The Deep-Sea Podcast
A couple of deep-sea scientists talk everything deep sea! Interesting facts, recent news, myth-busting and interviews with the most interesting people we know.
Listen on:
Episodes
Friday Dec 02, 2022
Friday Dec 02, 2022
We’ve been off-piste for a while now so we thought we’d jump straight back into the deep sea with a series of episodes on deep-sea habitats. We’re starting off strong with a huge episode on seamounts! We speak to a friend of the show, Ashley Rowden who’s an expert in all-things benthic and we find out why seamounts are just so cool. We also get a little distracted and reminisce about the ultimate offshore championship: sausage-fest.
We get to hear from the scientists on board the RRS Discovery who are currently on an expedition to discover the life that exists on the seamounts surrounding St Helena and the Ascension Islands. A couple of our friends on board also recall their ‘crossing the line’ experience, and how they’re finding working on board a research vessel.
We have huge news! You’ll be very excited to hear that we have released a new design for our merch, featuring our favourite parasite - the tongue-eating isopod, Cymothoa exigua! A perfect gift this holiday season for the whole family.
Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Keep up with the team on social media
Twitter:
Alan - @Hadalbloke
Thom - @ThomLinley
Georgia - @geeinthesea
Instagram:
Georgia - @geeinthesea
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
Glossary
Albatross - a very large white oceanic bird
Baikal - The world's deepest lake (1642 m deep), based in Siberia
Guyots - Flat-topped underwater mountains
Knoll - Less than 1000m underwater mountain
Manganese nodules - Potato-sized clumps of metals (mostly manganese and iron) found on the sea floor. These metals are used in the production of batteries
Orange roughy - (Hoplostethus atlanticus) A deep-sea fish which was famously historically overfished
Productivity - The rate of growth of a habitat, usually referring to biomass
Satellite altimeters - equipment which measures altitude or surface topography via satellite
Seamount - An underwater mountain which ascends more than 1000m
Sedimentation - The process of sediment sinking and then building up at the bottom of the water column
Seismic - Activity related to volcanoes or earthquakes
Links
Bottled deep-sea water helps with physical fatigue
Deep-sea mining is mentioned at COP27
A recent expedition to the Cocos islands in the Indian Ocean has revealed an array of deep-sea species, and previously undiscovered geological features.
The UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme has launched the DY159 expedition where scientists are exploring the deep ocean around St Helena and Ascension Island.
3000 tonnes of polymetallic nodules are taken from the deep by deep-sea mining company
Ashley’s research and recommended reading
Ashley’s paper on the sustainable management of seamount fisheries
Global seamounts project - an initiative that’s exploring seamounts
Hubbs’ 1959 iconic article on seamounts.
Clark et al (2013) article on future priorities for seamount research.
Dun & Forman (2011) orange roughy distribution
No doubt - Oi to the world
Youtube
Spotify
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image
Image courtesy of NOAA
Friday Nov 25, 2022
Friday Nov 25, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 4. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/004-fear-of-the-deep-sea-with-glenn-singleman
We turn the spotlight on ourselves and wonder why humanity seems to have an intrinsic fear of the deep sea. Glenn Singleman joins us to give a psychological explanation for why we feel differently about the deep sea and we take a deep dive into deep-sea tropes we see in the media.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Links
Glenn Singleman’s bio
Alan, Thom and Glenn’s paper on Fear of the Deep Sea
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 29. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here: www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/029-deep-rivers
Everyone has been very busy this month with Thom and the Professor officially describing a new species of blue snailfish, alongside their adventures in Singapore. We hear from one of our old students about the work he’s been doing in deep freshwater ecosystems, which got us thinking about these unique environments and the kind of species that live there. We decided to throw one last curveball away from the deep sea and speak with Dr Melanie Stiassny, an ichthyologist who’s focused her research on the deep water fish of the Congo river.
We couldn’t go an episode without discussing the latest deep-sea related conspiracy theories. And of course, we hear from Don about how freshwater affects sub manoeuvres.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Glossary
Acoustic doppler current profiler - a device that uses sound waves to measure the speed and direction of currents throughout the water column.
Delta - a landform shaped like a triangle, where the mouth of a river flows into an ocean.
