Series with Scripps Oceanography, University of California San Diego
The ocean floor is lava! Scripps marine geophysicist Ross Parnell-Turner talks with Kate Furby about underwater volcanoes and his research on seafloor spreading, when tectonic plates spread apart to create new ocean floor. They explore hydrothermal vents and the life cycle of the resilient organisms living near them… until the magma chambers of an underwater volcano near them erupt. [Writer, producer, host]
Scripps Oceanography biological oceanographer Anela Choy is passionate about studying the predator-prey interaction of animals in the deep sea. In this episode of Wavelengths, Scripps alumna Kate Furby talks to Choy about her work on how plastic pollution impacts food webs. Most of our resources come from the deep sea and the choices we make—from the devices we use, food we eat, or how often we travel—affect the fragile marine ecosystem. [Writer, producer, host]
Did you know the atmosphere is in a constant state of chaos?! Scripps Oceanography alumna Tashiana Osborne (PhD ’21) talks to Scripps alumna Kate Furby about the importance of improving our ability to forecast atmospheric rivers, and how climate change is contributing to wild swings of extreme drought and wet seasons. [Writer, producer, host]
What does watching ice melt tell you about climate? Scripps Oceanography PhD student Margaret Lindeman is studying ice-ocean interactions in Greenland to find out. In this episode of Wavelengths, Scripps alumna Kate Furby talks to Lindeman about her research that examines the way icebergs are melting, a process that could have major impacts on the global climate. By understanding what we are observing now, Lindeman hopes we can be better prepared for the future. [Writer, producer, host]
Professor Isabel Rivera-Collazo is an environmental archaeologist who combines earth sciences, archaeology, and marine ecology to study human responses to climate and environmental change. In this episode of Wavelengths, she talks to Scripps alumna Kate Furby about threats to coastal heritage in her native Puerto Rico due to coastal erosion from ongoing sea-level rise, and how by partnering with local communities whose history is impacted, she hopes we can advance action towards climate adaptation and mitigation. [Writer, producer, host]
Scripps Oceanography graduate student Anaí Novoa deals with a creepy but vital component of ecosystems – parasites. In this episode of Wavelengths, Scripps alumna Kate Furby talks with Novoa about their strategies, including invading the brains of their hosts and controlling their behavior, that make them gross “but so beautiful.” [Writer, producer, host]
Scripps Oceanography professor Brad Moore scours the oceans in search of the chemical building blocks for what could become life-saving drugs. In this episode of Wavelengths, Moore describes for Scripps alumna Kate Furby how organisms such as marine bacteria and common seaweeds talk to each other through chemistry. Learning that language allows scientists to replicate these creatures' self-preservation traits to create medicines. [Writer, producer, host]
Did you know that there are about 35,000 known species of fish and roughly 500 are discovered yearly? Marine Vertebrate Collection Manager and underwater librarian Ben Frable maintains Scripps Oceanography's diverse collection of marine fish. In this episode of Wavelengths, Scripps alumna Kate Furby talks to Frable about what is housed in Scripps’ archive of more than 2 million vertebrate specimens. [Writer, producer, host]
Scripps Oceanography marine ecologist Octavio Aburto is passionate about using science to support marine conservation. In this first episode of Wavelengths, Scripps alumna Kate Furby talks to Aburto about his work on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), fisheries, and coastal habitats. [Writer, producer, host]