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The Deep-Sea Podcast

The Deep-Sea Podcast

By: Thomas Linley
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 A couple of deep-sea scientists talk everything deep sea! Interesting facts, recent news, myth-busting and interviews with the most interesting people we know.Copyright 2024 All rights reserved. Biological Sciences Earth Sciences Science
Episodes
  • PRESSURISED: 061 – Trench nutrient cycling with Ronnie N. Glud

    PRESSURISED: 061 – Trench nutrient cycling with Ronnie N. Glud
    Aug 16 2025
    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 61, just the science, none of the waffle PRESSURISED: Trench nutrient cycling with Ronnie N. Glud | The Deep Sea Podcast | Episode 61

    Guest Interview: Nutrient cycling in the hadal trenches (6 to 11 km) and the crucial role they play in global element cycling. Professor Ronnie N. Glud, a leading biochemist and Director of the Danish Centre for Hadal Research (HADAL) talks us through how the trenches, once thought to be barren, are actually "dynamic deep-sea hotspots with intensified microbial activity and diversity". Learn about:

    • How hadal trenches act as "depocenters" for organic material, leading to microbial activity that's 2 to 6 times higher than in adjacent abyssal sites.
    • The surprising diversity of microbial "generalists" that easily adapt to the immense pressure and low temperatures, aided by viruses that facilitate "horizontal gene transfer".
    • The return of full anaerobic diagenetic processes (like sulphate reduction and anammox) in trench sediments, making them significant sinks for fixed nitrogen.
    • The role of marine snow and seismic activity in efficiently transporting organic matter and, surprisingly, pollutants like PCBs and heavy metals to these remote depths.
    • Why these trenches are not isolated environments but are highly connected to surface ocean processes, even responding to climate-driven changes in primary production.

    We also have a surprise blobfish guest!

    Support the show

    The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us:

    C Wright

    Check out our podcast merch here!

    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

    podcast@deepseapod.com

    We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone!

    https://www.speakpipe.com/deepseapodvoicemail

    Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

    Find out more Social media

    BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

    Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

    Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

    Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:

    Alan - @Hadalbloke

    Thom - @ThomLinley

    Instagram:

    Thom - @thom.linley

    Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

    BlueSky:

    Thom @thomaslinley.com

    Reference list

    Flourishing chemosynthetic life at the greatest depths of hadal trenches

    Element cycling and microbial life in the hadal realm

    Credits

    Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    Logo image: Ronnie N. Glud
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    32 mins
  • Trench nutrient cycling with Ronnie N. Glud

