Best Scottish Association for Marine Science Podcasts (2025)

1
The robots helping us to protect nature 35:27

Play Pause

1M ago35:27

35:27

The term 'robotics' is fairly wide reaching. From amateur enthusiasts to teams of developers working on the next ingenious idea, there are many applications too. Environmental scientists are excited about a new-found capability in environmental monitoring. Surveying an area of land or sea that would previously have taken days - even many weeks - ca…

1
Marine restoration: why it's everyone's business 34:59

2M ago34:59

34:59

Marine restoration is the helping hand that nature needs in the battle against biodiversity loss and also a way to offset human impacts in the ocean. But the benefits can be more than ecological. In this episode, we welcome Peter Watson of SSEN Transmission, the company responsible for laying new power cables on our seabed as part of the de-carboni…

1
Ten years of ACES: Training aquaculture's future leaders 36:10

3M ago36:10

36:10

With a global human population in excess of eight billion, governments and planners are looking to aquaculture to provide food security in a sustainable way. But this is a diverse global industry that comes in many forms, with various societal and ecological challenges. In this episode, two of the academics behind a highly-rated aquaculture Masters…

1
A new wave of ocean exploration 38:36

4M ago38:36

38:36

Oceanographers spend a lot of time exploring the deep sea, but what is it really like taking measurements in the middle of the ocean and how is it done? In this episode real-life Octonauts, Drs Neil Fraser and Lewis Drysdale, explain to Euan how detailed ocean observations give us an insight into the changing climate. They also describe how the lat…

1
Drowning in plastic pollution 35:57

6M ago35:57

35:57

Images of a seahorse clutching a cotton bud, or a marine mammal choking on a plastic bag provoke shocking and saddening reactions - but how much change is made as a result? As they discover a new plastic threat to mangrove habitats on the Ghanaian coast, SAMS scientists Prof. Bhavani Narayanaswamy and Dr Geslaine Lemos Concalves explain the extent …

1
Dark Oxygen: a deep sea discovery 42:38

8M ago42:38

42:38

A discovery in the dark depths of the Pacific Ocean has been challenging the scientific consensus of how oxygen is produced and has even called into question how life on Earth began. Photosynthetic organisms like plants and algae use energy from sunlight to create the planet’s oxygen. But new evidence published by Prof. Andrew Sweetman and collabor…

1
Plankton: Earth's hidden hero 36:21

11M ago36:21

36:21

From creating the atmosphere that led to life on Earth, to providing food for the entire ocean food web, plankton have been pivotal to the world we know today. Indeed, by absorbing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, they have been protecting us from the worst effects of global warming. But do plankton get the credit they deserve..? Find out from gu…

1
Flapper skate: the little known giant of the sea 35:13

1y ago35:13

35:13

They are giants of the sea in northern Europe, yet not many people have heard of them, let alone seen any... The flapper skate, considered critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is faring relatively well within a Marine Protected Area off the west coast of Scotland, but the future for the wider population looks more bleak…

1
Poetic sampling: when art and science collide 33:42

1y ago33:42

33:42

We've all heard creepy noises in the forest, but you probably haven't heard one like this... In this episode, we hear an artist's take on what a kelp forest looks like below the water surface and listen to a 'creepy' sound from the beneath waves as host Euan Paterson meets SAMS artist-in-residence Helena Hunter and marine ecologist Alasdair O'Dell.…

1
The Nick Owens interview (part two): Antarctica and beyond 37:12

1+ y ago37:12

37:12

In part two of our season-opening episode, SAMS Director Prof. Nick Owens talks to host Euan Paterson and guest co-host Ross Lupton about his time as Director of the prestigious British Antarctic Survey. He also shares his thoughts on the future of the ocean and how a change at boardroom level could make the environmental outlook a little better. W…