Halocline - a vertical zone in the water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth.
Giant Isopod - (Scientific genus: Bathynomus) carnivorous crustaceans which are abundant in the deep-sea.
Giger - H.R. Giger an award-winning Swiss artist who designed the creature from the 1979 sci-fi horror film ‘Alien’.
Rapids - sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Sargasso sea - a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre.
Links
Dr Thom’s new paper on the blue hadal snailfish
Alans paper on hadal connectivity
Eel love
Melanie’s work and recent research:
Melanie’s recent paper on the discovery of a new species of air-breathing catfish
Melanie’s article on her work in the lower Congo
Melanie’s NY times article on her research on the deep river Congo
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED
Saturday Nov 05, 2022
Saturday Nov 05, 2022
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/029-deep-rivers
Everyone has been very busy this month with Thom and the Professor officially describing a new species of blue snailfish, alongside their adventures in Singapore. We hear from one of our old students about the work he’s been doing in deep freshwater ecosystems, which got us thinking about these unique environments and the kind of species that live there. We decided to throw one more curveball away from the deep sea and speak with Dr Melanie Stiassny, an ichthyologist who’s focused her research on the deep-water fish of the Congo River.
We couldn’t go an episode without discussing the latest deep-sea related conspiracy theories. And of course, we hear from Don about how freshwater affects sub manoeuvres.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much-anticipated new design...
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Keep up with the team on social media
Twitter:
Alan - @Hadalbloke
Thom - @ThomLinley
Georgia - @geeinthesea
Instagram:
Georgia - @geeinthesea
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
Glossary
Acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) - a device that uses sound waves to measure the speed and direction of currents throughout the water column.
Delta - a landform shaped like a triangle, where the mouth of a river flows into an ocean.
Halocline - a vertical zone in the water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth.
Giant Isopod - (Scientific genus: Bathynomus) carnivorous crustaceans which are abundant in the deep-sea.
Giger - H.R. Giger an award-winning Swiss artist who designed the creature from the 1979 sci-fi horror film ‘Alien’.
Rapids - sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Sargasso Sea - a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre.
Links
Alans TEDx talk
The art exhibition that Alan and Thom visited in Singapore
John Quentin’s new deep-sea sci-fi novel, The Verdansky Ultimatum
Alans paper on hadal connectivity
Dr Thom’s new paper on the blue hadal snailfish
Eel love, Macduff aquarium releasing their eels
Lake Baikal sculpins!
Crocs on Helium story and video
Melanie’s work and recent research
Melanie’s recent paper on the discovery of a new species of air-breathing catfish
Melanie’s article on her work in the lower Congo
Melanie’s research on the deep river Congo
Fishes in the lower Congo River. An extreme case of species divergence and convergent evolution
Dying Fish Revealed Congo Is World's Deepest River
Videos:
https://vimeo.com/channels/nsf/24733777
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tObYa9KQb8w&feature=relmfu
Melanie’s TEDx talk
Credits
Oceanchild - Spidergawd
Youtube
Spotify
Selti - Skatatacama
Youtube
Spotify
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image
Image courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History/Melanie Stiassny
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 3. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/003-aesthetics-of-thedeep-sea-with-artist-alex-gould
Can we use art to help people engage with the deep sea? We stop trying to explain things and let artist Alex Gould help us see deep-sea animals for the first time all over again.
We talk about the aesthetics of deep-sea fish, is it distorted by our expectations? Can we save the blobfish from bullying? Can art help us with the horror of tongue eating parasites and fish absorbing their boyfriends?
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Links
Alex Gould’s Website
Anglerfish immune system
Pressure tolerant sea lice
The Ugly Animal Preservation Society
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 28. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/028-being-captain
The Professor is back from his adventures at sea with lots of exciting new updates. He talks us through some of his key findings from this already iconic deep-sea expedition. We also get to hear from an often overlooked figure in these expeditions: the ship's captain. Alan and Captain Stuart Buckle have a shared history of seagoing. Travelling the world together onboard the DSSV Pressure Drop during the Five Deeps expedition and during the Professor's recent venture to the Japanese trenches. Captain Stu talks us through his journey into becoming a captain and how he managed to bag the role of captain during James Cameron's legendary Mariana Trench dive.
