Don't you just hate it when you're out for a lovely swim in the ocean when all of a sudden your stomach starts rumbling? Well, thanks to one researcher at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, we might be closer to understanding what snacks are out there in the waters of lutruwita/Tasmania!Micah Landon-Lane joins Olly for today's episode, in which he tells her all about sea grapes: seaweed with the appearance of grapes and the potential for deliciousness. Alongside his PhD, Micah also advocates for living wages for PhD candidates, including being a founder of the group Fair Go for PhDs. Tune in to hear all about it!Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Dr Olly Dove (@olly_dove)Production: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)Social Media: Ella Burgun (@ebburgun)
Australia is surrounded by a network of 60 marine parks, and scientists are still making incredible discoveries about the wildlife that live in them.A recent scientific expedition to the Beagle Marine Park in Bass Strait discovered thousands of Port Jackson Sharks - a species normally seen in shallow coastal waters - gathered on the seabed. What exactly they're doing is a mystery still to be solved.In this episode we take a dive into the Beagle with expedition leader Dr Jacquomo Monk from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania and find out what makes this part of the ocean so special.The Beagle expedition is supported by the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program and a grant of sea time from the Southern Coastal Research Vessel Fleet (SCRVF). The SCRVF is a partnership between the South Australian Research and Development Program and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, with funding from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and support from the CSIRO Marine National Facility, to provide the marine research community with better access to coastal research vessels in Southern Australia. The survey is a collaboration between Parks Australia, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania) and the University of Western Australia. Image: Port Jackson Sharks gathering on the sea bed of the Beagle Marine Park. NESP-IMAS.
In our second episode of our polar environmental humanities series, we jump from the landscape paintings of the circumpolar north to the southern continent of Antarctica and speak with Dr. Elizabeth Leane at the University of Tasmania! As a Professor of Antarctic Studies, we discuss her work on perceptions of Antarctica historically and also sensorially. From pandemic misconceptions of cleanliness and silence on the continent to science fiction and Antarctic tourism, Leane walks us through the complex histories of the South Pole. We have one more episode in the series coming out next month! For more on Elizabeth: Twitter: @elizabeth_leane Email: Elizabeth.Leane@utas.edu.au LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-leane-ab10706b ASLE EcoCast: If you have an idea for an episode, please submit your proposal here: https://forms.gle/Y1S1eP9yXxcNkgWHA Twitter: @ASLE_EcoCast Lindsay Jolivette: @lin_jolivette If you're enjoying the show, please consider subscribing, sharing, and writing reviews on your favorite podcast platform(s)! Episode recorded March 26, 2024.
Red Handfish are one of the rarest fish in the world, with only about one hundred individuals left in the wild, living on two tiny reefs in south ast Tasmania.This summer, as a marine heatwave bore down on these critically endangered fish, scientists leapt into action to prevent the species' extinction, taking 25 Red Handfish out of the sea and caring for them on land until waters cooled.Now, they've been able to release nearly all of them back into the wild. We're joined by Dr Andrew Trotter from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania to learn about this extraordinary effort.Image: John Turnbull/Flickr.
Our guests today, Lennart Bach, at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, and Veronica Tamsitt, Head of Oceanography at the mCDR MRV company, Submarine, are two of the authors of a very interesting research article recently published in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles, titled “Identifying the Most (Cost-)Efficient Regions for CO2 Removal With Iron Fertilization in the Southern Ocean.” Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF) is really the “OG” of marine-based CDR approaches, with the Ocean Iron Hypothesis being advanced by oceanographer John Martin in the 1980s, and 13 field experiments ensuing over the course of two decades, beginning in 1993, with the last experiment conducted in 2009. It's fair to say that interest in OIF largely fell into abeyance for a protracted period of time. However, recently, largely due to the efforts of researchers at Woods Hole, including Ken Buesseler, who we interviewed on a previous episode, as well as a spate of recent high-profile publications, OIF seems to be front and center again in the discussion of mCDR methods.In this episode we discuss some of the most pertinent issues to assessing the potential role of OIF in a marine CDR portfolio, including costs, risks, and legal considerations. We hope this interview can do justice to some of the article's most important conclusions.
What does it take to encourage young women and people of color to enter polar careers? On this episode of the Adventures in Learning Podcast, we meet Kimberly Aiken, a PhD student at the University of Tasmania, Australia, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Kimberly is currently undertaking a research project focused on building more diverse, equitable, and inclusive extreme and remote workforce environments. She has contributed to several outreach and advocacy platforms and currently co-leads the Diversity and Inclusion Community Practice Group with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC). In this episode of the Adventures in Learning podcast, we explore challenges and joys of being a person of color in polar STEM, skills and ideas necessary for engaging students, classrooms, and families in the polar regions, strategies for holding up diverse role models for children interested in STEM careers, and, of course, the mighty krill.1:30: Kimberly's untraditional pathway into Polar STEM/STEAM22:43: Carrying the weight of being a person of color in the polar world24:34 Covid and new directions27:33 Antarctic/Southern Ocean Coalition31:00 PhD work37:52 Intersectionality and polar work41:45: Impact of mental health and well-being on researchSponsor Ad46:16: Preparing children, teachers, and families for jobs that don't exist yet in a world of climate change54:35: Building strong 21st century learning skills56:32: Polar STEAM program and other resources for educators1:01:04: Real world examples of building Polar connections in classrooms1:05:01: Intersectionality and offering kids diverse role models in polar jobs1:08:48: Strategies and ideas to help educators and families get started in polar protection and climate change learning1:16:01: Coolest polar experience to date1:18:20: Hope in a changing world1:23:01: Tale of the mighty krillSupport the showRead the full show notes, visit the website, and check out my on-demand virtual course. Continue the adventure at LinkedIn or Instagram. *Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.
