WPBT Teaches Marine Science Through Local Program Changing Seas

WPBT, public television based in Miami, Florida, will soon be premiering new episodes of its Emmy award-winning series Changing Seas. Changing Seas explores the vast and undiscovered depths of the world’s oceans. Narrated by Peter Thomas, the program discusses the important role oceans play in people’s lives, in addition to discussing the declining health and the threats oceans are facing today. The documentary series features explorers and scientists as they uncover new information that could lead to scientific breakthroughs, giving viewers a first-hand look at how oceanographers and other experts study ocean human effects on ocean resources.

Changing Seas’ newest season includes divers who search for a sunken slave ship, an encounter with the mysterious creatures that lurk in the deep- and an expedition to French Polynesia to study some of the most remote reefs in the world. Series producer Alexa Elliot expressed excitement about the new season: “We filmed in some really spectacular locations this year and I am thrilled to share a lot of cutting edge marine science with our viewers.”

Recent episodes cover a variety of marine science topics.

Sunken Stories
In the Florida Keys, divers from around the country learn how to map shipwrecks and apply their skills on a mysterious 18th-century slave ship. When diving isn’t possible, professional explorers use high-tech tools to scan objects buried beneath the seafloor.

Creatures of the Deep
In the cold, deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, little-known animals spend their entire lives far removed from our human world. Until now, little research has been conducted on these creatures of the deep, keeping much of their lives a mystery.

Reefs of Rangiroa
Scientists with the Global Reef Expedition are on a six-year mission to study remote coral reefs around the world. While in French Polynesia, the experts conduct extensive habitat mapping to create one of a kind seafloor atlases. Scientists also assess the health of the reefs to compare and contrast the resilience of reef systems over a large geographical area. Reefs of Rangiroa is a co-production with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation.

To learn more about Changing Seas, visit their website.

View a clip from the Sunken Stories episode of Changing Seas: