Wild Sounds: Voice of Tangaroa

Exploring the state of our oceans and the extraordinary variety of life that calls it home. A collaboration with New Zealand Geograhic.

Wild Sounds is RNZ's new podcast feed dedicated to incredible natural science stories from NZ

Podcast cover for 'Voice of Tangaroa' from the Wild Sounds series. Abstract ocean wave patterns in teal and white flow across a dark blue background.

Follow this podcast

RSS

Get this podcast straight from the source in the free RNZ app: Apple App Store or Google Play

All episodes:

Voice of the Sea Ice 01 | A land of ice and ambition

Season 1 / Episode 1
Welcome to Antarctica - a land of ice, extremes, and ambition. From historic expeditions to modern day science projects, Antarctic exploration is a unique, and dangerous, experience. We meet one researcher involved in an epic journey across the largest ice shelf in Antarctica, mapping a safe route through a crevassed landscape for others to follow. Plus, we learn about the different types of ice found in this vast, frozen landscape.
An aerial image looking down on a flat white expanse of ice with three vehicles towing long trailers of gear and small portable buildings. The front vehicle is carving a track parallel to the other two; both tracks extend from the bottom right corner into the middle of the white expanse.

Voice of the Sea Ice 02 | Antarctica's heartbeat

Season 1 / Episode 2
Step out on the sea ice just outside New Zealand’s Scott Base with researchers studying the physics of its annual cycle. Each year a massive patch of ocean around Antarctica freezes and then melts again come summer – Antarctica’s heartbeat. In winter, the ice effectively more than doubles the size of this already massive continent, and it plays a huge role in controlling our planet’s climate.
Four people in orange cold-weather gear engaged in various activities on a flat expanse of ice in front of a green-and-range Hagglund vehicle. Two people are wielding are long metal drill/pole, and the other two are crouched behind heaped up snow next to an array of flags. The sky is blue with a few bands of cloud.

Voice of the Sea Ice 03 | Life!

Season 1 / Episode 3
What’s it like to live and work on the frozen ocean? A team of researchers are camping out on the sea ice to investigate the small critters that live on the bottom of the ice, and among the sloshy platelet ice layer just below it. From microalgae to krill, these tiny organisms hold up the big complex food web of Antarctica. Scientists are keen to understand these communities, and how they might shift as the sea ice cycle changes.
Two people stand next to a rectangular hole cut into the sea ice. The man on the left is wearing all black and he is bending over to insert a long coring drill into the hole. There is a spade and flag on the far left. On the right of the hole, a woman with a short blonde bob stands, holding a rod attached to cables. She is wearing an Antarctica New Zealand black-and-orange jacket. In the background, a flat expanse of white ice extends to low rocky, snow-strewn hills on the horizon, beneath a blue sky with a smear of cloud.

Voice of the Sea Ice 04 | More life!

Season 1 / Episode 4
Penguins that return to the ice in the middle of winter to lay their eggs. Seals that use cracks in the ice to keep their pups safe. And fish that have antifreeze proteins to survive in the icy cold waters... Antarctic life is tough, and full of surprises. Scientists are keen to piece together the Antarctic food web puzzle to better understand the interconnections, and to enable smart conservation decisions.
A very cute fuzzy grey seal pup lounges on its back with one flipper raised next to a larger lump of seal only partially visible. Both are on the ice and the pup's head is resting on a pillow of snow.

Voice of the Sea Ice 05 | Changing times

Season 1 / Episode 5
In February 2025, the world hit a new low for global sea ice extent. Arctic sea ice has been declining for several decades now, but Antarctic sea ice had been holding steady, until recently. With low summer sea ice extents for four years in a row, it appears that Earth’s warming has kicked Antarctic sea ice into a new regime. Claire Concannon speaks to scientists to understand what this means for Antarctica, what this means for us, and how they feel about it.
A wide shot of ice floes breaking apart, as seen from a high angle. Beyond the ice edge, there is open dark water, then a line of mushy ice.

Voice of the Sea Ice 06 | Where to?

Season 1 / Episode 6
Human-induced climate change is impacting Earth’s global systems, including ice melt in Antarctica. What is the world doing to combat it? Signed in 2016, the Paris Agreement is the current global plan to tackle it. Countries pledge different emission reduction targets and then produce their workings and homework about how they are going about it. Where does New Zealand fit in? Are we doing our bit as a nation? And should we be bothering with individual actions or is that simply a bait-and-switch tactic by those who want to delay real change?
A wide shot of an open body of water with a large flat ice floe floating in the middle of it, with a flag visible on the icefloe. In the background are snow-draped hills, and in the foreground is a rocky shore with a New Zealand flag flying, and a yellow sign that reads 'Scott Base'.

Bonus: RNZ climate correspondent Eloise Gibson

Bonus episode
Claire Concannon spoke to RNZ's climate correspondent Eloise Gibson for the last episode of the Voice of the Sea Ice series. Listen to the full interview between Eloise and Claire in which they talk about the Paris Agreement, New Zealand's international climate commitments, and what we can do as individuals.
A wide shot of a flat expanse of ice with one set of vehicle tracks alongside a cliff of ice on the right. The sky is blue and cloudless.

Introducing: Voice of the Sea Ice

Trailer
Each winter the sea ice that forms around Antarctica effectively doubles the size of this massive continent. It’s one of the biggest annual global changes. It reflects sunlight, drives ocean currents and is home to a host of critters key to the Antarctic food web. But the last few years have seen unusually low sea ice extents in Antarctica, and scientists are sounding the alarm. Is this a blip, or a trend?