Ocean temperatures are at record highs in many parts of the world and Antarctic sea ice has reached its lowest level ever for winter, when it should be at its maximum extent. Meanwhile a new study warns that hugely important ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean could collapse in the next couple of years and UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres says we've entered the era of "global boiling".To make sense of these oceanic climate extremes, we speak to oceanographer Edward Doddridge from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.Image: Sea surface temperature anomalies (difference from average) on July 28 2023. Source: Climate Reanalyzer.
Philip Boyd joins Wil Burns and Anna Madlener in this episode of the podcast to discuss a recent publication, "Operational Monitoring of Open-Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Deployments: Detection, Attribution, and Determination of Side Effects". Phil discusses the technological and scientific focus areas necessary to enable operational monitoring as highlighted in the paper by him and his co-authors. This includes tools to be used, field implementation, reporting and verification and three guiding principles they have identified to enable operational monitoring.Philip Boyd is a professor of Marine Biogeochemistry at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.
In this episode, Olly and Emma talk to science communicator, Louise Creely, about her journey as a communication professional and how it has shaped her life. Lou walks us through her experiences as a storyteller from writing her own magazines in her bedroom as a child, to communicating complex science at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, and shares a few tricks to becoming a successful communicator. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Co-Host: Emma Hamasaki (@emmahamasaki)Production: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@emmahamasaki)
We know that fish come in all shapes and sizes, but have you ever thought about how their size affects their behaviour? Dr Amy Coghlan from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies tells Olly this week all about her work in sized-based marine ecology, and the depths she's (literally!) gone to for her research. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Production: Ryan SmithMedia & Promotion: Anna Abela
Two and a half years after joining the TWICS family, it's finally time for Olly Dove to tell us about her own work in STEMM!As a PhD candidate at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Olly researches the diving behaviour of two seabirds living here in Tasmania: little penguins and short-tailed shearwaters. Join Kate as she asks Olly all about her adventures in zoology and scicomm!Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Kate Johnson (@KatePlantPhys)Co-Host: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Production: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Media & Promotion: Anna Abela (@annoabela)
PhD candidates produce research outputs for universities, and are a valuable part of the academic workforce. Yet, they remain to be seen only as ‘students' and therefore do not qualify for an income, only a stipend.Did you know that the Australian federal government has the baseline for PhD stipends at 6% below the poverty line? Sadly, many universities don't see reason to pay above this legal minimum.Danielle Udy, having recently completed her PhD at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (a faculty at the University of Tasmania) has been a force for good in Tasmania, bringing this issue to the public eye in recent months.Tune in this week to hear Danielle and Olly candidly talk about the shocking reality for PhD candidates that have to struggle through at least three years on an unreasonable income. Danielle also tells us about the fantastic work she did within her PhD on the relationship between Australian rainfall and Antarctic snow, and her recent award for it. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Production: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Media & Promotion: Ellie Clapham (@EleanorClapham1)
Many of us want to see the Great Barrier Reef before it's too late. There's something about the experience of seeing its vast coral shelves in real life that makes it more real to us. And once we've experienced it, we might be more likely to care about it. In this episode of Think: Sustainability, we take a look at how tourism can create advocates, or sometimes citizen scientists, out of tourists. Tourism operators and scientists are working together to achieve common goals, and we see just what makes that relationship successful. Featuring: Gemma Gillette, PhD Candidate, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney Lorna Howlett, PhD Candidate, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney and Crew Member, Wavelength Cruises Hanne Nielsen, Lecturer in Antarctic Law and Governance, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Producer: Josh Green Presenter: Marlene Even Music: Epidemic Sound
The Australian Antarctic Festival was here in Hobart last week, including an exhibition at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. As part of the festivities, Olly led up a panel with four expert guests that come from different corners of the Antarctic workforce: Katie Marx, Dr Nicole Hill, Megan Woods, and Dr Sophie Bestley.When we think of Antarctic research, we often think of penguins and sea ice, or of the scientists that go on exciting adventures ‘down south'. But, as we hear from our panellists, there's so much more to Antarctica, and you can be just as much a part of the community from right here in Hobart.Megan Woods would like to acknowledge her views on diversity in Antarctic and Southern Ocean work have been powerfully influenced by Meredith Nash's work in this area, especially Moore and Nash (2021) and Nash (2022). Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Production: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Media & Promotion: Liv (@LivHolloway_)
On this episode of The Plasticology Project Podcast I speak with Peter Puskic. Peter is a PhD student at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. Peter's work is focussed on understanding the physiological impacts of plastic ingestion on organisms. By studying marine birds, primarily shearwaters, Peter has made some startling discoveries about just how much plastic is out there in the marine environment, and what impact this is having on marine life. I caught up with Peter from the research institute in Hobart, Tasmania. You can find out more about Peter's research by following his work on social media. Simply search Peter Puskic.
