A story of global ocean change, illuminated by the life and times of the Gulf of Maine
SEA CHANGE, a special presentation of NOVA, is a story about a sea within the sea, a body of water that is warming 97% faster than the global ocean. What happens here, for the animals in the water, for the jobs dependent upon it and for the millions of people along its shores, is likely to happen worldwide. We are at a crossroads for the future of the Gulf – and our oceans. Does it retain enough of its biodiversity and regenerative strength to weather the human-induced storm? Is the sheer beauty of the place and spectacular range of its creatures enough to wake us to the stakes?
Join us for excerpts from the new NOVA series and panel discussion with filmmakers!
Rick Schneider, President and CEO of Maine Public, will moderate a panel including:
- Brian Skerry, Photojournalist, Documentary Producer
- John Bredar, Executive Producer, Sea Change
- Chun-Wei Yi, Producer, Sea Change
- Susie Arnold, PhD, Senior Ocean Scientist, Island Institute
This event is a joint effort between GBH/NOVA, Maine Public, and Island Institute. Free and open to the public with reservations.
This event is sold out, please email events@islandinstitute.org if you would like to be added to the waiting list.
More about the film series:
A special presentation of NOVA, this three-part prime time documentary series premieres July 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS, the PBS app, and the NOVA YouTube channel. SEA CHANGE is accompanied by a digital series produced by indigenous filmmakers in collaboration with Vision Maker Media and NOVA, as well as a robust education collection for grades 6-12, launching fall 2024.
The Gulf of Maine is 7,500 miles long and as much as a thousand feet deep. From the tip of Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, it courses with cold, nutrient-rich, deep-sea water, artfully mixed by the world’s biggest tides. This rich environment feeds a web of 3,000 species ranging from microscopic plankton to massive right whales. Millions of people have lived along its rising edge, drawing their sustenance, fame, and fortune from its plentiful depths. It is a seminal body of water, a cradle to ancient peoples, a lifeline to fragile colonies. But for all its storied bounty, and because of it, the Gulf is also in peril, its fish stocks now depleted to possibly irreversible levels.
This is an epic story blending science, exploration, stunning natural history, and stories of human experience past and future, together providing a fascinating tale about a regional location with profound global implications. In this three-hour series, encounter the spectacular wilderness and wildlife that still teem in these waters filled with jeopardy, wonder and promise. Track the stories of the scientists, Native Americans, fishers, and entrepreneurs – all working to reveal its complex history, in understanding what role the ocean plays in our lives, that ocean health equals human health.
