Science and the Sea Podcast

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute
  • 4.9 (15)
  • Natural Sciences
  • Updated Biweekly

The goal of Science and the Sea is to convey an understanding of the sea and its myriad life forms to everyone, so that they, too, can fully appreciate this amazing resource.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Stirring Things Up

    Big ships can really stir things up—especially in shallow coastal waters. A ship’s wake can extend far below the vessel. It creates turbulence that mixes up the water. It can even extend into the sediments on the sea floor. And that can release a lot of methane—a gas that’s much more efficient than carbon dioxide at warming the atmosphere. Researchers discovered the connection between ships and methane releases more than a decade ago. They were studying shipping in Neva Bay, a shallow extension of the Baltic Sea on the northwestern coast of Russia. It’s home to Saint Petersburg, which has a busy port. The researchers found that many ships cruising in the bay produced two bursts of methane. One came from the ship itself—from burning fossil fuels. The other came later, and wasn’t produced by the engines. Scientists recently took another look at the observations. And they combined them with models of how a ship’s wake churns the water, and how bubbles of methane in the sediments make their way into the air. They concluded that the wakes were stirring up the sediments. That released bubbles of methane, which floated to the surface, then into the air. There was a 20-fold increase in the amount of methane above the shipping lanes compared to the surrounding area. Many of the world’s largest ports are built along similar coastal environments. So the churning action of passing ships could add more methane to the air every year. The post Stirring Things Up appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  2. Jul 12

    Bloomin’ Quakes

    It’s hard to think of anything good coming from earthquakes. But for life in part of the Southern Ocean, they could be crucial. A recent study found that underwater quakes could intensify “blooms” of phytoplankton. These tiny plant-like organisms form the base of the marine food web. They also absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and release oxygen. So anything that bumps up their numbers a bit is good for life in the Southern Ocean and around the planet. Every spring and summer, a big bloom develops between Antarctica and New Zealand and Australia. But three decades of satellite photos revealed a huge range in the size of the bloom. Some years, it covers an area the size of Delaware. In others, it can be dozens of times larger—as big as California. The blooms are fed by iron—a key nutrient. But there’s not a lot of it in the Southern Ocean. And the location of the annual bloom isn’t near any of the most common sources of iron. So researchers looked for a “deeper” cause. They found that the bloom occurs in a region with lots of underwater volcanoes. “Vents” pump hot, iron-rich fluids into the water—possibly feeding the bloom. Records of volcanic activity in the region showed that, when the ocean floor was rocked by earthquakes of magnitude five or greater in the months before a bloom, the event was much bigger. The tremors might clear out blocked vents, or create new ones, boosting the amount of iron in the water—a positive impact for earthquakes. The post Bloomin’ Quakes appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  3. Jul 5

    Mimics

    Most parents wouldn’t be pleased if you told them that their baby looks nothing like them. But some fish parents might be happy at such a description. The lack of resemblance could make it more likely that their offspring will reach adulthood. The newborns of many fish, squid, and other species look nothing like the adults. These larvae have big fin extensions, transparent bodies, long tendrils, and other odd features. Some of these features make them slower and less maneuverable, so it’s harder for them to get away from predators. And some make them easier to see. But the odd appearance may provide a big advantage: The larvae may be “mimicking” jellyfish or other creatures that are either dangerous or just not worth the effort to catch. So predators leave them alone. A recent study supports that conclusion. Biologists looked at thousands of pictures snapped by divers at night, mainly from a site near Palm Beach, Florida. The images allowed the scientists to see the larvae alive and in their natural environment. Before that, biologists had been limited to seeing mainly colorless, damaged specimens that had been collected in nets and preserved in jars. The pictures showed the larvae of many species of fish and other creatures mingling with jellyfish and other less-desirable critters. And there was a striking overall resemblance between the larvae and the noxious animals. So the larvae could be hiding in plain sight—saved by the lack of a family resemblance. The post Mimics appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  4. Jun 28

    Tangerine Shark

    In August of 2024, a fisherman in Costa Rica pulled in a fish that looked like a refugee from a “Finding Nemo” sequel—a shark the color of a Creamsicle with white eyes. The fisherman released it back into the Caribbean. But marine biologists studied pictures of it. And they concluded that the shark had a combination of two rare conditions. The fish was a nurse shark—a common species in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and elsewhere. It’s a low-key species that has a rounded snout that looks a little like a catfish. Most adults are gray-brown or yellow-brown on top, with a lighter colored belly. But the one caught in Costa Rica was bright tangerine. Its eyes were all white, including the pupil—no scary shark-like stare. There’s no record of that color combo among nurse sharks anywhere. And there’s no record of any shark species with it in Caribbean waters. Researchers said the shark most likely had two genetic disorders—albinism and xanthism. Albinism accounts for the white eyes. Xanthism accounts for the skin color—it boosts the level of yellow pigments. Sharks and other fish use their color to hide from predators and prey. So you might think that a tangerine-colored shark would have a tough time surviving. But the Costa Rican shark was about six and a half feet long—only a bit less than the size of a typical adult. So it’s managed to get along just fine—a tangerine shark sliding through the clear blue waters of the Caribbean. The post Tangerine Shark appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  5. Jun 21

    Dueling Cyclones

    It’s hard to think of a Category-5 hurricane as a good thing. But in 2025, Hurricane Humberto helped save the East Coast from a direct hit by a smaller hurricane, Imelda. The deflection was an example of the Fujiwhara effect. It’s named for the Japanese scientist who first described the effect, in 1921. It’s an interaction between two or more storms that pass close together. It applies to both tropical and non-tropical cyclones. Such storms are big and powerful. But they’re influenced by the conditions around them. And the stronger the influence, the more the storms can change. As two storms approach each other, they can change direction, for example. They might move closer, with both of them spinning around a point between them. If there’s a big difference in the sizes of the storms, the bigger one might deflect the smaller one, or even absorb it. But if they’re about the same size, they might loop around each other, then be shot out in opposite directions. Tropical storms and hurricanes begin to interact at separations of about 900 miles. As they get closer, they may spin faster. And at less than 200 miles, they’re likely to merge. The exact process depends on the size and intensity of the storms and many other factors, so it’s tough to forecast. The Fujiwhara effect is seen more often in the Pacific Ocean. But it does play out in the Atlantic as well. The Humberto-Imelda interaction is the most recent—a dance of giant storms that helped coastal residents—this time. The post Dueling Cyclones appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  6. Jun 14

    Traveling Crocs

    The saltwater crocodile really gets around. It’s found throughout the Indian and western Pacific oceans. That makes it one of the most cosmopolitan reptiles on the planet. But it’s not quite as widely spread as it once was. Crocodiles that once inhabited the Seychelles islands were members of the same family. But they were exterminated by early settlers. The saltwater croc is the largest reptile on Earth. Adult males can reach 20 feet or longer and weigh more than a ton. They’re super-aggressive—they’ll eat anything they can catch, and they can catch almost anything—including people. When people first settled on the islands, in 1770, they found plenty of crocs. Within half a century, though, the settlers had wiped them out. That made the islanders safer. But it left modern-day science with a question: Were the crocodiles members of the saltwater family, or were they a separate species? With no living examples, the question has been hard to answer. In a recent study, though, scientists were able to extract DNA from parts of crocodiles preserved in museums. They compared the samples to those of modern saltwater crocs. And the samples matched—the Seychelles monsters were relatives of the crocodiles found across the region. The Seychelles are a long way from any major land mass—about 900 miles from Africa, and 1700 miles from India. So the crocs had to travel a long way to reach them—expanding the range of this cosmopolitan reptile. The post Traveling Crocs appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  7. Jun 7

    Turning the Tables

    Most of the time, life in the oceans works in one direction: the big guys eat the little guys. That passes nutrients up the food web. But sometimes, the little guys may turn the tables. Egged on by annual spawnings, they may poach the eggs of larger species. That passes nutrients down the food web. Of course, the big guys then gobble up some of the egg eaters, scrambling things up. Eggs are rich in essential fatty acids — compounds that are needed for normal development and body function. Eggs can supply a lot of the fatty acids in the animals that eat them. Researchers at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute suspected that smaller organisms were feeding on the eggs of larger species. They tested that idea in 2020 and ’21, around the annual spawning of red drum, a game fish on the Texas coast. A single female releases millions of eggs, so the coastal waters around Port Aransas are filled with them in the fall. The scientists collected several types of animals before, during, and after the fall spawning. They then tested the tissues of those organisms in the lab. The fatty acids in red-drum eggs have a unique chemical “fingerprint,” so the tests revealed which subjects had eaten the eggs. During and after the spawning season, high levels of those markers were seen in jellyfish and jellyfish-like organisms, as well as one small species of fish. The study confirmed that these organisms can scramble things up—turning the tables on the big guys. The post Turning the Tables appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  8. May 31

    Drying Out

    The Panama Canal links the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. With all that water around it, it’s hard to imagine the canal running low. But that’s happened several times in recent years. And it could happen more often in the decades ahead—a result of our warming climate. The canal is crucial to the global economy. For ships traveling between the east and west coasts of the United States, it cuts the journey by about 9,000 miles and many days. On average, about 35 big ships pass through it every day. But in 2023 and ’24, the number was cut to as few as 24 per day. Ships were stacked up on both ends of the canal—stranded by historic drought conditions. Ships pass through a series of locks that lift them over higher ground in the middle of Panama. The locks are fed mainly by a large freshwater lake. Each passage uses tens of millions of gallons, most of which empties into the ocean. The drought was triggered in part by El Niño, which warms the eastern Pacific. It blocks rainfall over Panama, while increasing evaporation. As the climate warms, El Niño-like conditions may become more common. A recent study found that additional warming might make canal operations even tougher. And under a worst-case scenario, major droughts could become common—turning the Panama Canal into a major bottleneck. The canal’s operators are planning to build a new lake to boost the water supply—hedging their bets against warmer days ahead. The post Drying Out appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  9. May 24

    Social Swimmers

    If you go walking with a friend, the odds are that your preferred walking speeds won’t be the same. So the person who usually walks faster probably will slow down a little. That person might not hit their preferred heart rate, but being sociable is more important. And the same thing might apply to some fish. They appear to adjust their swimming speed to stick with others of their kind. That might not be their optimal speed, but it’s one that provides other benefits. Fish that migrate over great distances maintain a “Goldilocks” pace as they go. It’s fast enough to get them where they want to go in a reasonable time. But it’s not so fast that they’re worn out by the swim, or can’t mount a quick burst if they face danger. But fish that hang out close to shore and don’t migrate tend to vary their speed a lot, depending on what they’re doing. They might need to change pace to avoid obstacles on the sea floor, to catch prey, or to woo potential mates. And they might just want to hang around with others—a strategy that might make life safer or easier. Researchers recently studied a type of surfperch caught off the coast of Washington. They studied the swimming habits of the fish in the lab. They put pairs of fish in a contraption that’s the marine equivalent of a treadmill. And they found that if one member of a pair was faster than the other, it didn’t just pull away. Instead, it slowed down to stay with its companion—just keeping things sociable. The post Social Swimmers appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>

  • 9 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The goal of Science and the Sea is to convey an understanding of the sea and its myriad life forms to everyone, so that they, too, can fully appreciate this amazing resource.

Information

  • Creator
    The University of Texas Marine Science Institute
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Science and the Sea Podcast

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