Professor Nathan Bindoff is a world renown physical oceanographer at the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. His research takes him on voyages of discovery where he documented the first evidence of changes in the Indian, North Pacific, South Pacific and Southern Oceans, and the earth's hydrological cycle from ocean salinity. He predicted fire catastrophes. His most recent work is studying the decline in oxygen content of the oceans. All of these global climate changes have been attributed to human activity. Nathan Bindoff is one of the lead authors contributing to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that are informing world leaders on climate policy.
Dr Lennart Bach is an ARC Future Fellow for Climate intervention at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, at the University of Tasmania. As a Marine Biogeochemist, Lennart has a special interest in marine plankton communities, the carbon cycle, and ocean-based solutions for the climate crisis.Here Lennart provides a nuanced overview of the ocean-based climate intervention strategies currently being considered.In this episode we discuss:• Lennart's background and his work as a biogeochemist• Carbon basics in the context of climate change • The marine carbon cycle, ocean acidification, calcification and what this all means for ocean life• The complexity of the ocean's food web and climate change impacts• The current state of carbon sequestration science• Climate change and ocean-based solution for removing CO2 – the pros and cons of various strategies• Opportunity for Tasmanians to become citizen scientists to get involved in Lennart's research on ocean alkalinity - Citizen Science Project• The importance of bringing about systemic change to address the climate emergencyTo view all the links to the websites and documents, make sure you visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.
At this time of year, the Antarctic should be rapidly cooling after its summer, and the Arctic only slowly emerging from its winter. But unexpected record temperatures in both regions have stunned scientists and expeditioners. What happened and what are the implications? Guests: Amelie Meyer, Fellow at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania & Chief Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes Damien Gildea, Mountaineer, author and Antarctic guide, Author of 'Mountaineering In Antarctica: Climbing In The Frozen South' (2010)
Enjoy nature? Well, do it while you can. We're losing as many as 200 species a day, scientists say – plants, animals, birds, bugs – with cascading effects for all other species, including humans. And it's humans – our factories, cars, planes and power plants, our sprawling cities and mono-culture farms – who have disrupted complex ecosystems and are speeding climate change. Dr. Gretta Pecl and Sakhile Koketso join this episode to discuss the many impacts of biodiversity loss, the challenges of combatting climate change at various scales, why biodiversity matters to all of us, and how our current trajectory is on track to making us the ‘crappiest ancestors ever' for all our future generations – though we still have time to avoid the worst, with the right actions now. Guest BiosDr. Gretta Pecl is a professor of marine ecology at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, and the Director of the Centre for Marine Socioecology. She leads many projects and initiatives, including the Future Seas project, the citizen science project Redmap Australia, and the Species on the Move conference. She is a lead author on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation. Sakhile Koketso heads Science, Policy and Governance at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). She has also worked with Whitebird Environ Consult Inc., the Green Climate Fund, the Kalahari Conservation Society, the United Nations Development Programme, and with national parks in Botswana, her country of origin.Guest Host BioTaili Ni, assistant producer of the COAL+ICE Podcast, is a program officer at Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations.Clownfish episode photo: Copyright Bing Lin.
Two global meetings are underway: COP26, in which world leaders are meeting to make new goals on addressing climate change, and COP15, the international meeting on biodiversity, where nations are discussing a goal to protect a third of the land and seas. Climate activist Greta Thunberg has criticised the meetings for just being a talk fest. So what's at stake?In this episode, we speak to Mibu Fischer from the CSIRO who recently published a paper on Indigenous management of the seas as part of the Future Seas project. Mibu explains how Indigenous rights are intimately bound to climate change and biodiversity loss.Also, Gretta Pecl from the Insitute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, explains how climate change is altering our southern seas, and questions whether simply protecting a third of the oceans is enough.
Lillian Stewart is a PhD Candidate currently focusing on waste management and marine plastics on remote islands. Harrison Talarico is very soon to complete his honours project using bioacoustics to monitor the phenology of short-tailed shearwaters.Both Lillian and Harrison are members of the Adrift Lab team, (at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania) a dedicated group of researchers studying all things adrift in the ocean.In this episode we discuss:• Lillian and Harrison's respective backgrounds and forays into the science world• The importance of science communication and translating science into practice for the general public• Acknowledging eco-grief and the impact on climate and environmental scientists and science students• Lillian's recent time on Lord Howe Island, and her new project work looking into plastic waste management• Harrison's honours project, studying the phenology of Tasmanian Shearwaters, and his current passion project; attempting to build a call recogniser to automatically detect shearwater vocalisations• The high percentage of anthropogenic debris ingestion in urban gull populations and why this shines a spotlight on our current waste management practices• Research findings highlighting birds as transporters of waste into marine and aquatic environments• The need for industrial and personal change in order to address our plastic waste problem• The importance of local and Indigenous knowledge in environmental science and stewardship• Future plans and goals for both Lillian and Harrison, and the benefits of working with Adrift Lab as a studentTo view all the links to the websites and documents, make sure you visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.
