South Pole | Antarctic Science & Polar Exploration

Antarctic seafloor life stores carbon for centuries. Marine ecologist Dr. Narissa Bax explains Antarctic blue carbon, the carbon captured and stored by marine organisms and ocean habitats. The episode follows carbon from phytoplankton through cold-water coral gardens, sponge fields, kelp, and other seafloor ecosystems, where some of it can eventually be buried in sediment for hundreds or thousands of years. Bax examines the growing scientific effort to measure this seafloor carbon storage, its relationship with biodiversity, and how blue carbon could support marine protected areas and conservation policy. The discussion also considers bottom trawling, carbon credits, and the limits of presenting Antarctic blue carbon as a simple climate solution.

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Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media website
Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia
Hosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese
Find Dr. Narissa Bax website here.
Read Dr Bax’s publication: The Growing Potential of Antarctic Blue Carbon
Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website
Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia

Hosted, produced, written, and edited by Clark Marchese
Cover art and PFM logo by Laurel Wong.
Theme music by Nela Ruiz

Find some more Pine Forest Media podcasts below
Listen to Oceanography on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
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Elephant seals collect data beneath the Southern Ocean. Dr. Clive McMahon explains how researchers equip southern elephant seals with miniature conductivity, temperature, and depth sensors. As the seals dive and travel through remote waters that are difficult to observe, especially during winter, the animal-borne sensors collect information about temperature, salinity, depth, and ocean productivity before transmitting observations by satellite. The data help scientists study elephant seal tracking, foraging, body condition, and population change while improving Southern Ocean monitoring. They also reveal physical processes connected to Antarctic dense water, global ocean circulation, weather, and climate.

Episode Guest: Dr. Clive McMahon
Review the research publication discussed in the episode here
Visit Dr. McMahon’s publications on Google Scholar
Visit the website of the Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website
Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia
Hosted, produced, written, and edited by Clark Marchese
Cover art and PFM logo by Laurel Wong.
Theme music by Nela Ruiz
Find some more Pine Forest Media podcasts below

Listen to Oceanography on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jackie Ronne changed who could explore Antarctica. Polar historian Dr. Joanna Kafarowski recounts how Ronne joined the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947 as a full expedition member and became one of the first two women to overwinter on the continent. The episode follows her journey from the National Geographic Society to Antarctica, where male expedition members initially signed a petition opposing the women’s participation. Learn how Ronne contributed to expedition operations and scientific objectives while facing isolation, sexism, and extraordinary pressure. Her story reveals the institutional barriers that kept qualified women out of polar exploration for decades.

Episode Guest: Dr. Joanna Kafarowski

Visit Dr. Kafarowski’s website here
Connect with Dr. Kafarowski on LinkedIn

Find: Antarctic Pioneer: the Trailblazing Life of Jackie Ronne
Find: The Polar Adventures of a Rich American Dame: The Life of Lousie Arner Boyd

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website
Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia
Hosted, produced, written, and edited by Clark Marchese
Cover art and PFM logo by Laurel Wong.
Theme music by Nela Ruiz
Find some more Pine Forest Media podcasts below

Listen to Oceanography on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Antarctic Treaty turned rivalry into cooperation. Political and environmental philosopher Dr. Alejandra Mancilla traces how overlapping territorial claims, international tensions, and the Cold War led twelve countries to sign the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. The resulting Antarctic Treaty System set the continent aside for peaceful purposes and international scientific cooperation while effectively freezing competing territorial claims. The episode explores environmental protection, membership and decision-making, questions of political legitimacy, and the pressures climate change could place on polar governance. It also asks what the treaty’s model of shared guardianship might teach the rest of the world.

Episode Guest: Dr. Alejandra Mancilla

Visit Dr. Mancilla’s website
Find Dr. Mancilla’s article here
Browse Dr. Mancilla’s publications on Google Scholar

Learn more about the Antarctic Treaty here

South Pole: What if Antarctica had Legal Personhood?

Read Antarctic journalist Tiara Walter’s work

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media Website
Follow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmedia
Hosted, produced and edited by Clark Marchese
Cover art and PFM logo by Laurel Wong.
Theme music by Nela Ruiz
Find some more Pine Forest Media podcasts below

Listen to Oceanography on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Listen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pine Forest Media is proud to present Oceanography, a new podcast hosted by South Pole creator Clark Marchese. This weekly series explores the science and global cooperation needed to protect our oceans.

With guests ranging from marine biologists and oceanographers to UN policymakers and community organizers, the show connects science with society—diving into topics like whale communication, bioluminescent species, deep-sea ecosystems, and the future of conservation policy.

Oceanography isn’t just about marine life—it’s about the role oceans play in global climate, biodiversity, and justice.

The first season includes interviews with the Deputy Global Coordinator at UNESCO and the Tribal Liaison for the Marine Protected Area Collaborative Network.
🎧 Listen to the trailer now and follow Oceanography wherever you get your podcasts. First episode drops July 29.
Subscribe on Spotify
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Or stream wherever you stream best!

📌 South Pole Season 3 arrives this fall.
🌐 Learn more: pineforestpods.com
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