Earth Reporters

Episode
Sea Change
Broadcast Info
2011 (25 mins)
Description
In the past generation, the science of our seas has undergone a revolution. As the ice caps melt and coral reefs face destruction, the urgency to understand our oceans has never been greater. They cover 72% of the earth’s surface, yet the ways in which they affect our changing weather patterns are only just being discovered.

Tasmania based Earth Reporter, Dr Susan Wijffels is one of a handful oceanographers worldwide piecing together crucial new insights into the way the oceans work. Using a variety of technologies that have emerged in the last decade, these vital tools play a critical role in the scientific breakthroughs of Susan and her colleagues.
This year, the launch of a NASA satellite to measure surface salinity will be a critical new development, a compliment to the existing global array of 3000 sea-data gathering robots that beaming data signals to a central satellite controlled from Toulouse. These floats have revolutionized the way in which oceans are monitored - but what clues do their findings give to understanding our changing climate? With the challenges of extreme weather ever pressing, further mapping is a race against time.
This film profiles these extraordinary developments in oceanography and follows Dr Wijffels from her home in Tasmania to Argentina where she leads a mission of international scientists who are working with these technologies to provide a deeper understanding of what climate change really means.
Genre
International Development

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Earth Reporters". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/81992 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)