The SeaBank Chronicles

#18 – The Salmon Are Coming. They Just Need Clean Water and Time

Wed, 11 Nov 2026 18:00:00 -0000

Witness the birth of a SeaBank salmon stream courtesy of Salmon Beyond Borders. Glaciers and icefields are melting the world over, but in the Gulf of Alaska emerging Pacific salmon habitat is taking their place to expand wild fish strongholds on the West Coast of North America. Hear that buzzing? Historic data shows that as proglacial streams settle and clear, they attract a burgeoning food web that begins with midges and stoneflies. As mosses and alders stabilize and enrich moraines, it’s only a matter of time—about 15 years—before salmon arrive to colonize the fresh, cold, clean waters left behind by dwindling ice. But in the SeaBank, mining pollution is on its way, too. Who will win the race to emerging post-glacial habitat? It’s up to us to ensure salmon get there first.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Immerse yourself in rich audio effects woven with lush voice narration for an experience that is educational and spellbinding. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#17 – Kelp Guardians: How Macroalgae Protect SeaBank Coastlines

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:37:00 -0000

Slip into your wetsuit and strap on a scuba tank. You’re about to untangle truth from fable…in a SeaBank kelp forest. If this gathering of coastal guardians—some as tall as a 10-story building—aren’t plants, what are they? Enter the giant kelp’s biogeochemical halo where high oxygen levels, complex carbohydrates, and energy-rich amino acids swirl at the base of the food web to support crabs, rockfish, herring, and juvenile salmon. Then discover what happens to the CO2 this kelp forest absorbs. Put on your headphones and float into an immersive underwater soundscape where protection is all around you.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#16 – Tongass Trees Are a Fire Shield: Why Southeast Alaska is Fire-Averse

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:30:00 -0000

In this episode you take the spotlight…by sharing your knowledge on wildfires. Recently returned to the SeaBank after a research stint on the west coast of North America, you’ll open your field notebook to share a host of discoveries. The reason behind the global rise in wildfires. The secret history of wildfires on Alaska’s southern coast–10,000 years ago. And why the SeaBank is predicted to remain fire-averse even as conflagrations grow across the planet. There’s just one thing we need to do: keep Tongass trees standing. Sponsored by the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#15 – Cohos are Heroes: Wetlands and Estuaries are Part of the Journey

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:26:46 -0000

Each year, juvenile coho salmon embark on a hero's journey as they prepare for migration to the sea. But their adventure doesn't require just one map—instead, coho rear in two environments. Grab an oxygen meter and turbidity gauge from your backpack and follow those fish! In this episode, we're helicoptering in a co-investigator to help out. Sponsored by Seafood Producers Cooperative, home of Alaska Gold Seafood.

A coho's journey involves more than a bubble bath of groundwater in a side channel and munching on mini-crustaceans in estuaries. They also face deadly threats posed by old-growth logging. When logging leads to spikes in stream temperatures and estuaries clouded by erosion, coho struggle to survive. After collecting data on oxygen depletion and sediments loads, you'll learn what actions you can take to help young coho reach the sea.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#14 – Joules of the Sea: The Hidden Lives of Hooligan

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 19:00:00 -0000

There’s a submersible in the SeaBank supply closet. Locate that—and some thick socks. We’re off to find some hooligan, and they like it cold.

Hooligan are a forage fish that spawn in glacial-fed SeaBank rivers where ideal temperature and salinity conditions support the survival of this rich species. Made of 20% oil, hooligan are a link between essential fatty acids found in plankton and the rest of the food web. Each spring, they return to the SeaBank’s icy waters where embryos tumble-incubate to estuaries before hatching. Hooligan have been a key spring food for Indigenous people for millennia, providing nutrients, medicine, and cultural connection in addition to feeding sea mammals, eagles, and other fish after a long, lean winter.

As hooligan runs falter elsewhere on the west coast of North America, it’s more important than ever to protect SeaBank waterways where this key forage fish still thrives.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#13 – Forests are Cool Places: 3 More Reasons People Need Trees

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:46 -0000

Sensors in your smart shirt indicate you're overheating. Follow the voice of your radio operator to the shelter of a forest canopy. This adventure in the cooling power of trees is sponsored by Earthjustice.