Bianca Keys is an honours student and Karli Mylius is completing her Master of Science, with both ladies involved in projects at Adrift Lab, Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. This is the third conversation we've had with members of the brilliant Adrift Lab team, discussing plastics and their impact on marine life – in particular seabirds and shorebirds.Bianca and Karli cover a lot in this conversation and provide us with a really good insight into just how multifaceted and complex this issue is.In this episode we discuss:• Bianca and Karli's respective backgrounds and their similar full-circle journeys to where they are now with Adrift Lab• The benefits of working with Adrift Lab as students• Bianca and Karli's respective projects with Adrift Lab, focusing on plastics in sea and shorebirds• The difference between seabirds and shorebirds and how the various species are exposed to plastics• Why birds ingest such large quantities of plastics in the first place• Marine life exposure to nano and microplastics and why this matters to us as humans• The surprising number of plastic particles that have been identified in seabird guano and how it then ends up in the environment• Future plans for both Bianca and Karli including upcoming publications• And a lot more!To view all the links to the websites and documents, make sure you visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.
The following Wild Chat is with Jemina who is a Marine Biologist at the Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. Currently Jemina coordinates the Handfish Conservation Project working tirelessly researching and collecting data to help recover these critically endangered fish.Jemina and her team have found waters of Tasmania are warming due to the East Australian Current bringing in warmer waters, which inevitably, is changing the fish and their habitats.The Handfish sure is a unique looking creature and as Jemina describes the warming waters are not the only issue involved in the decline of these fish.Make sure you do yourself a favour and visit the website http://www.handfish.org.au and find out more on how you can help by donating towards this project plus you get to see the weird and wonderful photos of these cold water fish.I really enjoyed learning more about what Handfish are and excited to see this project bring in more information so we can learn about our creatures of the sea.To connect with Jemina find her here:jemina.stuartsmith@utas.edu.auhttp://www.handfish.org.auhttp://www.facebook.com/handfishconservationprojectDon't forget to connect with me:http://www.instagram.com/australian_wildlife_educationEmail - jodie@australianwildlifeeducation.comEnjoy the following Wild Chat!
Terry Wilson is a pioneer in using global positioning systems (GPS) to understand the loss of Antarctic ice. She says Antarctica's bedrock is rising as the ice melts and this will have implications for rising sea levels and our ability to manage their effect over time. Terry Wilson is a professor emerita in the School of Earth Sciences and senior research scientist at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at the Ohio State University. This week she delivered the S.T. Lee Lecture in Antarctic Studies at the Victoria University Antarctic Research Centre.
Terry Wilson is a pioneer in using global positioning systems (GPS) to understand the loss of Antarctic ice. She says Antarctica's bedrock is rising as the ice melts and this will have implications for rising sea levels and our ability to manage their effect over time. Terry Wilson is a professor emerita in the School of Earth Sciences and senior research scientist at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at the Ohio State University. This week she delivered the S.T. Lee Lecture in Antarctic Studies at the Victoria University Antarctic Research Centre.
In this podcast we travel to Antarctica: the most remote, protected, and pristine place on Earth. But is this very special place under pressure? Chris Johnson, WWF-Australia, talks about just what is going on down there. Also in the show, Anna Kelly, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, discusses a very disturbing finding she and her team made last year.
Professeur Delphine Lannuzel de l'Université de Tasmanie fait le point sur les nouvelles recherches de IMAS-Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies sur ce qui va impacter les écosystèmes de la région de l'Arctique.
Conversation with Julie McInnes, Post Doctoral researcher at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies and recipient of the Hawke Fellowship - to develop a system of ecosystem monitoring using marine predators as sentinels of change in the southern ocean.
In this episode we're all about ocean plants. In Tasmania, 95% of forest-forming giant kelp have disappeared, as waters warm along one of the fastest heating coasts in the world. We speak to Dr Cayne Layton, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, UTAS, about a new project attempting to restore the kelp. And on the other side of the continent, Phd candidate Cristian Salinas is figuring out how much carbon is lost to the atmosphere when sea grass beds are destroyed: it's a lot.
