Below The Tide

This week Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, a benthic ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is sitting down to chat about the sea life that uses shipwrecks as their home! Learn about how some of the most isolated shipwrecks off the coast of New England have been colonized by sessile (non-mobile). We dive into the Billy Mitchell fleet, and how these historic war ships ended up on the ocean floor in Stellwagen Bank! Kirstin's biggest curiosities lie in island communities. Island communities are not just what you think of - tropical islands where the sun is always shining. For some organisms an island can be a shipwreck, isolated at the bottom of the ocean. Kirstin seeks to answer the question of "Who is living at the bottom, and how did you get here?"You can catch up on Episode 36 - Intro to Benthic Communities with Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser and Episode 37 - Intro to Shipwrecks with Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, to hear more about the living organisms she works with!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Dive into the world of shipwrecks with Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, a benthic ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Kirstin is giving an intro to everything shipwrecks, and zooming in on the shipwrecks that she studies. Her area of study is  Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in Massachusetts, USA.Kirstin's biggest curiosities lie in island communities. Island communities are not just what you think of - tropical islands where the sun is always shining. For some organisms an island can be a shipwreck, isolated at the bottom of the ocean. Kirstin seeks to answer the question of "Who is living at the bottom, and how did you get here?"You can catch up on Episode 36 - Intro to Benthic Communities with Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser to hear more about the living organisms she works with!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

What really lives at the ocean floor? What lives in the sand, rocks and water at the very bottom? Welcome to this episode all about those organisms! We're chatting with Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, a benthic ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. A benthic community is made up of animals who live at the bottom of the ocean. The bottom of the ocean may not be what you're thinking - it isn't necessarily the deepest depths. It could be right below the surface of the water, as long as there is ocean floor, we'll call it benthic!Kirstin's biggest curiosities lie in island communities. Island communities are not just what you think of - tropical islands where the sun is always shining. For benthic communities an island can be a rock, isolated at the bottom of the ocean. Kirstin seeks to answer the question of "Who is living at the bottom, and how did you get here?" Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Sit down with Laura and continue your journey into bottlenose dolphin science! This week it is all about dolphin whistles, Laura's upcoming work in Australia, and fieldwork in her area. Catch up on episodes 33 and 34 if you'd like an intro to bottlenose dolphins, and Laura's work with tidal turbines!  Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

This week is a continuation from last week, and Laura is giving us some info on tidal turbines. We dive deep into the work she conducted along with The University of St Andrews and The Sea Mammal Research Unit where they investigated the effects that tidal turbines may have on harbour porpoises. We chat turbines, underwater acoustics, reef effects, fieldwork and more!If you haven't listened to episode 33 yet, you can catch that to get a full intro to Laura's work and an overview of dolphins!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

New week, new topic! This week we get to hear from Laura Palmer, an PhD candidate at the University of Bristol. She studies cetacean (whale, dolphin and porpoise) communication in the Cetacean Communication and Cognition Lab. You can get a full intro to bottlenose dolphins in this episode: from diet to communication to group dynamics. Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Welcome back! We're picking up where we left off last week: Manta Rays in Mozambique. We're chatting a lot about the non-linear path to becoming a marine scientists, all of the barriers and challenges in science academia, and accepting imposter syndrome. We also dive deep into Nakia's foundation: MAR Expeditions. How she relies on volunteers to help her in the field, and the exciting things she sees in the ocean. If you haven't caught up on the past two episodes and want to know more about manta rays, head on back to episodes 30 and 31 to get an intro!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Today we're catching up with Nakia and learning all about manta ray conservation.  Based in Mozambique, Nakia is exposed to some marine protected areas, climate change and conservation challenges. Catch up on episode 30 to get a full intro to manta rays!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Welcome to episode 30, and it's going to be a good one! This episode is all about manta rays. Buckle up because there is a lot of learning happening. Personally, I didn't know much about mantas, but after chatting with Nakia I am so impressed by this animal. Nakia is currently living in Zavora, Mozambique as she works for the Marine Megafauna Foundation. She is simultaneously completing her PhD at Dalhousie University on the movement of manta rays. Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Did somebody say NARWHALS?? Check out this episode to learn all about the Narwhals of the Canadian arctic, from the basics up to the challenges they face from humans. Alexandra gives us the inside scoop on these amazing creatures (which I do admit, I thought were made up for a long portion of my life). Fun fact I learned: belugas and narwhals are cousins! So head on over to episodes 27 and 28 to learn about belugas. Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Episode 28 is all about Alexandra's fieldwork in remote communities. Beluga fieldwork brought Alexandra to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. The community and surrounding communities are important in this work, sharing their own knowledge of the population and their observations. Alexandra sheds light on an important area of science: collaboration with Indigenous communities who live in the areas all year round. They hold immense amount of knowledge and passion for common topics. The truth is that scientists can learn a lot from Indigenous peoples on the land that they study.Make sure to listen to episode 27 for an intro to beluga whales!Make sure to listen to episode 27 for an intro to beluga whales! Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