You’ve worked up a sweat groundtruthing the SeaBank ecosystem. Lucky for you, there’s a forest in your future—a place where temperatures dip to human-friendly levels beneath feathery western hemlocks and prickly Sitka spruce. But it’s not just shade that makes this old growth forest a cool place. Amid a soundtrack of rustling treetops, flowing water, and spellbinding musical interludes, you’ll learn three ways that forests help cool our planet, beyond the shade factor and the major benefit of climate sequestration. It’s all about those piney smells wafting around you, branches sighing overhead, and the voracious appetite of hydrogen bonds. Think forests are passive players in climate-proofing our world? Think again. More information about the connection between people and forests at www.earthjustice.org.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#12 – A Salmon Habitat Mosaic: Why Glaciers and Volcanoes Matter to Fish

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 23:00:51 -0000

Grab all the foul-weather gear you can find—in this transmission, you’ll trek across a tumultuous landscape in search of resilience strategies for wild Alaska salmon. Sponsored by Acme Smoked Fish.

Ice-age glaciers, volcanoes, tectonic motion, windstorms, and flooding are all part of the package when it comes to salmon’s biggest defense against climate change: genetic diversity. While Alaska is home to five species of Pacific salmon, its genetically-distinct stocks number in the hundreds of perhaps even thousands. With subtle differences in appearance and behavior, these robust populations embody what scientists call the “portfolio effect.” What does this mean and how can it help salmon remain climate resilient? Find out as you enjoy a soundtrack of immersive sounds and musical interludes that take you from the placid lakes of Alaska’s Bristol Bay region to the rushing rivers of Southeast. Then, read Sockeye 101 at www.acmesmokedfish.com.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#11 – Cracking the Black Cod Code: Why is Sablefish So Rich?

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 23:00:58 -0000

You're cold. You're wet. You're hungry. Come in out of the rain for a classic SeaBank dinner. This culinary adventure is sponsored by Sitka Seafood Market.

After groundtruthing the SeaBank ecosystem, it's time to gather around a crackling fire in a cozy SeaBank outpost to explore a delicious recipe—miso and soy-glazed sablefish. Amid a collage of lively cooking sounds and musical soundtrack that features the traditional Japanese folk song “Sakura,” you’ll break the black cod code to answer the question: why is this species so abundant in healthy, marine-derived lipids like omega-3 oils DHA and EPA? It’s all about microscopic marine plants called diatoms that spin sunlight into sugar at the base of the marine food web. When fellow SeaBank groundtruthers show up in search of a hot meal, you’ll welcome them with the unrivaled taste sensation that is black cod—and the mystery of deliciousness locked inside the black cod code. To find the recipe featured in this transmission, visit www.sitkaseafoodmarket.com.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#10 – Sandpipers on the Silvery Stikine: What's the Secret in All That Mud?

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 23:00:01 -0000

What's your boot size? There's a pair waiting in your Stikine River jet boat. This birding adventure is sponsored by Audubon Alaska.

Step into another universe during the Stikine River Shorebird Festival, which takes place near the SeaBank outpost of Wrangell each year in late April. You’ll travel a 27,000-acre intertidal delta to reach an otherworldly expanse of silvery mudflats where shorebirds—including enchanting murmurations of western sandpipers—gather for a nutrient-dense feast during their migratory journey to northern breeding grounds. But it’s not crustaceans or worms those sandpipers are pecking at in the mud. What is this mysterious substance? Find out as you immerse yourself in the sounds of flocking birds, flowing water, and a musical symphony that invites your ears to take flight. Don’t forget your birding map from www.ak.audubon.org—and your Xtratufs!

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#9 – Passport to a Salmon Stronghold: A Taku River Flyover

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 23:01:03 -0000

That noise? It's your helicopter. Put on your headset and climb aboard! This trip to Canada's boreal forest is sponsored by Salmon Beyond Borders.

