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We get to chat with Brooke Fitzwater, a PhD Student in the Earley Lab of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa who has made a big splash with her unique approach to science communication and learn about how she researches the mating habits of a cool species of sex-changing mangrove fish.

We are diving into deep ocean heatwaves. These extreme warming events in the ocean's depths have been linked to changes in ocean currents, weather patterns, and marine life, and we are learning more and more about the what and possibly why of these phenomenon. In a paper published in Nature Communications, researchers used a combination of observations and computer models to generate the first broad assessment of bottom marine heat waves in the continental shelf waters around North America. Today, we have with us Climate scientist Dillon Amaya of NOAA, the lead author on that very paper, so join us now on this episode of Ocean Science Radio.

Something strange is growing in the middle of the Atlantic, it covers an insane amount of the surface, it smells of rotten eggs and it might be COMING FOR OUR BEACHES. While the truth of the matter isn’t as scary as social media and the news makes it seem, scientists still have a lot of questions about the annual sargassum mass. We sit down with Brian Barnes a research assistant professor at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science to get some answers.

It is February and it is time once again for our annual special on reproduction called Ocean Lovin. In this episode we talk about Snow Crab reproduction. You may have seen Snow Crabs popping up in the news recently.This is because back in October, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game cancelled the snow crab season because the population, which normally numbered in the billions, fell by an estimated 90%.The first time the fishery was shut down in recorded history. We speak with Chris Long, fisheries scientist at NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Kodiak Laboratory about this species, why it is in decline, and how they get it on.

Marine Protected Areas are areas of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. These areas range from no-take, no-impact, no-access, and multiple use - basically determining how much human impact is supposed to take place in these areas. On today’s episode, we speak with representatives of the NGO WildAid and some of the partners they are working with to make sure that ocean parks are enforceable, realistic, and work for the local population. The team interviews: - Meaghan Brosnan - Marine Program Director for Wildaid -Juma Mohamed - Head of Program for Mwambao Coastal Community Network in Tanzania -Joyce Beouch - Acting Director of the Bureau of Environment Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment (MAFE)

In this episode, we speak with science writer Shannon Stirone and Berkeley writing professor Ryan Sloan about their experiences being sent to the poles to try and capture the wonder of these locations to share with others.

With better and more affordable remote-operated vehicle and video technology, more data and footage is being collected every day. But that leads to another problem, how do you analyze petabytes worth of data? Join us on this episode of Ocean Science Radio, where we meet one of the minds behind FathomNet, and some of the teams that are using this fantastic big data tool for the ocean. We speak with: Dr. Kakani Katija - FathomNet co-founder and lead of the Bioinspiration Lab for MBARI Megan Cromwell - Research Program Manager for NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Corinne Bassin - Data Solutions Architect with Schmidt Ocean Institute

The team speaks with Dr. Valero and Emma Lavaut, a graduate student at Sorbonne, who conducted an experiment to try and figure out the relationship between Gracilaria gracilis and the tiny crustaceans who feed on them. Come learn how isopods and red algae relate in this episode on ocean animal mediated fertilization.

Throughout the ocean, there are currents that act like giant, underwater highways. These currents transport nutrients, heat, carbon, and even animals and plankton across vast ocean spans. On this episode, we speak to a triumvirate of experts from McGill University, Princeton University, and the University of Washington in Seattle about the California Current Marine Ecosystem, or CCME and what effect humans are having on the species that rely on it to survive. Guests include: -Dr. Jennifer Sunday, Assistant Professor at McGill University -Dr. Evan Howard, Associate Research Scholar at Princeton University -Dr. Terrie Klinger, Professor and Co-Director of the Washington Ocean Acidification Center, University of Washington

The crew speaks with Octopus researcher Dr. Eduardo Sampaio. Eduardo got his PhD studying octopus behavior, cognition, and social contexts and is a Nat Geo Explorer. Eduardo and his team studied octopuses in interspecies hunting parties that included eels and fish. The party is hunting when all of the sudden, one of the fishes gets smacked by the octopus. Eduardo walks us through what we currently think about the Cephalopunch.  You can follow Eduardo on Twitter at OctoEduardo

In this episode the team is covering the latest exciting development out of the AUV/ROV market, Ocean Aero’s Triton. We interview Kevin Decker, the CEO of Ocean Aero and Andy Ziegwied, the Vice President of ocean data for Ocean Aero.

The month of June is National Ocean month in the United States and June 8th was World Oceans Day. Organizations across the globe use World Oceans Day and the month of June to make announcements on initiatives and commitments that relate to our oceans. This includes governments, nonprofits, and even large for-profit ventures. We spoke with the director of Ocean Sustainability at Salesforce, Dr. Whitney Johnston to learn more about their endeavors with Ocean Sustainability  

The team speaks with Dr Sarah McAnulty, a squid biologist, and the executive director of Skype a Scientist about going viral, cephalopods,  and how our world seems to expect free labor from the science communication community. 

We explore the ocean economy with the help of  Henrik Österblom, science director at Stockholm University and also a professor of environmental sciences. and John Virdin, director of the ocean policy research program at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for environmental policy solutions. Henrik, John, and their team published a paper revealing the dominance of the ocean economy by 100 companies and what the implications are with that consolidation of power and resources. 

March Mammal Madness, the annual tournament of imaginary combat pitting species against species is back, in its 9th year. Organizers cite scientific literature to substantiate likely outcomes when two species fight in glorious battle in environments both suited for their evolutionary traits, and completely random ones. The Ocean Science Radio team interviews founder Professor Katherine Hinde, of  Arizona State University, and fight "announcer" Professor Josh Drew, of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, about this amazing event, how battles are decided, and how impactful this event has been in science communications efforts.     Come for the science, stay for the heartache and don't forget to make your own bracket at https://libguides.asu.edu/marchmammalmadness.

It is February which means it is time for another episode of OCEAN LOVIN'. This time we speak with Michael Howard, Senior Aquarist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium about the reproductive strategies of deep-water hydrozoan jellies, and other related species, where some have the hydroid (jellybaby) stage of the life cycle on other living animals! We also talk about how aquariums and scientists collect species and keep them alive and provide the optimal conditions for them to reproduce. Come for the science, stay for the jellybabies!

Every year the ocean absorbs ludicrous amounts of energy, even more as a result of climate change and global warming. The team sits down with distinguished scholar Keven Trenbert of the National Center of Atmospheric Research about the recent paper he co-authored called "Another Record: Ocean Warming Continues through 2021 despite La Niña Conditions" and learn about why that is important.

Frances and Andrew let their hair down and do a quick review of some of the stories that made the ocean news pipeline in 2021. Stories include, but are not limited to, the UN Decade of the Ocean, 30 by 30 ocean protection, the circling hellhole of the ocean on fire, the Netflix shockumentary "SeaSpiracy," and more!  Join us on the last show of the year! 

The team speaks with two experts from The Nature Conservancy; Steven R. Schill - Lead Scientist and Valerie McNulty - Spatial Ecologist about their work developing multi-layered and rich Caribbean benthic maps. Learn about how these maps are created and why they are so important in policy and conservation decision-making. Be sure to visit http://caribbeanmarinemaps.tnc.org/ to see them in action!

We speak with ocean entrepreneur and writer David Lang about a new project funding science: Experiment Foundation.