We also hear from one of our favourite captains and long-time guest of the show, Don Walsh. Don recalls how he sharpened his skills in ship handling and his methods of teaching these skills to the next generation of sailors.
Deep-sea news is a mixture of policy and goo this month. Deep-sea mining tests get the go-ahead, and Alan and Thom try and figure out what a certain spiky blue goo found at the bottom of the sea might be.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Glossary
Benthic - Associated with the seafloor
Captain - The commanding officer of a ship.
Crinoids - Sea lilies are marine animals that are closely related to sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
Ctenophores - Comb jellies are gelatinous marine invertebrates that use cilia for swimming.
ECDIS - An Electronic Chart Display and Information System shows the navigational charts and information about the position, heading and speed of a vessel.
Knots - The unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. The Deep Sea Challenger ascended at 6 knots or approx 7mph.
Thrusters - The propellers on an underwater vehicle that allow it to move.
ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicles are underwater robots that collect data such as video/images. They are attached to a vessel by an umbilical cord.
Xenophyophore - A unicellular marine organism with lots of nuclei found on abyssal plains.
Links
Vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems get further protection from bottom fishing in EU waters
Deep-sea mining test given green light
UN Ocean Treaty fails to reach an agreement
Unidentified spiky blue goo seen in the deep
Australian fisherman catches kitefin shark
Megamouth shark filmed off the coast of San Diego
230 pilot whales stranded on beach in Tasmania
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
The Professor is back from his adventures at sea with lots of exciting new updates. He talks us through some of his key findings from this already iconic deep-sea expedition. We also get to hear from an often overlooked figure in these expeditions: the ship's captain. Alan and Captain Stuart Buckle have a shared history of seagoing. Travelling the world together onboard the DSSV Pressure Drop during the Five Deeps expedition and during the Professor's recent venture to the Japanese trenches. Captain Stu talks us through his journey into becoming a captain and how he managed to bag the role of captain during James Cameron's legendary Mariana Trench dive.
We also hear from one of our favourite captains and long-time guest of the show, Don Walsh. Don recalls how he sharpened his skills in ship handling and his methods of teaching these skills to the next generation of sailors.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Keep up with the team on social media
Twitter:
Alan - @Hadalbloke
Thom - @ThomLinley
Georgia - @geeinthesea
Instagram:
Georgia - @geeinthesea
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
Glossary
Benthic - Associated with the seafloor
Captain - The commanding officer of a ship.
Crinoids - Sea lilies are marine animals that are closely related to sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
Ctenophores - Comb jellies are gelatinous marine invertebrates that use cilia for swimming.
ECDIS - An Electronic Chart Display and Information System shows the navigational charts and information about the position, heading and speed of a vessel.
Knots - The unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. The Deep Sea Challenger ascended at 6 knots or approx 7mph.
Thrusters - The propellers on an underwater vehicle that allow it to move.
ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicles are underwater robots that collect data such as video/images. They are attached to a vessel by an umbilical cord.
Xenophyophore - A unicellular marine organism with lots of nuclei found on abyssal plains.
Links
Vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems get further protection from bottom fishing in EU waters
Deep-sea mining test given green light
UN Ocean Treaty fails to reach an agreement
Unidentified spiky blue goo seen in the deep
Australian fisherman catches kitefin shark
Megamouth shark filmed off the coast of San Diego
230 pilot whales stranded on beach in Tasmania
Nice Boys (Live) - Guns N’ Roses
Youtube
Spotify
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image
Image courtesy of the DSSV Pressure Drop
Saturday Oct 01, 2022
Saturday Oct 01, 2022
Here’s our first ever episode of The Deco-Stop; a deeper look into the humans behind deep sea science and technology. We’ve done our science dive, and now it’s time to decompress, and discuss tales at sea, career paths and the social & political aspects of deep sea science.
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/deco-stop-001
In our first ever episode, we talk to Kat Bolstad, the leader of the AUT lab for cephalopod ecology and systematics (ALCES) at Auckland University in New Zealand.
