SAMS Ocean Explorer

Seaweeds have been on our planet for 1.6 billion years and are a nursery ground and haven for so many marines creatures. The crop also supports the livelihoods of more than six million seaweed farmers throughout parts of Asia and Africa.

However, threats brought on by the effects of climate change mean many seaweed species are feeling the heat - quite literally - and even face the risk of extinction.

In this episode of the SAMS Ocean Explorer podcast, Profs. Elizabeth Cottier-Cook of SAMS and Juliet Brodie of the Natural History Museum discuss their plans to help safeguard this underappreciated natural wonder. 

Through their respective research and conservation projects, backed by UK Research and Innovation and the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate, they have produced the Seaweed Breakthrough, a briefing and call to action that they will present to COP31 in Turkey next month.

Sign the Seaweed Breakthrough Pledge here: Seaweed Breakthrough – Part of the 2030 Ocean Breakthroughs

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

We're sadly all too familiar with the terms 'pollution' and 'climate crisis' when it comes to talking about the natural world. But what about the 'biodiversity crisis'?

All around the world, we humans are making our mark in an often harmful way, placing a strain on other species. From deforestation to extinctions and the introduction of non-native invasive species, there's a lot to consider. 

So, why has the current situation been labelled a 'crisis' and what can be done about it? In this episode, host Euan Paterson sits down with marine ecologist Dr Clive Fox of SAMS and Dr Flavio Affinito, a consultant with the UN Convention on Global Biodiversity, to find out more.

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

He is one of the world's most cited climate scientists and is part of the research collaboration that defined the term 'marine heatwave', but after 35 years at SAMS Prof. Mike Burrows is sailing into retirement.

In this special episode, host Euan Paterson sits down with Prof. Burrows to find out how his research has been guided by the theme of climate change and why ocean temperature is changing the distribution of marine species.

We also hear a confession of how he almost lost a new company vehicle while on fieldwork and the surprising influence that the movie Jaws had on his career choice... 

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

You might not have heard of The Ellett Line, but it's one of the most important and influential projects in ocean science today.

A series of data points in the Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland, The Ellett Line is visited by a research ship every two years to collect data from equipment at each of these points. 

More than 50 years since it was established, The Ellett Line has given scientists a foundation of knowledge and a unique insight into how large scale ocean currents are affected by climate change and other factors. This in turn has improved climate and weather forecasting and helped oceanographers studying Atlantic and Arctic waters to answer some of the biggest questions in marine science today.

In this episode, recorded during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, guests Prof. Mark Inall of SAMS and Prof. Penny Holliday of the National Oceanography Centre discuss their own histories with The Ellett Line, what its future may hold - and what it's like being on a research ship in 30-metre waves!

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

In a very special episode of the SAMS Ocean Explorer podcast, recorded at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2026 in Glasgow, we discuss the current state of ocean research as it navigates reductions in funding while facing an urgent demand for new knowledge.

We explore the impact of U.S. federal government cuts to environmental science and ask: Can scientists be political? What actions are needed to address the challenges of climate change? What might the future hold for ocean science? And, is Scotland really the centre of the oceanographic universe..?!

Our guests are two leading figures in global marine science: 

Janice Lachance is Chief Executive and Director of the American Geophysical Union, a U.S. based international community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences. She has previously held senior roles in the U.S. Government.

Deborah Bronk is President and CEO of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and has served in a number of senior roles across marine science. In 2020, she was recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for her substantial research advances on the marine nitrogen cycle and for her leadership in the ocean science research community.

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

Like a giant carbon sponge, the ocean has been absorbing much of the excess carbon dioxide humans have produced - but for how long can that last?

While we see the effects of climate change more clearly on land, the impact on our ocean is less obvious. 

In this episode, guests Dr Robyn Tuerena and Dr Clare Johnson of SAMS discuss how their latest research project, C-STREAMS, is measuring changes in the ocean carbon cycle and what this might mean for our climate.

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

The term 'robotics' is fairly wide reaching. From amateur enthusiasts to teams of developers working on the next ingenious idea, there are many applications too.

Environmental scientists are excited about a new-found capability in environmental monitoring. Surveying an area of land or sea that would previously have taken days - even many weeks - can now be done in minutes, thanks to autonomous vehicles and their hi-tech payloads of cameras and sensors. 

In this episode, Dr Niall Burnside and Libby Smith from the Scientific Robotics Academy at SAMS, talk about how these systems can be used, why training the next generation of scientists in these systems is crucial, and what the future might hold. 

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

Marine restoration is the helping hand that nature needs in the battle against biodiversity loss and also a way to offset human impacts in the ocean.

But the benefits can be more than ecological.

In this episode, we welcome Peter Watson of SSEN Transmission, the company responsible for laying new power cables on our seabed as part of the de-carbonising of our energy grid. There's much more it wants to do, beyond rebuilding the energy infrastructure, with a little help from science. 

Peter and Prof Adam Hughes of SAMS discuss what benefits marine restoration can bring, the challenges such projects face and how a children's television programme can influence the direction of an entire company...

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

With a global human population in excess of eight billion, governments and planners are looking to aquaculture to provide food security in a sustainable way.

But this is a diverse global industry that comes in many forms, with various societal and ecological challenges.   

In this episode, two of the academics behind a highly-rated aquaculture Masters Degree, ACES, reflect on 10 years of the programme, designed to train the industry and academic leaders of the future. 

Profs. Elizabeth Cottier-Cook and Laurent Barille also highlight the challenges and opportunities within global aquaculture and reflect on how they too have learned from their international programme.

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.

Oceanographers spend a lot of time exploring the deep sea, but what is it really like taking measurements in the middle of the ocean and how is it done? 

In this episode real-life Octonauts, Drs Neil Fraser and Lewis Drysdale, explain to Euan how detailed ocean observations give us an insight into the changing climate.

They also describe how the latest technology has become a game changer in the quest for more data, more quickly as we seek more accurate climate forecasts.

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.