Antarctica Unfrozen

Kia ora everyone and welcome back to another episode of Antarctica Unfrozen Season 2! Today’s knowledge-rich guest is Dr. Natalie Robinson of NIWA. Natalie (@PolarGirlNZ on Twitter) is a marine physicist, specialising in polar oceanography, but she’s also an amazing voice for the future generation of environmental scientists with some priceless advice. There is much to digest in this episode and we touch on various subjects throughout, but by the end of it, your understanding of Antarctic (and by default, global) Oceanography and Sea Ice will be much closer to crystal clear… Enjoy!

In this episode Host, Shinae talks to Sarah and Simon about their endeavors on the ice working hands-on with Weddell Seals. Don't miss this unique perspective which demonstrates how understanding one (cute) creature in Antarctica can help to answer critical questions that concern the entire ecosystem!

Iconic, charismatic megafauna that call the Southern Ocean home are pretty special! We’re talking about the killer whales, seals and smaller, but still iconic, penguins! But what about their food? Microscopic phytoplankton and krill warrant just as much attention, if not more because they are the foundation of the entire Southern Ocean ecosystem! Today Shinae is joined by Marine Ecologist, Dr. Matt Pinkerton from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NZ), to have a chat about the Southern Ocean food web, from microscopic organisms to top predators!

Shinae discusses all things ice-related with fascinating insights from two experts and adventurers in their respective fields! Dr. Dan Price (University of Canterbury) and Prof. Pat Langhorne (University of Otago) give clear explanations on a critical aspect of the Antarctic environment - ice. From Sea ice to Ice Sheets and everything in-between!

Ever thought about how scientists measure sea ice thickness without a giant drill and metre ruler or how to spy on Antarctic seals from space? Then you’ll particularly love this one because we are joined by two remote sensing specialists, Prof. Wolfgang Rack and Masters Student, Shanelle Dyer!

Have you ever wondered what it must feel like to jump into the near-freezing Antarctica waters through an ice hole and spend the next 30 minutes to an hour surrounded by sea spiders, giant sponges and seals?! Well, tune in for an epic chat with Marine Ecologists, Dr. Drew Lohrer and Dr. Leigh Tait from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, otherwise known as NIWA.

Drew is a principal scientist at NIWA who has made a massive contribution to the advancement of marine ecology. His main area of research focuses on the organisms that live on the seafloor and their contribution to ecosystem function in estuaries and along coastlines. His work in Antarctica has shown that these communities are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and ocean acidification as they respond to change more rapidly than initially thought.

Leigh travelled down to the ice in 2019 with Drew for his first Antarctic expedition where he operated a BOXFish ROV, taking our knowledge of the under-ice environment to new depths, literally! Leigh is also a marine ecologist at NIWA, he specialises in ecophysiology ecological structure in the marine environment.

Sit back and tune in as we discuss all things benthic ecology, kinds of communities exist under the ice in Antarctica, how sea ice influences them and how resilient they are to climate-related changes! We also touch on Science Under the Ice, an epic outreach project which takes you on real and virtual research expeditions to Antarctica where scientists like Drew and Leigh explore how climate change will affect the marine biodiversity in Antarctica.

Kia ora everyone, today we have one of the countries and in fact one of the world’s great Professors of Earth Sciences on the podcast, Tim Naish of Victoria University of Wellington (@naish_tim on Twitter). His career in science has already surpassed what many might hope to achieve in multiple lifetimes. His commitment to not just scientific progress but also education earned him the New Zealand Antarctic Medal. Awarded to those who’ve made outstanding contributions to exploration, scientific research, conservation, environmental protection, or knowledge of the Antarctic region.

Research by Professor Naish focuses on past, present and future climate with specific emphasis on how the Antarctic ice sheets respond to climate change and influence global sea-levels. Safe to say, his voice has never been so vital to hear and broadcast. Tim is up there with one of the highest calibre and respected scientists we’ve been privileged enough to host on our platform and for that, I’d have to say on behalf of the Antarctica Unfrozen community, thank you! Please enjoy this intriguing, at times intense but ultimately informing episode.

For the first episode of the new season, we have a very special guest for you, Dr Vonda Cummings, one of the Principal Scientists for Aotearoa’s New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research, more commonly known as NIWA.