We talk about squid Christmas, chasing the colossal squid, Kat’s career journey and her truly incredible record of being the deepest lactating human (we think). She also tells us how she once made a liar out of Sir David Attenborough. We’re so excited about creating this space to talk more about the human aspects of deep-sea science, and would love to hear from you about your deep-sea journey!
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Glossary
Architeuthis - The latin name for the giant squid.
Cephalopod - A class of molluscs which contains squids, octopus, nautilus and vampire squid.
Colossal squid - Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, a species of deep-sea squid believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass.
Genetic Taxonomy - The classification and gathering of organisms into groups based on genetic similarity.
Giant squid - A species of gigantic deep sea squid which can grow to 10-12m long at maximum size.
Kondakovia - A species of deep-sea squid, which has now been reclassified as Moroteuthopsis.
Morphological Taxonomy - The classification and gathering of organisms into groups based on morphological similarities (similar physical features).
Moroteuthopsis - A species of deep-sea squid which was previously known as Kondakovia.
Octonauts - A children's TV programme which follows a group of underwater explorers.
Ommastrephes bartramii - The ‘neon flying squid’, a species of squid commonly fished in the North Pacific.
Links
Kat’s Research Lab - AUT Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics (ALCES)
Website
Twitter
Kat’s appearance in the NHK documentary series: Deep Ocean
S1. E4: Giants of the Antarctic Deep
Kat’s paper on the renaming of Kondakovia to Moroteuthopsis.
Kat’s paper on the distribution and biology of the colossal squid
Kat’s book chapter on The Study of Deep Sea Cephalopods
Kat’s paper on Moroteuthopsis diet—the one that ate a Bathyteuthis
‘Squid cube’
Credits
Theme – Hometime by Harvey Jones
Logo image - The Deco-Stop
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 2. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/002-exploring-the-mariana-trench-guest-don-walsh
In this episode we have an amazing interview with legendary oceanographer, Don Walsh. In 1960, Don and Jacques Piccard were the first people ever to reach the ocean’s deepest point – Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench in the bathyscaphe Trieste. Since then, Don tends to get asked the same questions about the dive but he is full of other stories at least as interesting. Some include getting a tour of the heavens from his old dive buddy Arthur C. Clark, almost joining the Apollo Program and being involved in the first remote sensing of our oceans from space. He is still passionate about science communication and we discuss how important storytelling is when sharing science.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Glossary
Apollo programme - A USA space program carried out from 1961 to 1972 by NASA which landed the first astronauts on the Moon
Arthur C. Clarke - An English science-fiction writer, inventor and undersea explorer. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, widely regarded as one of the most influential films of all time.
Bathyscaphe - A bathyscaphe is a self-propelled vehicle used for deep-sea dives.
Challenger Deep - The deepest known point on Earth (10,935m / 35,876 ft deep).
Mariana Trench - The deepest known underwater trench on Earth, located in the Pacific Ocean.
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED
Friday Sep 16, 2022
Friday Sep 16, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 27. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/027-caves
With the Professor out at sea, Thom goes off the rails and finally gets his answers on cave biology. What are the similarities and differences between the deep-sea and cave ecosystems? How are they linked? Do we know more about the moon than cave biolo…. just kidding! We speak to the legendary Professor Thomas Iliffe, who has shaped the field of biospeleology (cave biology); discovering over 250 species, and 3 new orders (now you don’t hear that every day)! He talks us through the formation of these habitats, what dive surveys are really like, and how to discover the most fascinating of organisms. We also hear from Martin Pollizotto, a listener (and expert cave diver) on bioluminescence in cave systems (or a lack thereof).
We had a lot of deep-sea news this month! New species are being discovered, Alvin is back in the water breaking previous depth records, we have new tech AND some interstellar news!
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Glossary
Anchialine - Meaning “near the sea” in Greek, an anchialine pool is a landlocked body of water connected to the ocean via underground caves.
Blind cave fish - fish found living in deep caves with no eyes and usually no pigment.
Cenote - An underground cave system in Mexico.
Epigenetics - the study of how your behaviours and environment can affect the way your genes work.
Halocline - A vertical zone in the water column where the salinity changes rapidly from less saline to more saline (in caves this means the more dense salt water sits below the less dense fresher water).
Hermaphroditic - Possessing both male and female reproductive organs.
