Science and the Sea

Giant Shells – January 20, 2019

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

The giant clam has had a bit of an image problem: It’s been considered a killer. The largest species can weigh more than 400 pounds, and it can span four […]

Changing Eggs – January 13, 2019

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

The egg of a red drum, a popular sport fish, is only about the size of a pinhead. Yet those tiny eggs can play a big role in the ecology […]

Early Departure – January 6, 2019

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

Chesapeake Bay appears to be coming back from the dead a little earlier these days. In particular, “dead zones” in the southern part of the bay are ending earlier than […]

Saving Abalone – December 30, 2018

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

At its height, California’s abalone industry brought in millions of pounds of the tasty sea snails. But the heyday didn’t last long. The fleets brought in so many abalone that […]

Deep Walrus – December 23, 2018

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

On the ice, the Atlantic walrus is slow and lumbering. In the water, though, it’s graceful, maneuvering with ease. Until recently, though, it wasn’t thought to be an especially deep […]

More Mussels – December 16, 2018

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

Blue mussels are riding the winds across the North Sea. They’re not taking up wind surfing, though. Instead, they’re colonizing the bases of offshore wind turbines. Over the next couple […]

Puget Sound – December 9, 2018

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

When the glaciers retreated from around present-day Seattle at the end of the last ice age, they left some big holes in the ground. Today, those holes form Puget Sound […]

Falling Rain – December 2, 2018

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

Even if you’ve never seen an ocean, you’ve probably felt one — in the form of rain. A good bit of the rain that falls over land comes from the […]

Whale Talk – November 25, 2018

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

The blue whale may be changing its tune. Recordings made over the last couple of decades show that the whales are “talking” at a lower pitch. And it’s possible that […]

Better Coral – November 18, 2018

HOST Damond Benningfield

DISCUSSION

This is a bad time to be a coral reef. In the last couple of decades, rising water temperatures have caused massive “bleaching” events around the globe. That’s killed a […]