From The Antarctic To The Norfolk Broads

Antarctica holds lots of ice, which has the potential to cause global sea level to rise by 58 meters*. This area of our planet also suffers from extreme weather, keeping scientists away. The solution? Hundreds of tagged seals are now taking on an incredible mission, carrying instruments to measure sea water properties on their journeys through the Antarctic. How can seals help our understanding of Antarctic oceanography & ice conditions? Yixi Zheng has just returned from Antarctica & will tell us more about this mysterious place.

* If you want to read more please see (Fretwell et al. 2013)

They may be small and invisible but tiny Prymnesium can wreak havoc on Broadlands ecosystem by forming massive algal blooms. This microscopic plant is well adaptable; grows fast and spreads easily. Peter Rivera gives the details of this toxic alga’s invasion and killing spree, shedding light on the ecological risks and damages on the Norfolk broads and its waterways.

You may have never heard of a diatom, but they are everywhere and are responsible for generating about a quarter of all the oxygen you will ever breathe. Diatoms in the Arctic and Antarctic are the main source of food for the entire food web, feeding krill which then feed animals as big as the blue whale. With the polar oceans changing faster than anywhere else the key to understanding how diatoms will adapt and survive lies in their genetic code.