Oceanography | Marine Science and Ocean Stories

Bioluminescent water that glows brilliantly to the human eye, but nearly disappears on camera. Why is something so spectacular so difficult to film?

In this special crossover episode from our sister podcast Green Frequency, environmental filmmaker and researcher Dr. Isabelle Carbonell takes us to Bio Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico, one of the brightest bioluminescent bays on Earth.

Through the science of bioluminescence and the history ...

Plastic is everywhere. We know that. But what can we actually do about it? In this episode of Oceanography, host Clark Marchese speaks with Dr. Anja Brandon, Director of Plastics Policy at Ocean Conservancy, to work backwards through the lifecycle of plastic and ask which solutions can actually make a difference.

Starting with plastic already in the ocean, they explore why targeted cleanups still matter before moving upstream to...

Plankton made life on Earth possible. So why do we know so little about them? In this episode of Oceanography, Clark speaks with Vincent Doumeizel, Senior Adviser on the Oceans to the United Nations Global Compact and author of The Power of Plankton. Together, they dive into the extraordinary world of organisms drifting through our oceans, from their role in producing oxygen and shaping evolution to their influence on the carbon cy...

How do we measure the ocean? Nicolas Pade, executive director of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre, joins Oceanography to explore the technologies making ocean observation possible, from satellites and autonomous floats to biological sensors, imaging and AI. We examine what scientists can already measure, why marine biodiversity remains so difficult to observe, and how individual data points become baselines, models an...

What does it mean to be queer in oceanography? In this special episode, nine LGBTQ+ scientists and ocean professionals share, in their own words, what it has meant to build lives and careers around the sea. Their work stretches from phytoplankton, deep-sea food webs, marine bioacoustics, and microbial ecology to ocean acidification, coastal pollution, fisheries, and marine protected areas. Across very different lives and discipline...

Not every ocean story gets heard. Ocean science and conservation work happens around the world, but research does not automatically reach the public, policymakers, or even other parts of the ocean community. So what determines which stories break through, and who helps important information travel further?

Giacomo Abrusci, founder of Seven Seas Media, joins Oceanography for a conversation about ocean communication, science media, an...

Not long ago, the race to catch fish was pushing some U.S. fisheries toward collapse. Fishing seasons became shorter, boats went out in dangerous conditions, and fishermen, scientists, regulators, and conservationists often saw one another as enemies. So how did they begin working together?

Amanda Leland, executive director of Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of Sea Change, tells the story of the unlikely coalition that ...

 Satellites can reveal what is happening at sea. SkyTruth founder John Amos explains how seeing previously hidden oil slicks from space changed the course of his career, and why he believes environmental data should be free and public. The conversation follows satellite imagery, AIS vessel tracking, and machine learning into tools such as Global Fishing Watch and Cerulean, which make fishing activity and ocean pollution easier...

Naming ocean life is the first step toward protecting it. In a live conversation with his former professor, host Clark Marchese asks marine biologist Dr. Manuel Caballero Gutiérrez how many species live in the sea and why the answer remains uncertain. The episode follows marine taxonomy through deep-sea expeditions, DNA analysis, museum collections, and formal species descriptions, connecting species discovery with marine biodivers...

What happens at the deepest points of the ocean? This week on Oceanography, we’re sharing a special feed drop episode from Deep Sea Pod, hosted by Thomas Linley and Alan Jamieson — two scientists many of you may already recognize from previous Oceanography episodes like What Is the Deep Sea Even Like? and Ocean Trenches Explained.

In this episode, Professor Alan Jamieson takes listeners on a deep dive into the hadal...

Where does climate change stand as 2026 unfolds? This Green Frequency crossover steps back from the ocean to assess the wider climate system. Climate scientist Dr. Claudio Piani and student activist Averie Gannon examine global emissions, the Paris Agreement, renewable energy progress, and why every fraction of a degree still matters. It is a grounded climate change 2026 briefing on what is improving, where the gaps remain, and why...

Elephant seals collect data where ships rarely can. In this South Pole crossover, Dr. Clive McMahon explains how animal-borne sensors turn deep-diving southern elephant seals into partners in Southern Ocean monitoring. The tags collect temperature, salinity, depth, and ocean productivity data, especially during the Antarctic winter. The episode also explores seal behavior, population decline, Antarctic Bottom Water, climate monitor...

Solar geoengineering is also a question of power. Hassaan Sipra of the Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering explains the governance and climate justice issues surrounding solar radiation modification. The conversation centers Global South and climate-vulnerable communities, meaningful participation, consent, research transparency, and the absence of robust international rules. It also makes clear that climate inte...

Cleaner ship fuel created a climate experiment. Meteorologist Dr. Michael Diamond explains how shipping emissions influence cloud formation above the ocean and how the IMO sulfur cap changed that signal. Combined with disruptions to major shipping routes, the policy gave researchers a rare natural experiment for studying aerosols, clouds, and climate. The results also inform current questions about marine cloud brightening without ...

Reflecting sunlight would also change the ocean. Dr. Kelsey Roberts explores stratospheric aerosol injection through ocean and marine ecosystem models. The conversation examines possible changes to sea surface temperature, ocean chemistry, net primary production, fisheries, and food webs under different scenarios. It also explains why modeling is useful at this early stage and why the uneven ecological, economic, and social trade-o...

Brighter marine clouds could cool parts of the ocean. Climate scientist Dr. Jessica Wan explains marine cloud brightening, a proposed solar geoengineering method that would add sea-salt particles to low marine clouds. Learn how stratocumulus clouds reflect sunlight, what climate models suggest about regional cooling, and why scale, uncertainty, side effects, and governance matter. The episode treats marine cloud brightening as a re...

Can the ocean keep carbon out of the atmosphere? Oceanographer Dr. Morgan Raven explains marine carbon dioxide removal and the search for environments that can store organic carbon for long periods. The conversation moves through mangroves, fjords, oxygen-poor waters, and deep-sea brines to examine ocean carbon sequestration. It also makes the uncertainties clear, including measurement, ecological risk, coastal differences, and wha...

Ocean conservation can begin with ancestral relationships. Conservation scientist Juan Carlos Cruz explains how the Ancestral Tides initiative supports biocultural conservation with Indigenous and local coastal communities across Latin America. The work brings Indigenous knowledge and marine science together around sea turtle conservation, mangroves, coral reefs, and nesting beaches. The episode centers community leadership, cultur...

Every ocean trench is a world shaped by geology. Professor Alan Jamieson guides a journey into the hadal zone, beginning around 6,000 meters below the surface. Learn how tectonic plates create ocean trenches, why pressure and isolation produce distinct habitats, how life survives at full ocean depth, and what decades of deep ocean exploration have corrected about the popular image of a single empty abyss.

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