NOAA: Making Waves

The Making Waves podcast has retired, but have no fear! We combined our Making Waves, Ocean Shorts, and Diving Deeper pods into one NEW podcast called NOAA Ocean. Subscribe in your favorite podcatcher so you never miss an episode. Just search for "NOAA Ocean." If you are looking for an older Making Waves episode, head to oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast to view our archive.

The Making Waves podcast has retired, but have no fear! We combined our Making Waves, Ocean Shorts, and Diving Deeper podcasts into one NEW podcast called NOAA Ocean. Subscribe to the new podcast in your favorite podcatcher so you never miss an episode. Just search for "NOAA Ocean." If you are looking for an older Making Waves episode, head to oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast to view our archive.

What is ocean noise and what is NOAA doing to reduce this threat in our national marine sanctuaries? Many marine organisms, including marine mammals, sea turtles, fish and invertebrates, rely on sound and hearing for their survival. Over the last century, increases in human activity within our ocean have led to increasing levels of noise. This increasing amount of noise from human sources is a rising concern for the health and well-being of marine organisms and ecosystems. In this episode, we talk with NOAA marine ecologist Dr. Leila Hatch about her work to better understand the ocean soundscape by developing programs that can establish baselines, detect changes in noise levels, and support the design of methods to reduce noise impacts. Episode permanent link and show notes

Money does not grow on trees, but it could be growing in our coastal salt marshes and sea grass beds. A team of researchers is working at Waquoit Bay Research Reserve on Cape Cod in Massachusetts on the "Bringing Wetlands to Market" project to study the connections between coastal wetlands, carbon dioxide uptake and storage, and the global carbon trading economy. Wetlands have the potential to serve as valuable assets in carbon trading markets – but only if we protect them, and don't dig up the treasure! Episode permanent link and show notes

Boaters rely on NOAA's nautical charts for depth measurements so they don't accidentally ground on sandbars or other underwater obstructions. Take three minutes out of your day to hear Captain Shepard Smith of the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson discuss how nautical charts are updated—and how NOAA is using promising new technology (ocean robots!) that will add shallow depths to nautical charts. Episode permanent link and show notes