Order - (taxonomy) a way of giving organising species with other closely related species.
Remipede - A class of blind crustaceans found in marine caves.
Yucatan – A region of Mexico famous for its cenotes.
Links
Tom’s work in TV
Netflix Alien Worlds, Episode 1 (Atlas)
National Geographic Drain the Bermuda Triangle (starting @ 19:40)
Christmas Island Cave Diving Expedition
Tom’s Published Research
Bermuda’s Walsingham Caves: A Global Hotspot for Anchialine Stygobionts, Diversity 13(8), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080352
Monsters in the dark: systematics and biogeography of the stygobitic genus Godzillius (Crustacea: Remipedia) from the Lucayan Archipelago, European Journal of Taxonomy, 751(1), 115-139; https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.751.1383
Anchialine biodiversity in the Turks and Caicos Islands: New discoveries and current faunal composition, International Journal of Speleology, 49(2):71-86; https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ijs/vol49/iss2/1/
Development of anchialine cave habitats and karst subterranean estuaries since the last ice age, Scientific Reports 9:11907; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-48058-8
California Dreamin’ - The Mamas & The Papas
Youtube
Spotify
Calcified deep sea infauna can be imaged with 3D acoustic coring system
It turns out sponges sneeze!
New species of deep sea isopod discovered
Paper
Researchers discover up to 39 new species
Paper
Equipment rescue reveals the biggest avalanche ever recorded on earth.
Alvin is back in the water after its refit
New area of hydrothermal vents found off of the coast of mexico
Scientists start the search for an interstellar meteor at the bottom of the ocean
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image - The Deep-Sea Podcast: PRESSURISED
Saturday Sep 03, 2022
Saturday Sep 03, 2022
Full episode notes
With the Professor out at sea, Thom goes off the rails and finally gets his answers on cave biology. What are the similarities and differences between the deep-sea and cave ecosystems? How are they linked? Do we know more about the moon than cave biolo…. just kidding! We speak to the legendary Professor Thomas Iliffe, who has shaped the field of biospeleology (cave biology); discovering over 250 species, and 3 new orders (now you don’t hear that every day)! He talks us through the formation of these habitats, what dive surveys are really like, and how to discover the most fascinating of organisms. We also hear from Martin Pollizotto, a listener (and expert cave diver) on bioluminescence in cave systems (or a lack thereof).
We had a lot of deep-sea news this month! New species are being discovered, Alvin is back in the water breaking previous depth records, we have new tech AND some interstellar news!
We announce yet another exciting spin-off, The Deco-Stop, where we plan on chatting to guests about the more human side of science. We heard from listeners that they are fascinated by scientists as people and the stories they have to tell, so we’re excited to open up the space to talk about scientists as individuals, and the topics where science interacts with human issues.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
Glossary
Anchialine - Meaning “near the sea” in Greek, an anchialine pool is a landlocked body of water connected to the ocean via underground caves.
Blind cave fish - fish found living in deep caves with no eyes and usually no pigment.
Cenote - An underground cave system in Mexico.
Epigenetics - the study of how your behaviours and environment can affect the way your genes work.
Halocline - A vertical zone in the water column where the salinity changes rapidly from less saline to more saline (in caves this means the more dense salt water sits below the less dense fresher water).
Hermaphroditic - Possessing both male and female reproductive organs.
Order - (taxonomy) a way of giving organising species with other closely related species.
Remipede - A class of blind crustaceans found in marine caves.
Yucatan – A region of Mexico famous for its cenotes.
Links
Tom’s work in TV
Netflix Alien Worlds, Episode 1 (Atlas)
National Geographic Drain the Bermuda Triangle (starting @ 19:40)
Christmas Island Cave Diving Expedition
Tom’s Published Research
Bermuda’s Walsingham Caves: A Global Hotspot for Anchialine Stygobionts, Diversity 13(8), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080352
Monsters in the dark: systematics and biogeography of the stygobitic genus Godzillius (Crustacea: Remipedia) from the Lucayan Archipelago, European Journal of Taxonomy, 751(1), 115-139; https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.751.1383
Anchialine biodiversity in the Turks and Caicos Islands: New discoveries and current faunal composition, International Journal of Speleology, 49(2):71-86; https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ijs/vol49/iss2/1/
Development of anchialine cave habitats and karst subterranean estuaries since the last ice age, Scientific Reports 9:11907; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-48058-8
California Dreamin’ - The Mamas & The Papas
Youtube
https://youtu.be/oU6uUEwZ8FM
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/track/4s6LhHAV5SEsOV0lC2tjvJ
Calcified deep sea infauna can be imaged with 3D acoustic coring system
It turns out sponges sneeze!