A study released by the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies has shown a huge increase in the harvest of east coast sea urchins
Although Antarctica is the only continent without a case of COVID-19, the pandemic has already caused a great deal of disruption to the ATS governance regime, as well as to scientific research and the tourism industry. Some even foresee a shift in Antarctic geopolitics as a result of the coronavirus crisis. To analyze the range of potential impacts of COVID-19 on Antarctica in the short, medium and long term, this episode of Polar Geopolitics features Associate Professor Alan Hemmings, an expert on Antarctic governance and geopolitics at the Gateway Antarctica Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Dr Jennifer Lavers is a marine eco-toxicologist and seabird expert, Lecturer in marine science at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies in Tasmania, and researcher at Adrift Lab. Jennifer is also an AMAZING science communicator, and has featured in documentary films such as A Plastic Ocean, BLUE, and Drowning in Plastic. We talk about the scope and severity of the marine plastic pollution problem, Jennifer's research, and how we can beat plastic pollution.This is a two-part conversation, with the second (and final) part released next week.You can find out more about Jennifer and recent publications from Adrift Lab at https://adriftlab.org/jennifer For further information about Ocean Protect, check us out at www.oceanprotect.com.au See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nathan Bindoff is a world renown Professor of Physical Oceanography at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. He is optimistic about our world where humans decide the future to be a sustainable and transformed one that successfully reconciles climate change and our needs for food, energy, and all of life. When he commenced his career the question of climate change and whether the ocean state had changed was unanswered. His work took him on a voyage of discovery.
In this show scientist Lennart Bach from the Institute in Marine and Antarctic Studies in Tasmania talks about the possible side effects of negative emission technology, ocean acidification's effect on marine plankton communities and other thoughts on our climate future.
Global strikes for action on climate change occurred this Friday 20th September so this week we bring you a show that unpacks the impact of climate change in Tassie waters. Dr Cayne Layton from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies is a marine ecologist who studies the kelp forests that are the foundation of the spectacular, but often overlooked, Great Southern Reef. Kelp plays a vital role for marine life in temperate (colder) waters. Tune in to hear why a species of kelp specific to Tasmania is endangered. With Tasmania's eastern and southern waters warming 4 times faster than the rest of the world we need to know what effect this has for local marine life. Image: Dr Cayne Layton https://www.utas.edu.au/profiles/staff/imas/cayne-laytonHost: Niamh Chapman (@nchapmanTAS)Show Production: Olivia Holloway
Kirsty Nash (@nasherk) is the founder of ‘aKIDemic Life’ (@akidemiclife), a platform providing resources empowering parents to navigate life and academia. Kirsty is passionate about developing aKIDemica Life, sparked by the help she received during her first year of motherhood. It was only due to the great help she received from both health professionals and colleagues that she got back on track and was able to return to research part time. aKIDemic Life is her way of paying forward the help she received at a very difficult time. https://akidemiclife.com/ Kirsty is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Marine Socioecology in the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies in Tasmania, Australia. She is interested in the resilience of marine ecosystems and the functional and spatial ecology of fishes. Her research sits at the nexus between resilience theory and empiricism: she is particularly interested in testing the practical application of theory with empirical data and modelling. https://www.utas.edu.au/profiles/staff/imas/kirsty-nash https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=o479EwYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Born Loving the SeaClimate Change – It’s not okay anymore. Dr. Helen Phillips is a senior researcher in the area of physical oceanography. Her research is through the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. “There’s no biology in my area of oceanography. It is all physical science based on math and physics. I was a bit of a drifter as a young person and I think a bit of an introvert as well. Socializing didn’t come easily for me. But I enjoyed studying and I felt it a very rewarding thing. Math and physics were well-defined so when I answered a question correctly it was really obvious that it was correct. If you write an essay in English or history it’s a less exact science and maybe open to more interpretation of what is good and what is bad. So I liked the exactness of science. When I left school I did not really have a clear idea of what I wanted to be but I knew that science was part of my life. I had a boyfriend in my final year of high school and he was a bit distracting. I did not do as well as I perhaps should have given my comfort with studying. My parents were both doctors and I’m sure they had aspirations for me to become a doctor. My uncle was a sailor and when I would visit with him he would take me sailing. Definitely oceanography I thought. Yes. I entered the Flinders University in South Australia and there they had a department of Earth Sciences. So I studied oceanography and meteorology as I have always loved the sea.” Oceanography Research ‘Down Under’ University of Tasmania Link to Helen’s profile (https://www.utas.edu.au/profiles/staff/imas/helen-phillips) My interest and research is in studying the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. It flows all of the way around Antarctica and separates the warm waters of the subtropics from the cold Antarctic. We know that heat must cross this current because that’s how the Earth maintains a stable climate. It receives more sun around the equator and it loses a lot of heat around Antarctica and somehow there has to be a pathway from the incoming heat at the equator to the outgoing heat at the pole. Both the atmosphere and the ocean contribute to that cycle. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is like a big wall in the path of this movement of heat and so we need to understand the processes that allow the heat to move across the current. Eddies and the meandering of the current are a very key part of that story. So what we’ve learned in the Gulf Stream we are now applying to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and finding that it is very similar. We are seeing strengthening winds across the Southern Ocean which are causing the currents to generate more Eddies so then it’s becoming more unstable. Those Eddies are contributing to more rapid movement of heat. Everything is connected so the ocean temperatures are felt by the atmosphere and the ocean experiences change due to global warming. The amount of heat stored in the ocean increases and it has been increasing and it will continue to increase through global warming.” Partial Transcript (#) Information on some of the instruments, acronyms, etc.: (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an independent Australian federal government agency responsible for scientific research. Its chief role is to improve the economic and social performance of industry for the benefit of the community. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO maintains more than 50 sites across Australia and in France, Chile and the United States, employing about 5500 people. Federally funded scientific research began in Australia 103 years ago. The Advisory Council of Science and Industry was established in 1916 but was hampered by insufficient available finance. In 1926 the research...