Her list of academic achievements and commitment to the greater scientific community, especially in the Antarctic science sphere is comprehensive. Vonda’s research is focused on the implications of acidification, climate change and other anthropogenically-derived changes to our oceans. I felt incredibly lucky to catch up with Vonda and record at NIWA headquarters in the capital city of Wellington, where in a short amount of time we delved deep into some fascinating and critically important research.

Together we demystified what usually come across as complex scientific ideas to the average citizen (like myself) around marine chemistry and condensed a lesson on ocean acidification into under 20 minutes. This is a model episode for our second season which hopes to serve as a crash course on the environment via the example of the last great natural science lab in the world - Antarctica.

Continuing on from a successful first season, the #1 Antarctic podcast series based on the passionate people that have dedicated their lives to understanding, working and living in Antarctica is back! Unfreezing some of the critical science, contemporary culture and adventure the icy continent is notorious for. Season 2 will focus on multi-perspective discussions about both micro and macro topics from the hidden but ever-connected continent, serving as a 'crash course' on the environment. Produced by Antarctic Ambassador Harry Seagar and Marine Ecology PhD candidate Shinae Montie, proudly brought to you by Pride Conservation.

Welcome to Antarctica Unfrozen! A podcast connecting you to Antarctica like never before. Created and hosted by Blake Antarctic Ambassador - Harry Seagar. Brought to you by The Sir Peter Blake Trust and Antarctica New Zealand.

An accomplished biologist, an inspirational lecturer, and a relentless champion for the marine environment. Rochelle is based out of the University of Auckland’s School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Marine Science. I really didn’t have to much of an idea on where my conversation with Rochelle would go! I was pleasantly surprised when we found ourselves chatting about subjects like humpback whale migrations, we also found out that Antarctica holds a what I consider one huge Summer food festival for ocean enjoying animals every year and some of Rochelle's precious moments with nature during her career. We need more people like Rochelle in this world. Enjoy!

Thank you Paul Ensor of this gorgeous photo of Rochelle on the Antarctic Whale Expedition. 

Michelle is a rather incredible scientist for many reasons. Why? Well, one of them is because she conducts much of her work partially from space... This episode is dedicated just about entirely to arguably the most famous Antarcticans, the Emperor Penguin. She is also a great communicator of science and is all for having a yarn about it! Thank you, Michelle, for your time.

Catch Michelle on Twitter @drmichellelarue or check out her website for more of her work! www.drmichellelarue.com 

Jonny has a rather incredible 'job', he is the Winter Leader at Scott Base. We caught up and had a chat about what a Winter in Antarctica entails and how the team keeps grounded and stimulated through what I can consider, pretty much an out of this world experience! 

Winter in the Antarctic may not be so dark at all…

Thank you Jonny for the incredible Antarctic Aurora photographs and time-lapses.

Regina is a very knowledgeable lady. I'm amazed at how much we managed to cover in just under 20 minutes. Megafauna (Killer Whales mostly), how she founded the TPA (Top Predator Alliance), Marine Protected Areas, the Ross Sea Region and more... 

You'll find Regina on social media (FB, Twitter & Instagram) @TPAonIce where you'll find amazing content of the science, adventures and animals in her life!

Thank you Andrew J. Wright for this amazing photograph of Regina.

As the title might have suggested, in this episode we talked a little less about Antarctica and a little more about leadership, personal growth and all those things that make us feel like we can in fact always strive to become better people everyday. This is a chat I’ll listen back to over and over for the rest of my life. I think there's some real gold in it!

Bruce is the kind of guy where the only place I can imagine meeting him is in fact at the bottom of the world in Antarctica. Bruce is the Water Engineer at Scott Base and while that may sound like quite a standard job description, he’s absolutely integral to ensuring the bases critical hydro systems stay running through both the Summer and Winter seasons! Was a pleasure talking sh*t with you Bruce, both literally and figuratively!

Oh, Bruce also happens to be the only Base resident that jams the bag pipes in his spare time! You always need someone who can play the pipes around right?

Gary is one of New Zealand's leading Climate scientists and legends. He has over 3 decades of Antarctic science experience and expeditions under his belt. Gary’s a climate legend around the world because of his work as a professor in the Marine Environment space. He’s focused on marine geology and the marine geological record of ocean and climate change. He tucked into some more big picture thinking in the episode which I couldn't be more stoked on to finish the series with. Enjoy this chat and Gary's wisdom!