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Changing Seas Season 17 Episodes

4 Episodes 2025 - 2025

Episode 1

Costa Rica's Surfing Paradise

Wed, Jun 25, 2025

On Costa Rica's Pacific coast, the surf break at Playa Hermosa is a world-class wave - and the heart of a vibrant ecosystem where endangered sea turtles nest. Recently named a World Surfing Reserve, it's now the focus of a bold conservation effort, as community members work to restore forests, protect wildlife, and preserve the powerful waves that shape their way of life.

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Episode 2

Whales in a Plastic Ocean

Wed, Jun 25, 2025

Far out in the eastern Atlantic, a lush subtropical oasis rises from the depths of the open ocean. This is Madeira - a volcanic island formed some 20 million years ago. Nicknamed the pearl of the Atlantic, this Portuguese outpost is located closer to north Africa than mainland Portugal. Only a few miles from its coast, the ocean plunges into the depths, making the area a hotspot to observe a multitude of whale and dolphin species. But even remote archipelagos like Madeira aren't immune from plastic trash that's floating in the ocean. MARE-Madeira scientists are conducting a variety of studies to better understand the presence of plastics in the surrounding waters, and the impacts they are having on whales and dolphins in the area.

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Episode 3

Mystery of the Spinning Fish

Wed, Jun 25, 2025

In late 2023 and into the spring of 2024, fishermen in the Florida Keys witnessed an unusual phenomenon. More than 80 species of fish were observed spinning and acting extremely disoriented. While the vast majority of fishes seemed to eventually recover, it was lethal for one iconic South Florida species - the endangered smalltooth sawfish. By early summer of 2024, 56 smalltooth sawfish had been reported dead, with many more potentially unaccounted for. Early on, a team of multidisciplinary scientists, together with the Lower Keys Guide Association, began collaborating to solve this mystery. After ruling out a lot of potential causes, experts have narrowed in on possible culprits - single-celled algae known as dinoflagellates that have the ability to produce a variety of neurotoxins. Now scientists continue the painstaking process of teasing apart what toxins may induce the spinning behavior and where these toxins originate.

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Episode 4

The Elephant Seals of Año Nuevo

Wed, Jun 25, 2025

Along the rugged Northern California coast, Año Nuevo State Park harbors a thriving colony of elephant seals, a coastal gem where science and nature intertwine. Each year, thousands of seals return to breed and molt, offering rare opportunities for research. For over 50 years and across three generations of scientists, University of California Santa Cruz researchers have worked alongside seven generations of seals to better understand their life cycles and behaviors. Today, these sea sentinels are gathering invaluable data to help us better understand ocean health and marine ecology.

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