1
The Nick Owens interview (part one): generational change and climate change 30:44

1+ y ago30:44

30:44

To kick off season two of the Ocean Explorer podcast, host Euan Paterson and guest co-host Ross Lupton, an undergraduate student at SAMS, quiz SAMS Director Prof. Nick Owens on how marine science has changed over the decades. In this part one of our interview, we ask Prof. Owens: how does his student experience compare, how has academia changed and…

1
CSI Cetaceans: Investigating whale strandings 39:08

1+ y ago39:08

39:08

Whether it's an attack by another marine creature, or disorientation in a noisy ocean, there are various reasons for marine mammals to wash up on the shoreline. So how do we find out the cause of each stranding? The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) undertakes forensic investigations into strandings around the Scottish coast. Its work…

1
Weighing up the wonders of seaweed farming 32:35

1+ y ago32:35

32:35

A superfood, a sustainable source of fuel and an overall environmentally-friendly industry; there's plenty to like about seaweed farming! But following some recent unsuccessful planning applications in the UK, it seems that 'green' credentials alone may not be enough to ensure industry growth. As seaweed farmers grapple with issues of scaling up an…

1
Whales of the west coast 44:44

2y ago44:44

44:44

Can whales be famous? Are they becoming more of less common in our coastal waters? How are they affected by climate change and pollution? Despite being among the largest creatures on the planet, whales can be difficult to monitor, given the distances they travel and the time they spend below the sea surface. In this episode, we welcome Hebridean Wh…

1
SIMBA: Using technology to predict ice melt, avalanches and floods 29:50

2y ago29:50

29:50

It's all contained within a yellow case, the size of a small suitcase, but the SIMBA instrument is revolutionising the way scientists measure ice melt rate and thickness and, more recently, how they assess avalanche and flood risk. SIMBA, or Snow Ice Mass Balance Apparatus, is developed and built by SAMS Enterprise and now has a number of applicati…

1
Feeling the heat: Marine heatwaves on the rise 41:22

2y ago41:22

41:22

Marine heatwaves are becoming more common and more intense. They can have devastating effects on ocean life, particularly corals and other species that are fixed in one location. This year, large parts of the ocean have been at a state of near permanent heatwave, with one particular heatwave off northern UK, lasting 237 days, from August 2022 to Ap…

1
Unpicking the problem of whale entanglement 36:16

2+ y ago36:16

36:16

A typical image of a whale is a majestic creature cruising through the deep and vast ocean. But our coastal seas contain unseen hazards, including creel lines, in which they can become entangled. Continuing our #WhaleTalk series, we meet Susannah Calderan and Dr Steven Benjamins to discuss the extent of the whale entanglement problem and reveal how…

1
Underwater sounds 38:30

2+ y ago38:30

38:30

Introducing the new Ocean Explorer podcast from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research institute and partner of UHI based in Oban. In this episode, part of our #WhaleTalk campaign, host Euan Paterson speaks to marine mammal experts Dr Denise Risch and Dr Nienke van Geel to find out how they listen to whales and dolphi…

Scottish Association For Marine Science Podcasts

1
SAMS Ocean Explorer

Scottish Association for Marine Science

1
The robots helping us to protect nature 35:27

1
Marine restoration: why it's everyone's business 34:59

1
Ten years of ACES: Training aquaculture's future leaders 36:10

1
A new wave of ocean exploration 38:36

1
Drowning in plastic pollution 35:57

1
Dark Oxygen: a deep sea discovery 42:38

1
Plankton: Earth's hidden hero 36:21

1
Flapper skate: the little known giant of the sea 35:13

1
Poetic sampling: when art and science collide 33:42

1
The Nick Owens interview (part two): Antarctica and beyond 37:12

1
The Nick Owens interview (part one): generational change and climate change 30:44

1
CSI Cetaceans: Investigating whale strandings 39:08

1
Weighing up the wonders of seaweed farming 32:35

1
Whales of the west coast 44:44

1
SIMBA: Using technology to predict ice melt, avalanches and floods 29:50

1
Feeling the heat: Marine heatwaves on the rise 41:22

1
Unpicking the problem of whale entanglement 36:16

1
Underwater sounds 38:30