New species of deep sea isopod discovered
Paper
Researchers discover up to 39 new species
Paper
Equipment rescue reveals the biggest avalanche ever recorded on earth.
Alvin is back in the water after its refit
New area of hydrothermal vents found off of the coast of Mexico
Scientists start the search for an interstellar meteor at the bottom of the ocean
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image
Image courtesy of Thomas Iliffe
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 1. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/episode1
In the very first episode of The Deep-Sea Podcast we let you know who we are and why we felt the world really needed a podcast about the deep sea. Alan rants about how the statement ‘we know more about the moon than the deep sea’ is not just a bad analogy, it’s plain wrong. Thom talks about how the quality of scientific writing is maintained. And our guest, Prof. Monty Priede, Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Deep-Sea Research Part I, talks about why there are no sharks in the abyssal zone.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
Links
Here are Monty’s open-access paper on the absence of sharks from the deeper ocean
And his book, Deep-Sea Fishes: Biology, Diversity, Ecology and Fisheries.
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Saturday Aug 20, 2022
Saturday Aug 20, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 26. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/026-vision
After recovering from you-know-what last episode, we’re excited to complete our open-water/pelagic trilogy with this week’s guest Professor Justin Marshall. Justin is an expert on all things vision, and talks us through all of the intricacies and oddities of vision in the deep sea. We discuss how fish eyes have evolved in order to adapt to the darkness of the deep, and how exactly they are able to see bioluminescence. Justin’s research has been highly influential, so we ask him more about his discoveries of mantis shrimp vision, and how he found out that cephalopods were colour-blind!
We also couldn’t let him leave without getting some of the stories from his time living in the underwater habitat for weeks, and how this led to somewhat horrifying fungal consequences.
The deep sea has seen a flurry of activity this month with lots of news to cover! MBARI has released a fascinating new video of a deep-sea squid brooding eggs. We cover some more paleo-news with surprising historical deep-sea temperatures and the discovery of new brine pools in the Red Sea.
It wouldn’t be the Deep-Sea Podcast without checking in with Don Walsh as he talks us through the history of submarine windows. And we also hear from a listener and find out how snailfish got their name.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Glossary
Abyssopelagic – open water 4-6 km (13,000 to 20,000 ft) deep
Bathypelagic – also known as the midnight zone, open water roughly 1-4 km (3,300-13,000 ft) deep
Bathytheuthis berryi – A deep sea squid which has been observed brooding eggs
Euphotic zone – the surface and well-illuminated zone
Hadalpelagic – open water >6 km deep
Mesopelagic – also called the twilight zone, starts where 1% of light reaches and ends where there is none, roughly 200-1,000 m (656-3,280 ft) deep
Pelagic – open ocean, away from the shore and the bottom
Photic zone – the depth that light penetrates
Rod/Cone cells – two types of photoreceptors which are used by animals to detect light to be able to ‘see’.
Underwater habitat – A structure created to allow people to live underwater for extended periods. Often used for research by aquatic biologists.
Links
Justin's Research Group
News article on the historical temperatures of the deep Atlantic ocean as warm as the Mediterranean
Original article published in Science on the historical Mediterranean-like temps of the deep sea
MBARI capture incredible video of a brooding squid, Bathytheuthis berryi
New brine pool discovered in the Red Sea
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220712102631.htm
Scientists discover the reason why deep-sea corals fluoresce
The ‘milky’ Java sea is caught on camera
Justin’s article on cephalopod colouration and sensitivity to light
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image
Justin's Research Group
Friday Aug 05, 2022
Friday Aug 05, 2022
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/026-vision
After recovering from you-know-what last episode, we’re excited to complete our open-water/pelagic trilogy with this week’s guest Professor Justin Marshall. Justin is an expert on all things vision, and talks us through all of the intricacies and oddities of vision in the deep sea. We discuss how fish eyes have evolved in order to adapt to the darkness of the deep, and how exactly they are able to see bioluminescence. Justin’s research has been highly influential, so we ask him more about his discoveries of mantis shrimp vision, and how he found out that cephalopods were colour-blind!
