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SAMS Ocean Explorer

SAMS Ocean Explorer

By: Scottish Association for Marine Science
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About this listen

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban, Scotland is an ocean research charity and investigates various elements of our marine environment, from algae to oceanography. In this podcast, we meet staff and students from SAMS to learn more about our vast and mysterious ocean.


Please consider supporting this important work https://www.sams.ac.uk/support-sams/


© 2025 SAMS Ocean Explorer
Biological Sciences Earth Sciences Nature & Ecology Science
Episodes
  • Ocean carbon storage: how much is too much?
    Feb 17 2026

    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.

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    33 mins
  • The robots helping us to protect nature
    Sep 24 2025

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Marine restoration: why it's everyone's business
    Aug 25 2025

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
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