Ep 066: Hadal Zone Master Class with Professor Alan Jamieson

066: Hadal Zone Master Class with Prof. Alan Jamieson

February 6th, 2026

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Welcome back to the Deep-Sea Podcast, your punk take on all things deep sea!

This month on the Deep-Sea Podcast we hear from Prof. Alan Jamieson all about the Hadal Zone.

Song of the Month: Smoko by The Chats

You can see the Camera from Hadal Lander C sitting on the window ledge in this photo- if camera's could talk this one would have a few stories to tell!

Iron Lung on SteamA short horror game where you pilot a tiny submarine through an ocean of blood on an alien moon.

Alan is back in Australia for another of Old Mate's Sausage Sizzles, which seem to be a bit of a regular, and delicious, thing. Well fueled with sausages Alan has turned his attention to catching back up on all things science and publishing papers, he has released 6 this year alone and his grand lifetime total is reaching 170!

Thom is deep into prep for going to Antarctica and trying not to set his gear on fire with overheated chemical reactions. Thom did play, and enjoy, Iron Lung; an indie game coming out as a film, science fiction future game.

Get ready for waffle about glycerin mega mouth sharks, polar bear patrols, upside down jellies, and what Alan would do as king of the salmon for a day.

Our Guest This Month:

This month we hear from the one, and only, Professor Alan Jamieson all about the Hadal Zone. Prof Jamieson walks us through the basics of hadal trenches, including how they are formed, depth and surrounding geology, how that impacts populations within the trenches, and some great historical background information about hadal zone science and exploration.

Deep ocean seascape ecology: gaps and pathways for application - Landscape Ecology

Bottom mixed layer derivation and spatial variability over the central and eastern abyssal Pacific Ocean

“We turn our backs to the shallow water”- Alan

Umbrellidae, upside down jellies, at 8000m in the Nova Canton Trough

Hadal Snailfish from the Nova Canton Trough

Octactnemidae, Tunicate from 8000m in the Tonga Trench.

What's happening in our Deep-Sea Discord Community:

We welcomed four new discord members adding yet more fun to our deep sea community
Enjoyed a hilarious article on dating profiles from deep sea creatures
Found the Deep sea Valentine game- just in time for Valentine’s Day!
New book recommendations including the evolution of life in the ocean, and poetry based on vampire squid.
Schmidt ocean highlight reels
Video of whale bones from Mikkelson harbor Antarctica (the beloved Antarctica)
A visit to the SHARKS exhibit at Auckland museum, and a sighting of squid hats in the wild.

Deep Sea ValentinesAdd a little science into your Valentines Day with Deep Sea valentines! Each pack comes with 20 cards in 4 different designs. Each 3x5in card...

These Deep-Sea Creatures Liked You on HingeBlack seadevil anglerfish Twenty-five-years-old, monogamous, wants children What I’m looking for: A confident, independent female roughly twenty ti...

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Deep Sea Science + Art Collaborations

The Unseen Ocean Collective

We hear from the Unseen Ocean Collective again this month, featuring a Q&A session with co-founder Meghan Jones, giving an update about what the collective is getting ready for the gallery visitors in Juneau Alaska and Spokane Washington.