Scientists have been concerned about the effects of climate change on the oceans for decades, but the task of measuring that change proved a major challenge. Walter Munk (APS 1965)—the "Einstein of the Oceans"—had an idea.
Tune in to The Heard Island Experiment, a special podcast series with APS CEO Patrick Spero, to learn about the development of a new technology that could improve the world, a grand scientific adventure to prove it could work, and its unexpected and turbulent legacy. Listen to the first episode here:
Episode 1: The Origins of an Idea
In the early 1990s, Walter Munk (APS 1965) and his colleagues organized a global experiment that they hoped might solve a major problem facing the planet—how to measure global warming of the oceans. In this episode, learn about how Walter Munk came to be known as the “Einstein of the oceans” and how he built a team of scientists to try to answer a simple but surprisingly difficult question—what was the temperature of the oceans across the globe?
Episode 2: Creating an Experiment
The use of sound waves to detect a “whole ocean” temperature required finding a remote location, where Munk's team could deploy their signal without interference. Heard Island, located 2,500 miles off the west coast of Australia, was suitably secluded. In this episode, hear about the lead up to and execution of the Heard Island Feasibility Test in 1991. And, as word of the experiment grew, the team was met with unexpected controversy that threatened to halt the experiment before it even started.
Episode 3: Promise and Perils
What came of the findings of the Heard Island Feasibility Test? Did the team get the information they were looking for and how would this technique be used by future generations of scientists? In this episode, hear about the experiment’s immediate aftermath as well as its long-term legacy.