Tumble Science Podcast for Kids · Tumble Media

Tumble Sonic Saturday May 10th! Featuring the Science of Ocean Sounds

May 9, 2025·24 min·2 clips

Oceanographer Amy Bauer discovers currents as vast as a thousand Mississippi rivers flowing through the ocean.

Hosts Lindsay and Marshall frame this episode as a sound scavenger hunt leading up to their Sonic Saturday live event in Brooklyn on May 10th, promising storytelling, games, accessible tech demonstrations, and appearances by Dan Sachs from the music podcast Noodle Loaf. Oceanographer Amy Bauer explains her lifelong fascination with ocean currents, which she calls giant rivers in the ocean that can be equivalent to a thousand Mississippi rivers. To map these currents, Bauer uses floating underwater buoys paired with sound beacons anchored to the ocean floor. The beacons emit a specific signal, the first mystery sound in the scavenger hunt, that the buoy hydrophone listens for. By measuring the time between signal emission and reception, and knowing the speed of sound in water, the position of the buoy can be calculated, functioning like an ongoing game of Marco Polo deep underwater. Data gathered from a year-long buoy deployment off Spain and Portugal revealed that the current there did not follow expected linear paths but broke into massive 50-mile-wide circular eddies that carry warm seawater across the Atlantic. Bauer, who became blind during her training as an oceanographer, pivoted to data sonification, translating numerical oceanographic data into sound pitches and frequencies rather than visual charts, allowing her to analyze and communicate her findings auditorily. She also works to share data sonification techniques with others to promote accessible science for blind and low-vision communities. Tone is enthusiastic, playful, and educational, using sound clips and humor throughout. The episode is best suited for curious kids 8-12 and families interested in ocean science.

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