We also couldn’t let him leave without getting some of the stories from his time living in the Atlantis underwater habitat for weeks, and how this led to somewhat horrifying fungal consequences.
The deep sea has seen a flurry of activity this month with lots of news to cover! Our favourite cryptozoologist, Tyler Greenfield is at the epicentre of a monster-misunderstanding. Thom’s upset as yet another innocent fish is labelled the ‘ugliest creature ever seen’ by fishermen, but this time it’s a more familiar face. We also cover some more paleo-news with surprising historical deep-sea temperatures and the discovery of new brine pools in the Red Sea. Alan gives us an insight into his upcoming adventures at sea and we find out why he isn’t the biggest fan of documentarians.
It wouldn’t be the Deep-Sea Podcast without checking in with Don Walsh as he talks us through the history of submarine windows. And we also hear from a listener and find out what snailfish and The Kardashians have in common…
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Glossary
Abyssopelagic – open water 4-6 km (13,000 to 20,000 ft) deep
Bathypelagic – also known as the midnight zone, open water roughly 1-4 km (3,300-13,000 ft) deep
Bathytheuthis berryi – A deep sea squid which has been observed brooding eggs
Coprophage – An animal that eats poop
Cryptozoology – The study of species whose existence is rumoured or disputed.
Euphotic zone – the surface and well-illuminated zone
Hadalpelagic – open water >6 km deep
Loch Ness – A loch (large freshwater lake) in the Scottish Highlands which is best known for the alleged sightings of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ since 1933.
Mesopelagic – also called the twilight zone, starts where 1% of light reaches and ends where there is none, roughly 200-1,000 m (656-3,280 ft) deep
Monkfish – A wide-mouthed commonly-found fish who perhaps isn’t the most beautiful, but definitely could be considered tasty.
Pelagic – open ocean, away from the shore and the bottom
Photic zone – the depth that light penetrates
Rod/Cone cells – two types of photoreceptors which are used by animals to detect light to be able to ‘see’.
Underwater habitat – A structure created to allow people to live underwater for extended periods. Often used for research by aquatic biologists.
Links
We Build Spaceships
Spotify
YouTube
Justin's Research Group
Justin also has a citizen science program called Coral Watch which allows divers to report on coral health
Tyler’s blog on cryptozoology and his Twitter @TylerGreenfieId
News article dubbing yet another innocent fish as ‘the ugliest thing fisherman has ever seen’.
News article on the historical temperatures of the deep Atlantic ocean as warm as the Mediterranean
Original article published in Science on the historical Mediterranean-like temps of the deep sea
MBARI capture incredible video of a brooding squid, Bathytheuthis berryi
A paper on this squid
New brine pool discovered in the Red Sea
The ‘milky’ Java sea is caught on camera
Justin’s article on cephalopod colouration and sensitivity to light
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image
Justin's Research Group
Friday Jul 22, 2022
Friday Jul 22, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 25. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/025-biolum
Last episode we learned about the pelagic zone, the largest habitat on earth, a boundless 3D space where enormous migrations take place. We learned that this isn’t a world of darkness but rather one of biological light, where bioluminescence is used to attack, to defend and to communicate. While producing your own light may seem alien to us, it is likely the most common form of communication on the planet.
To learn more about this world we speak with Edie Widder, who has studied bioluminescence for her whole career and used the same adaptations found in the animals to design her own equipment. She developed the Eye in the Sea, a camera system invisible to most deep-sea animals, and a lure which emulated a bioluminescent jellyfish, the e-jelly. The gear worked extremely well and along with a lot of behaviours observed for the first time this also captured the first footage of the giant squid, Architeuthis dux.
In recent news we talk about how plate tectonics impact our climate, what we can learn from the evolution of cave animals and generating power from the thermocline. Don Walsh tells us why these bioluminescent creatures are a nuisance to submarines.