    Trench nutrient cycling with Ronnie N. Glud
    Aug 3 2025
    In this episode… Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea! Join Dr. Thom Linley and Professor Alan Jamieson as they dive into the latest from the abyssal plain and beyond. Deep Sea News Highlights: We kick things off with a rethinking of the deep-sea boundary! Professor Alan Jamieson discusses his recent "food for thought" paper that challenges the long-held 200-meter definition, arguing for a more scientifically relevant boundary of 1,000 meters. Find out why this seemingly arbitrary line might be doing "a lot of damage" to our understanding and attitude towards the deep sea. Also in the news, get ready for updates on: A new story map on mesophotic reefs following the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.An exciting project charting shipwrecks in the Great Lakes using cutting-edge ROV technology for 3D modelling.The discovery of a deep-sea limpet named after a One Piece character, found at an astonishing 6 kilometres deep!How Earth's deep-sea microbes are being used to model potential life on Jupiter's moon Europa.Groundbreaking research on a new bioplastic that vanishes by over 80% in extreme deep-sea conditions, offering hope for sustainable solutions. Guest Interview: Nutrient cycling in the hadal trenches (6 to 11 km) and the crucial role they play in global element cycling. Professor Ronnie N. Glud, a leading biochemist and Director of the Danish Centre for Hadal Research (HADAL), talks us through how the trenches, once thought to be barren, are actually "dynamic deep-sea hotspots with intensified microbial activity and diversity". Learn about: How hadal trenches act as "depocenters" for organic material, leading to microbial activity that's 2 to 6 times higher than in adjacent abyssal sites.The surprising diversity of microbial "generalists" that easily adapt to the immense pressure and low temperatures, aided by viruses that facilitate "horizontal gene transfer".The return of full anaerobic diagenetic processes (like sulphate reduction and anammox) in trench sediments, making them significant sinks for fixed nitrogen.The role of marine snow and seismic activity in efficiently transporting organic matter and, surprisingly, pollutants like PCBs and heavy metals to these remote depths.Why these trenches are not isolated environments but are highly connected to surface ocean processes, even responding to climate-driven changes in primary production. We also have a surprise blobfish guest! Support the show The podcast is self-sustaining (just) thanks to our lovely listeners. Thom and Alan take no money for the show. All money is put back into running it. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: C Wright Check out our podcast merch here! Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@deepseapod.com We’d love to actually play your voice, so feel free to record a short audio note on our brand new answerphone! Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time! Find out more Social media BlueSky: @deepseapod.com Twitter: @DeepSeaPod Instagram: @deepsea_podcast Keep up with the team on social media Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley Instagram: Thom - @thom.linley Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions BlueSky: Thom @thomaslinley.com Reference list The graves of Edinburgh John Young Buchanan - Chemist on the Challenger Expedition Edward Forbes - Deep-sea naturalist Sir John Murray - Father of modern oceanography Notable people buried in Dean Cemetery Discord Updates Join our Patreon to get access to the Discord The supergiant amphipod wiki page News Interview Flourishing chemosynthetic life at the greatest depths of hadal trenches Element cycling and microbial life in the hadal realm News/Further Reading Reconsidering the term ‘deep sea’ | ICES Journal of Marine Science | Oxford Academic Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities Expeditions Historic Shipwrecks Come to Light in the Great Lakes - The New York Times Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary -- Live! Deep-sea Limpet named after OnePiece character Microbial Life on Earth: A Model for the Cosmos Reef Chat from Moku Art Studio with Paola Santiago Padua and Meghan Jones Scientists find bioplastic that vanishes 80% even in extreme deep-sea conditions Unveiling deep-sea biodegradation of microbially produced lactate-based polyester (LAHB) via plastisphere metagenomics and metatranscriptomics - ScienceDirect Alan appeared on another podcast too: We've Only Explored 0.001% of the Deep Sea - What's Lurking Below? | Discover Magazine Podcast Credits Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image: Ronnie N. Glud
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    56 mins
  • PRESSURISED: 060 – Mesophotic Reefs with Yi-Kai Tea

    PRESSURISED: 060 – Mesophotic Reefs with Yi-Kai Tea
    Jul 17 2025
    Welcome to the PRESSURISED version of episode 60, just the science, none of the waffle PRESSURISED: Mesophotic Reefs with Yi-Kai Tea | The Deep Sea Podcast | Episode 60

    In this month's episode, we discuss mesophotic reefs, the deeper extents of coral reefs that have been overlooked in the past. It’s a wild ride that leads us to homemade hyperbaric chambers, the aquarium trade and the world’s most expensive fish. Strap in for a rollercoaster ride as we dive to the limits of scuba.

    Find out more

    at deepseapod.com

    Social media

    BlueSky: @deepseapod.com

    Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

    Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

    Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:

    Alan - @Hadalbloke

    Thom - @ThomLinley

    Instagram:

    Thom - @thom.linley

    Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions

    BlueSky:

    Thom @thomaslinley.com

    Reference list

    Kai’s website

    Instagram

    Bluesky

    Twitter

    Mesophotic fish collecting video

    Taken by Ghislain Bardout from Under The Pole. The diver is Timothy Bennett, and he was collecting for the Australian Museum Research Expedition.

    One of Kai’s recent mesophotic reef papers

    The hyperbaric chamber for fishes

    The paper where the chamber is described

    The peppermint Angelfish

    Kai’s video of the peppermint angel

    Teresa’s project

    Her recent paper on black corals

    Support the show

    The podcast is only possible with your help. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us:

    Smorgindorg

    Check out our podcast merch here!

    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

    podcast@deepseapod.com

    We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

    Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

    Glossary
    • BRUV - Baited Remote Underwater Video
    • Closed-circuit rebreather - An advanced form of scuba where your breath is recycled, and you don’t make any bubbles
    • Husbandry - Keeping an animal in captivity
    • IPFC - Indo-Pacific Fish Conference
    • Marine Snow - The particles that rain down to the seabed; poop, dead things, cast shells
    • Mesophotic Reef - The deeper extent of coral reefs where the light is reduced
    • Rebreather - See Closed-circuit rebreather
    • ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicle
    • Systematics - The structure and relationships between species

    Credits

    Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel

    Logo image: The peppermint angel by Yi-Kai Tea
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
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