This week we have a special co-host Nicole Hellessey from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Nicole’s work has focused on Antarctic krill oils and the krill fishery. For more information about Nicole follow her on Twitter (@PolarNicole). We interviewed Professor Stephen Nicol to ask the important questions, the krill fishery is sustainable? Here’s a link to more information on krill from his new book (https://islandpress.org/books/curious-life-krill).We also interviewed Laura Sutton on the use of krill oil for osteoarthritis. More info about trials running on this can be found here: https://www.menzies.utas.edu.au/research/diseases-and-health-issues/research-projects/karaokeAcknowledgements:Episode cover image: Stephen NicolIntro music: adapted Kevin McLeod Retro Future Nasty.
In this podcast, David Nicholson speaks with Dr. Jennifer Lavers from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. Dr. Lavers studies the shocking effects of anthropogenic debris on ocean ecosystems, in particular, seabird populations. Her 2017 report on extraordinary pollution levels has served as a global wake-up call on the deteriorating state of our oceans.
It is estimated that ocean plastics will outweigh ocean fish by 2050, according to a study by the World Economic Forum. There are at least 5.25 trillion plastic pieces floating in the oceans right now. Dr. Jennifer Lavers is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. She is a marine eco-toxicologist with expertise in tropical and temperate seabird ecology, plastic pollution (marine debris), invasive species management, and fisheries by-catch. Her research examines how marine apex predators, such as seabirds, act as sentinels of ocean health, and focuses on pollutants of aquatic ecosystems such as plastic, heavy metals, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and radionuclides. She is also very interested in science and conservation outreach. Jennifer also has an Erdos-Bacon number, as a star of the stage and screen, as well as of academia! I chatted to Jennifer about her work, starting with her article This South Pacific island of rubbish shows why we need to quit our plastic habit. Songs in this episode - all licensed under a Creative Commons License Happy Life - Fredji Acoustic guitar arrangement for song - TRow A new beginning - Bensound Buddha - Kontekst Sapphire - Tobu
This week, we present two stories of encounters with wild animals, from a seal named Crystal in Antarctica to a flatulent rhino in South Africa. Part 1: Science writer Ed Yong is confronted by a flatulent rhino while on safari. Part 2: In Antarctica, scientist Gifford Wong attempts to save a seal that has gone into “dive mode.” Episode transcript at http://www.storycollider.org/2017/8/11/zoology-stories-about-wild-animals _______________________________ Ed Yong is a science journalist who reports for The Atlantic, and is based in Washington DC. His work appears several times a week on The Atlantic's website, and has also featured in National Geographic, the New Yorker, Wired, Nature, New Scientist, Scientific American, and many more. He has won a variety of awards, including the Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award for biomedical reporting in 2016, the Byron H. Waksman Award for Excellence in the Public Communication of Life Sciences in 2016, and the National Academies Keck Science Communication Award in 2010 for his old blog Not Exactly Rocket Science. He regularly does talks and radio interviews; his TED talk on mind-controlling parasites has been watched by over 1.5 million people. I CONTAIN MULTITUDES, his first book, looks at the amazing partnerships between animals and microbes. Published in 2016, it became a New York Times bestseller, and was listed in best-of-2016 lists by the NYT, NPR, the Economist, the Guardian, and several others. Bill Gates called it "science journalism at its finest", and Jeopardy! turned it into a clue. Gifford Wong is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow working at the Department of State. He previously served in the Senate as the American Geosciences Institute Congressional Geoscience Fellow. He received his Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College, his Honours in Antarctic Studies from the University of Tasmania at Hobart, and his Bachelor’s degree in Asian American Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. He has done fieldwork in Greenland and Antarctica, co-developed and co-instructed a graduate-level science communication course at Dartmouth, and thinks penguins and unicorns are cool. Every now and again he is on Twitter as @giffordwong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Jennifer Lavers sees seabirds as sentinels of marine health. Are we listening to what they’re telling us? Her work as a scientist attached to the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies focuses on birdlife, but recently she's been looking to art and fashion to help get the message out too. Jennifer appears in the new film Blue about the state of our seas. And she’s working with her friend Marina De Bris, who shows her ‘trashion’ concept (fashion garments made entirely from ocean plastic rubbish) on the runway. In this Episode, Jennifer tells the story of her research on remote Henderson Island in the South Pacific and its debris-littered beaches. What happens to plastic when it enters our waters? What’s the deal with bioaccumulation? Why are microplastics linked to the fashion industry? How can we turn the story of ocean plastic around? The WARDROBE CRISIS show notes unpack the issues addressed in each Episode. Way more than just links, it's like a mini magazine! Head over to www.clarepress.com/ to read yours and #bethechange Music is by Montaigne www.montaignemusic.com.au/ Finally, if you enjoyed the show, we’d love you to leave a review on iTunes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2017-05-02 Special EnglishThis is Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.An international medical journal's retraction of 107 research papers from China, many of them by clinical doctors, has reignited concerns over academic credibility in the country. Tumor Biology, a journal published by Springer Nature, announced a couple weeks ago that it had retracted the papers after an investigation showed the peer review process had been compromised. Peter Butler, editorial director for cell biology and biochemistry at Springer Nature, said the articles were submitted with reviewer suggestions, which had real researcher names but fabricated email addresses.Butler told Shanghai-based news website The Paper that the editors thought the articles were being sent to genuine reviewers in the discipline. Following