I’ve always been fascinated by marine life, and we have so much still to learn about the ocean realm. National Geographic is presenting a new series, OceanExplorers. My friend Dr. Mithriel MacKay of the Florida-based Marine and Coastal Ecology Research Center has an important role concerning one of my favorite topics, cetaceans, in the premiere episode on August 18.
The show’s Instagram page says, “OCEANXPLORERS premieres Aug. 18 on @natgeotv and streams Aug. 19 on @disneyplus and @hulu. This thrilling six-part adventure takes viewers on board the OceanXplorer, OceanX’s cutting-edge scientific research and exploration vessel, to explore the farthest reaches of the world’s oceans.” James Cameron is one of the executive producers, and the BBC joins OceanX for this endeavor. The trailer features sharks, cephalopods, polar bears, and other creatures along with the whales and dolphins. For us tech fans, the ship comes with its own helicopter, submersible, and holographic visualization lab. For more on the show, see the home page.
Dr. MacKay (PhD, Marine Biology) founded and runs the MCERC, a nonprofit focused on research, education, and outreach on marine and coastal biodiversity. It includes degreed scientists, educators, interns, citizen scientists, and students.
On the first episode of the Nat Geo show, MacKay, as the marine mammal behaviorist, and acoustic specialist Dr Kerri Seger study humpback whales and their unwanted (by the humpbacks) companions, the killer whales.
Each expedition followed on the show includes two guest
scientists in addition to a crew made up of three teams – operations, science,
and media. MacKay says of the crew, “They are great guys. The people made the
expedition.”
What did they learn? Tune in to find out!
Matt Bille is a writer, historian, and naturalist living in Colorado Springs. He can be reached at mattsciwriter@protonmail.com. Website: www.mattbilleauthor.com.
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