Check out our podcast merch!
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Links
Alien species invasion of deep-sea bacteria into mouse gut microbiota
Plate tectonics and climate
Paper
Blind cave animal evolution
Power generation from deep, cold water
Edith (Edie) Widder
Wikipedia
ORCA
Cookie-cutter shark paper
Below the Edge of Darkness
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Glossary
Bioluminescence – Biologically generated light
Cenozoic era – 50 million years ago when the earth started cooling
Cretaceous hothouse – 145-66 million years ago where temperatures were 10°C
Deep Worker – a small, single person sub
Electronic jellyfish – A bioluminescent bait
Esca – The lure on anglerfish
Eye in the sea – A red light illuminated camera with a electronic jellyfish as bait
Fermi bubbles – Listen to the end
Magnapinna – The genus of the bigfin squid
Marine snow – The biological material (bodies, poop and shells) singing into the deep sea
Moribund – Something that is dying and cannot be saved
Olm – A type of blind cave salamander
Photomultiplier – Tech that boosts very weak sources of light
Promachoteuthis – The genus of squid that was seen on Edie’s camera system
Squid jig – A lure used to fish for squid
Stoplight fish - Deep-sea dragonfishes of the genus Malacosteus that can both see and produce red light
Thermocline – layer of sudden temperature change in the sea
Tubeshoulder – Deep-sea fish with a specialised organ that squirts bioluminescent material
Wasp suit – A deep-sea diving suit
Saturday Jul 09, 2022
Saturday Jul 09, 2022
Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 24. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!
Read the show notes and find the full episode here:
https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/024-pelagic
We have a confession to make. We talk a big game about how we are busting myths, tackling deep-sea tropes and showing the deep ocean as it really is… but we have been guilty of one of the big ones. The deep sea is not just the bottom! Most of the deep sea, in fact, most of the habitat of this planet is the huge open 3D environment of open water or ‘pelagic’ water. In this staggering volume the planets largest migration takes place twice a day. Animals are locked in an evolutionary arms race, using their own light to deceive and trick. Finding a meal is rare, finding a mate is rare and life is without boundaries. These factors have led to some truly wild evolution.
We hear from Don about hunting for the 'deep scattering layer' (DSL) before we even knew what it was.
In recent news we cover Edith Widder and her new book Below the Edge of Darkness, underwater GPS through the power of a pong, following the yellow brick road to meet the deep-sea wizard and some lovely new footage of a highfin dragonfish.
Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron.
Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or you own tales from the high seas on:
podcast@armatusoceanic.com
We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!
We are also on
Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO
Facebook: ArmatusOceanic
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic
Read the show notes and find out more about us at:
www.armatusoceanic.com
Glossary
Abyssopelagic – open water 4-6 km (13,000 to 20,000 ft) deep
Aphotic zone – depths deeper than life penetrates
Bathypelagic – also known as the midnight zone, open water roughly 1-4 km (3,300-13,000 ft) deep
Benthic – associated with the bottom, how we usually think about the deep sea
Deep Scattering Layer (DSL) – a ‘false bottom’ created on sonar by huge numbers of open water animals
Dragonfish – deep-sea predators of the family Stomiidae
Dysphotic zone – the depth that light still penetrates but photosynthesis is becoming unviable
Euphotic zone – the surface and well illuminated zone
Hadalpelagic – open water >6 km deep
Mesopelagic – also called the twilight zone, starts where 1% of light reaches and ends where there is none, roughly 200-1,000 m (656-3,280 ft) deep
Myctophids – Lanternfish, fish responsible for the biggest carbon movements on the planet
Nictoepipelagic – The wink on the open sea. Great word for these vertical migrators
Pelagic – open ocean, away from the shore and the bottom
Photic zone – the depth that light penetrates
Vertical migration – the twice daily migration of deep-sea animals up to the surface to feed
Links
Tracey’s lab website
The synthesis paper of a decade of research into the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Open access
Carbon export model for mesopelagic fishes in the Gulf of Mexico
Edith Widder
Eye in the ocean
Edith’s new book
Vox podcast
Underwater GPS
Yellow-brick Road
Credits
Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel