Ocean Matters

There’s no doubt that turtles are well-loved animals that have had a huge impact on cultures around the world and throughout history. But there’s a fine line between celebrating a species and taking it for yourself. Series Producer Izzie Clarke spoke with JC Niala, acting keeper of anthropology at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London, about some of the museum’s turtle artefacts.

See them for yourself here...

19th Century Comb: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/collections/object/56261/

Tortoiseshell Spectacles: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/object/2.117/

Ocean Matters is a Fresh Air Production for the Bertarelli Foundation. Follow or subscribe now for free, wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an episode.

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The more you find out about eels, the more fascinating they become... Even on the scale of the surprises that nature can throw at us.
The European eel starts its life way out in the open ocean, far, far away from land, out in saltwater. It then migrates back thousands of miles towards estuaries, up the estuaries, into the freshwater system. It’s an extraordinary achievement but, as it travels, this is a species that encounters all the water based problems that we humans create.
Join oceanographer and host Helen Czerski as she discovers the eel’s impressive journey, the threats they face, and whether she can find an elusive eel at the banks of Hampton Court in London. With special thanks to Marine and Freshwater Conservation Programme Manager, Dr Matt Gollock at Zoological Society London and Phoebe Shaw Stewart from their monitoring programme.
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Everyone who studies the ocean recognizes that many parts of it are in a state of flux – always changing. That is the natural state of things. But sometimes changes become extreme or too frequent, and that is when problems arise. In 2015 and 2016 a massive El Nino event impacted coral reefs around the world. This week, presenter and oceanographer Helen Czerski is joined by four scientists who experienced this event and its consequences, but who still see reasons for ocean optimism.

With special thanks to our panel: Dr. Catherine Head, a postdoctoral researcher at the Zoological Society of London and the University of Oxford; Dr. Mark Meekan, Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science; Prof. Jessica Meeuwig, from the Marine Futures Lab at the University of Western Australia; and Prof. Heather Koldewey, Head of the Bertarelli Marine Science Programme.
Ocean Matters is a Fresh Air Production for the Bertarelli Foundation. Follow or subscribe now for free, wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an episode.

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COP26 is taking place in Glasgow, with the eyes of the world on the decisions being made, and climate change is finally getting the serious attention that scientists and campaigners have been demanding for a long time. But it’s only relatively recently that the public debate has really started to include the ocean, and a much deeper appreciation of the connection between our global ocean and Earth’s climate.

This month, Helen Czerski explores a changing climate is affecting our ocean, and how a changing ocean is affecting our climate. And what policies would really make a difference for Earth’s vast blue heart?

With thanks to Professor Margaret Leinen, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Professor Steve Simpson, from the University of Bristol, and Lord Deben, a former Environment Secretary described as the “Environment Secretary against which all others are judged”.

Ocean Matters is a Fresh Air Production for the Bertarelli Foundation. Follow or Subscribe now for free so you never miss an episode.

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Turtles are survivors, navigators, voyagers: criss-crossing Earth’s seas while continents moved and oceans grew and shrunk. But the modern ocean is presenting them with more challenges than ever.

This month, oceanographer Helen Czerski will be swimming with Earth’s turtles, meeting the different species, spying on their lifestyles and seeing the ocean through their eyes. How do they manage their incredible feats of navigation? And what do we need to do to make sure that these fabulous animals sail with us into the ocean’s future?

With special thanks to Dr Graeme Hays from Deakin University, Holly Stokes, Dr Nicole Esteban from the University of Swansea, and Dr Liliana Colman from the University of Exeter.

Ocean Matters is a Fresh Air Production for the Bertarelli Foundation. Follow or subscribe now for free, wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.