Step aboard the Coho Cruiser helicopter for a flyover of the Taku River watershed, a 4.5-million-acre transboundary salmon stronghold that connects the SeaBank and boreal forests of northern British Columbia. Learn why this ecosystem is a global hotspot for salmon production (hint: it’s wild as all get-out) and how it’s expected to change the face of salmon resilience in western North America. Witness the ill effects of transboundary mining and the positive side to climate change—emerging glacial streams that will likely expand prime salmon habitat on the West Coast. Who is watching over these lands and waters? Tribal entities on both sides of the political border. Join them by listening to this episode of the SeaBank Chronicles, then learn what you can do to protect the Taku as an official salmon stronghold at www.salmonbeyondborders.org/take-action. .

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#8 – Cruising Toward a Pollution Solution: How a Healthy Ecosystem and Cruise Ship Tourism Can Coexist

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:15:39 -0000

Do you copy? Weather data shows it's a beautiful day in the SeaBank. Pull out your snorkel and prepare to dive in. Sponsored by Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.

In this transmission about Alaska's coastal rainforest ecosystem, you’ll combine a snorkeling excursion in SeaBank waters with an immersive economics lesson on negative externalities. While floating amid the sounds of seagulls and bell buoys, encounter phytoplankton and other inhabitants of the marine food web—along with the realities of aquatic pollution like PAHs, sulfates, nitrates, and heavy metals released by cruise ships that use open-loop scrubber technology. Luckily, your pack contains a dry towel plus a pollution solution with room for both the economic benefits of tourism and a healthy Southeast Alaska environment. It’s all about a switch from low-quality heavy fuel oil to cleaner-burning marine gas oil, which any vessel employing a marine scrubber can easily do 100% of the time. For more information on the use of Heavy Fuel Oil and sustainable cruise tourism, visit Southeast Alaska Conservation Council at www.seacc.org.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Immerse yourself in rich audio effects woven with lush voice narration for an experience that is educational and spellbinding. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

When in doubt, just keep listening.

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#7 – Seeking Shelter: Knock Here for Climate Resilience

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 15:00:00 -0000

Episode Notes

Go ahead—knock on any door.

Logbook 1, Transmission 7. In the final episode of this season, find yourself in the path of a powerful coastal storm. Follow instructions from your radio operator and seek shelter in the communities of Southeast Alaska. Protected by the might of ancient forests and sturdy wetland buffers, residents of these resilient SeaBank outposts are gathering to share myriad ideas for adapting to climate change and preserving life-giving lands and waters in a swiftly changing world.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems, guided by a trusted radio operator. Voice narration weaves in and out of rich audio effects to create an immersive experience that is both educational and spellbinding. Listeners will learn about the wild and silvery nation of migrating salmon, ancient trees, and the human communities who find refuge among them. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

#6 – Boundary Lines: A Perilous Secret Hides in a Watershed

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:19:03 -0000

Episode Notes

Logbook 1, Transmission 6. Even rainforests have sunny days. It’s time to put on your hiking boots and climb a SeaBank watershed. Along the way, learn about the relationship between watersheds and Southeast Alaska’s ultimate ecosystem engineer: salmon. But prepare yourself—you’ll also encounter the well-kept secret of transboundary mines. Test a tailings pond for heavy metals and hear news headlines from the 2014 Mount Polley Mine breach. Southeast Alaskans are fighting back, and so can you. Enjoy mixed water noises, footsteps on gravel, and cheerful whistling.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems, guided by a trusted radio operator. Voice narration weaves in and out of rich audio effects to create an immersive experience that is both educational and spellbinding. Listeners will learn about the wild and silvery nation of migrating salmon, ancient trees, and the human communities who find refuge among them. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

