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Over a hundred shipwrecks lie hidden beneath the surface of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and upwards of a hundred more are still waiting to be found. But how do you hunt for history in pitch-black, frigid freshwater? Join Sanctuary Fellow Cassidy Beach as she steps into the world of lakebed mapping and wreck discovery through shadows, sonar, and submersibles. From "mowing the lawn" with multibeam acoustic technology to piloting research subs past sunken hulls and alien-like sinkholes, we explore the science, the ethics, and the human stories lingering on the bottom of the Great Lakes.

Featured Guests:

• Andrea Yoxsimer — Resource Protection Specialist, NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Alex Andreani — Chief Officer Submarine Pilot, Viking Expeditions

Sources & Resources:

• Lake Bed 2030👉https://glos.org/lakebed-2030/
• Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary👉 https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/
• Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary👉 https://thunderbayfriends.org/
• Viking Expeditions👉https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations

Host: Cassidy Beach — Sanctuary Fellow & Science Communicator — cassidyebeach.com

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Unlike the open ocean, the Great Lakes don't have endless currents to sweep trash away. Whatever enters these inland seas stays in our watershed. But how do researchers actually track this synthetic footprint scattered across thousands of square miles of open water and coastlines? To find out, Sanctuary Fellow Cassidy Beach explores the frontlines of freshwater plastic research in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Dive into the high-tech filtration systems and standardized shore surveys mapping Great Lakes plastic. Can sifting through debris and microscopic fibers really unlock a cure for eco-anxiety? Grab your field gear and come along to find out.

Featured Guests:

• Sophie Stuart — Education and Outreach Specialist & Volunteer Coordinator, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in support of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Hayley Charlton-Howard — Field Scientist, Viking Expeditions

Sources & Resources:

• Current state of microplastic pollution in the Great Lakes and potential risks👉https://pubs.acs.org/ascecg/article/10/43/14074/1494675/Microplastics-in-the-Great-Lakes-Environmental
• Mass and distribution of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes👉 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X1630981X
• NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project 👉https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/our-work/monitoring/marine-debris-monitoring-and-assessment-project
• Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary👉 https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/
• Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary👉 https://thunderbayfriends.org/
• Viking Expeditions👉https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations

Host: Cassidy Beach — Sanctuary Fellow & Science Communicator — cassidyebeach.com

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When a nearly 700-foot expedition vessel anchors off Alpena, Michigan, it’s delivering more than sightseeing. It’s bringing a floating research platform to a community built on maritime history. In our debut episode, Sanctuary Fellow Cassidy Beach explores how NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Viking Expeditions built an unlikely partnership to share real-time data side-by-side. From onboard labs to classrooms on shore, discover how open science is replacing doom-and-gloom with actionable freshwater solutions.

Featured Guests:

• Stephanie Gandulla — Maritime Archaeologist & Resource Protection Coordinator, NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Jason Hayden — Chief Scientist, Viking Expeditions

Sources & Resources:

• Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary👉 https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/
• Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary👉 https://thunderbayfriends.org/
• Viking Expeditions👉https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations

Host: Cassidy Beach — Sanctuary Fellow & Science Communicator — cassidyebeach.com