A whole new episode about a whole new marine species: the beluga whale! Alexandra Mayette studied belugas in the Canadian Arctic, tracking them and studying their social behaviours.  Alexandra gives us insight into her journey to become a marine biologist, and a great overview of the Eastern Beaufort Sea Beluga Whales. From migration to communication, learn more about beluga whales now! Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

This episode is touching on a really important area of science: science education.  Science isn't always in a lab or on a boat, it is often in the community. Public outreach and education programs are extremely important for our society. Ellen gives us insight into the program that she runs called Rural Alaska Students in One-Health Research (RASOR) within indigenous communities in rural Alaska. You can check out more about RASOR here! If you want to hear more from Ellen regarding her research, check out episodes 24 and 25 as well.Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Check out episode 25 to hear about what fieldwork looks like for Ellen! Most whale biologists spend long hours searching for whales, but Ellen’s work involves waiting them out. Waiting. And waiting. Waiting for them to come to the hatcheries. Make sure to listen to episode 24 for an intro to humpback whale foraging!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Welcome to Episode 24 - Humpback Whale Foraging with Ellen Chenoweth! Ellen is based in Sitka, at University of Alaska Southeast. She is a whale foraging ecologist - and specifically studied how humpback whales use salmon hatcheries as a food source.Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Episode 23 is all about basking shark conservation. Alex tells us about The Irish Basking shark group, a group of conservation scientists. We dive into Alex’s journey into the group, and how it has evolved into a group of people passionate about conserving the basking sharks. We chat conservation, the important role the public plays in the conservation of this species, and much more!! Make sure to go back and listen to episodes 21 and 22 to get an intro into the topic!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Tune into episode 22 to hear first hand what it is like studying basking sharks in the wild. What do you do when the creature you study is so hard to find, and can swim immense distances without being spotted? We dive deep into the work Alex does off the coast of Ireland and the United States, trying to find basking sharks. Make sure to go back and listen to episode 21 if you haven’t yet to get an intro to Alex and Basking Sharks!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

New topic alert! Episode 21 is an intro into basking sharks - one of the largest sharks in the ocean! Alex McInturf is a post-doctoral fellow at Oregon State University, working in the Big Fish Lab. She is passionate about basking sharks, and her work has taken her to Ireland to study them as well. In Ireland she is a part of the Irish Basking Shark Group, a group of scientists keen to get basking sharks designated as a protected species.Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

Let's pick up where we left off last week - all about kelp. Tom Campbell is the president and founder of West Coast Kelp Ltd. Last week we did an intro to kelp; everything from structure to reproduction. This week Tom gives us insight into the kelp restoration industry and what is needed to make a difference on a global scale. Make sure to go back and listen to episode 19 so you can learn all about kelp!Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here. Make sure to hit follow wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can always get notified of new episodes!

This week we are learning all about kelp! If you live near a beach, you may know kelp as the gooey slimey seaweed that washes up onto the beach, but to kelp biologists they are so much more. Tom Campbell is a kelp biologist who has founded a kelp restoration company - West Coast Kelp. Tom gives us an intro into everything kelp; from the structure of kelp to the lifecycle. Don't forget to follow @Belowthetidepod on instagram and @Belowthetidepod on twitter for episode resources + updates for upcoming episodes. On there you'll find diagrams, pictures and definitions to help you follow along if that is more your thing! For other streaming platforms check out this link here