investigation and communication with the real reviewers, they confirmed they did not conduct the peer review. Peer review is an evaluation of work by one or more people of similar competence to those who produce the work, which helps validate research. The online notice about the retraction lists all 107 articles and 524 authors, nearly all of whom are clinical cancer specialists from China. The hospitals named are all top public institutions. This is Special English.Chinese citizens' personal information and the country's important data collected by Internet service providers may need evaluation and permission before being shared with non-domestic entities.A draft guideline has been released for public opinion by the Cyberspace Administration of China. According to the guideline, Chinese citizens' personal information should be kept within the country and be subject to security assessment before being provided to anyone outside China. The document says that to sell someone else's personal information, one must get permission from this individual.For data related to national security, the economy or public interest, the seller should coordinate a security evaluation with the authorities. The evaluation will ensure online data is managed legally. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. China's air quality monitoring network is to be expanded to cover a wider area, especially at the grassroots level, to facilitate scientific and effective control of airborne pollution. By March, more than 5,000 monitoring stations had been built across China. They are managed by the environmental monitoring authorities at four levels, namely State, provincial, city and county levels.The China National Environmental Monitoring Center operates 1,500 State-level monitoring stations nationwide. The center ensures that the data collected are independent of local government oversight to prevent interference and guaranteeing accuracy and authenticity. The 5,000-plus monitoring stations test for six "criteria" of airborne pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10 and sulfur dioxide, across different regions and locations. This is Special English.China imposes some of the world's toughest driving restrictions for cars, and now the checks and controls are expanding to the bicycle-sharing industry.Police in Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province have clearly said they are considering restrictions on the use of shared bikes, especially during the holidays, to prevent road congestion and public disorder.Police said that around 520,000 bikes have been put on the streets in the city in the year since bike sharing began.A growing number of people are taking the colorful two-wheelers to work or using them for recreation, which has brought some challenges. For example, over the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday last month, paths at a local park became seriously clogged with bikes, while careless parking of the bikes often blocks traffic as well.The police are partnering with bike-sharing companies to monitor the number of bikes in designated areas. Under the plan, if the accumulation of bikes in an area hits a certain number, a warning system will be activated that prohibits bikes from entering. Cyclists will be notified at the same time via a mobile app.A limit on the number of bikes will also be enforced, along with temporary bans in certain public areas during peak seasons.You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Australian researchers have compiled an unparalleled database detailing the almost 6 trillion tonnes of global fishing since 1950.The database was created by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. It was based on more than 800 million fishing records from 1950 to 2014.During the 65 years covered by the records, fishers from 193 countries caught almost 6 trillion tonnes of fish of 1,400 different species. Among them, 900 million tonnes have been taken illegally.Reginald Watson, who collated the data, said the database illustrated that the global fish population was finite.Watson said the database brings together every major international statistical collection of fisheries data since comprehensive records began, providing unique insights into the industry.He said more than 860 million fishing records have been compiled into a single harmonized view and mapped down to tiny spatial cells, so people can see where fishing has been happening and how it's changed over time.Watson said despite a plateau in recent years, the annual rate of fishing has grown from 27 million tonnes of fish taken in 1950 to 120 million tonnes in 2014.Since 1950, fisheries have moved further offshore and greatly intensified. People now have more vessels of a greater size and larger storage capacity. They are spending longer time at sea and fishing in deeper waters.This is Special English.A new study suggests that the system of grid cells, known as the brain's global positioning system, is more complicated than anyone had thought before.While the brain needs some basic navigational instruments to get around, just like a driver in a car, researchers have found that brain cells are similar to speedometers, compasses, GPS and even collision warning systems.However, researchers with Stanford University in the United States report that human brains map out the world in a more complex way. Some of the neurons in the internal navigation systems look a lot like speedometers or compasses. Many others operate flexibly, each one encoding a dynamic mix of navigational variables, like a compass that somehow transforms into a GPS when driving downtown.The project began in 2014, when scientists got a Bio-X seed grant to take a closer look at how the brain finds its way around. The same year, a Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of grid cells, which are specialized neurons that help animals keeping track of where they are in their environments.The findings of that time said that while some neurons fell within the ballpark of how a grid cell was supposed to behave, most provided only noisy, error-prone navigation, like a GPS on the fritz. That led the researchers to wonder whether the brain had a way to correct those errors. In 2015, they reported that the brain does have a way: boundary cells, so named because they fire when nearing walls and other landmarks.You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.Car models supporting autonomous driving and Internet-based services are bright spots at the 2017 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.A total of 113 models of car made their global debut at the auto show, which has attracted more than 1,000 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions. The 