#5 – Water World: The Gulf of Alaska Holds Mystery... and Looming Threats

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 19:15:30 -0000

Episode Notes

Logbook 1, Transmission 5. Travel to the SeaBank’s deepest realm—the Gulf of Alaska. Start by examining a photograph of an icy glacial plume where it crosses the coastal boundary, then consider the mystery of why Southeast Alaska’s offshore waters are among the most biologically productive in the world. But danger lurks, too. Learn how industrial trawling threatens food security and Indigenous cultures, depletes fish stocks, and exacerbates climate change. Sounds include rushing rivers, bubbling phytoplankton, and the perils of unchecked technology.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems, guided by a trusted radio operator. Voice narration weaves in and out of rich audio effects to create an immersive experience that is both educational and spellbinding. Listeners will learn about the wild and silvery nation of migrating salmon, ancient trees, and the human communities who find refuge among them. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

#4 – Carbon Sink: A Supply Box Yields Natural Climate Solutions

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 16:18:17 -0000

Episode Notes

Good news from your radio operator. You receive a supply box in this transmission—pilot bread, chocolate, and the latest research in carbon science. Weather patterns are changing across the world, including the SeaBank. Yet scientists are hopeful about the carbon-sequestering might of Southeast Alaska. Discover why cool, wet temperate forests like the SeaBank contain the world’s most influential carbon sinks. Wrap yourself in the sounds of marine radio weather reports, seabirds, coastal winds, and scientists at work.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems, guided by a trusted radio operator. Voice narration weaves in and out of rich audio effects to create an immersive experience that is both educational and spellbinding. Listeners will learn about the wild and silvery nation of migrating salmon, ancient trees, and the human communities who find refuge among them. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

#3 – A Map in Four Dimensions: Amid Blowing Winds, an Old-Growth Forest is Born

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:35:59 -0000

Episode Notes

An ecosystem with four dimensions? In this transmission, survey the SeaBank’s interconnected habitats (forests, glaciers, estuaries, offshore waters) and enter their fourth dimension: time. Learn about ecological succession, the transformational powers of wind, and dynamic equilibrium—a state of balance amidst constant change. Enjoy the sounds of windchimes, time passing, and songbirds.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems, guided by a trusted radio operator. Voice narration weaves in and out of rich audio effects to create an immersive experience that is both educational and spellbinding. Listeners will learn about the wild and silvery nation of migrating salmon, ancient trees, and the human communities who find refuge among them. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

#2 – When Conditions Align: A Gathering of Mountains, Wind, and Water

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 21:06:53 -0000

Episode Notes

In this transmission from your radio operator, take a trip back in time to hear how the SeaBank foundation formed nearly half a billion years ago, what conditions aligned to create its coastal temperate rainforest, and the benefits to human communities that arose as a result. Learn about orogeny, orographic lift, and adiabatic cooling—all of which play a part in the SeaBank’s unrivaled ecosystem and the astonishing services it offers humanity, free of charge. Enjoy the sounds of raindrops on leaves, tidal movement, torrential rainfall, birdsong, time machine, continental collisions, mountain building, wind, deep breathing, note taking.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems, guided by a trusted radio operator. Voice narration weaves in and out of rich audio effects to create an immersive experience that is both educational and spellbinding. Listeners will learn about the wild and silvery nation of migrating salmon, ancient trees, and the human communities who find refuge among them. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

Refuge: Do You Hear a Climate Stronghold?

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 18:05:00 -0000

Episode Notes

Do you copy? Follow the voice of your trusted radio operator to a climate refuge.

Take a 7-minute journey into the SeaBank—a bank in and of the sea where ecological riches find refuge. Pull a map of Southeast Alaska from your pack and pencil in the boundaries of this rare ecosystem, then discover why scientists believe its coastal temperate rainforest and connected marine perimeters have an important future as a climate stronghold for wild salmon, ancient forests, and human communities. Immerse yourself in the sounds of ocean waves, glacial winds, and wild creatures of earth and sea.

The SeaBank Chronicles is a natural sound theater transporting you through the living science of Southeast Alaska. Combining facts and mystery, each 7-minute episode delivers listeners to Alaska’s coastal rainforest to groundtruth terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Immerse yourself in rich audio effects woven with lush voice narration for an experience that is educational and spellbinding. A project of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, The SeaBank Chronicles is written, hosted, and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads.

When in doubt, just keep listening.