1,400 complete vehicle exhibitions included 160 new energy vehicles and 56 concept cars.The theme of this year's show is "Committed to a Better Life".The Shanghai-based electric vehicle startup Nio made its much-awaited domestic debut at the show. The company brought a model of its concept driverless car EVE, whose interior space is designed as a living room.Li Bin, founder of Nio, said that when humans are freed from driving, the car would be transformed into a space for relaxation and entertainment.Domestic auto maker Roewe unveiled its new model i6 16T, featuring a smart operation system that has access to mobile payment tool Alipay.When the driver gets on the car, the system tells them to bring an umbrella if it is going to rain. It can select routes based on real-time road conditions and the driver's habits, and can even help order and pay for take-away coffee.Another model of the carmaker, the RX5, carries a similar system. Sales of the new model have exceeded 140,000 since it was released eight months ago.German manufacturer BMW also brought new models to the show. The new models feature intelligent driving.This is Special English.Beijing is taking steps to improve its vehicle parking management by encouraging the construction of parking facilities and imposing stricter penalties for illegal parking.The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transportation released a draft of its new parking regulations recently. The document is available for public comment until May 10.A shortage of parking lots has become a serious problem in Beijing, as the number of cars in the city continues to grow. Researchers say it requires integrated efforts in planning and management to improve the situation.According to the draft regulations, police will set up parking areas along secondary roads near communities that have a shortage of parking lots.For residential communities and government buildings that can sufficiently meet their own parking demand, the authority encourages them to open their parking facilities to the public and charge fees.For existing parking areas, the government should work on raising their efficiency by improving charging systems and making full use of parking spaces in residential communities and commercial areas, as well as office buildings.Beijing's planning and transportation departments should work together to make use of spare land by building more parking facilities, especially multi-level garages, and install smart parking systems.You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Cameras captured images of a panda in a nature reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province three years after it has been released into the wild.The pictures and videos of the panda were taken at a nature reserve in the Yi Autonomous Prefecture in late February.Researchers identified the panda as one they released into the wild in 2013 and its name is Zhangxiang. The panda is living in a suitable environment where it can find enough bamboo. After further investigation, researchers revealed that the panda was in a normal physical condition.The findings also prove that the panda has moved from one group to another. This marks another success in releasing pandas into the wilderness in China.Zhangxiang is a female giant panda born in 2011. It was released in 2013 following two years of wilderness training. This is Special English.Almost 20 years after being stolen, a 1,300-year-old stone Buddhist pagoda has been returned to its home of Shanxi province in northern China with help from pilgrims across the Taiwan Straits.The almost 2-meter-high item is part of a 3-meter-high pagoda. Based on inscriptions, scientists say the pagoda was built in 720 AD. It was included in the province's first list of key protection cultural relics in 1965. However, the top part of the relic was stolen away in 1996, and the rest became missing two years later. Only the foundation and certain parts were left at the site. The facade of the pagoda were carved with Buddhist scriptures and decorated with colorful paintings. (全文见周日微信。)
Listen as Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic; and Director, Europe Program on a discussion of history and its modern, geostrategic applications in the Arctic. Featuing Dr. Kristine Offerdal, Associate Professor, Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, Dr. Nilufer Oral, Member of Law Faculty, Istanbul Bilgi University and Dr. Alan D. Hemmings, Adjunct Associate Professor, Gateway Antarctica Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research, University of Canterbury.
The ‘Under the Icecap‘ art and science collaboration aims to illuminate the fundamental connection between human activities and planetary dynamics, by creating an experimental installation and performance series that will visualise and sonify scientific and statistical datasets. In essence Under the IceCap renders complex environmental bio-logging data-sets collected by Southern Elephant Seals on their under-ice dives and open ocean transits with economic and climatic data, combining them to form 4D cartographic animations, sonifications and live performative and sculptural forms. The byeline for the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies is Turning Nature into Knowledge. The Under the IceCap project supplies a second line Turning Knowledge into Culture encapsulating a powerful Art and Science synthesis and simultaneously raising the expectation but also the risk of the endeavour. The complex bio-logging data collected by Southern Elephant Seals on their dives in the Antarctic (and collated as Surface Wind Speed, Depth with Salinity, Depth with Temperature and Ocean Bottom with Bottom Density) are transcribed onto the punch paper music-box system. This a crude but effective Digital to Analogue sonification of data values. This simple prototype illustrates the potential to render tens of simultaneous data streams onto a pianola or disc-klavier for ‘live’ performance. The primary aim is to produce creative work which is compelling and affective but is at the same time a work of scientific utility tapping into both sides of the brain! The key focus is the relationship of the environmental knowledge generated from Antarctic bio-logging data with the Anthropogenic changes in the biosphere. In “Biologging Retrofit” the complex streams of bio-logging data has been transcribed using a punch tape system on a series of multi-note range music boxes as a short live performance which made its debut at the Australian Computer Music Conference (Sydney 2015). The work was subsequently recorded and broadcast by ABC Radio National and re-presented at the International Conference of Auditory Display (Canberra 2016).