In this final episode, Mhairi talks with Dr Denise Risch from the Scottish Association for Marine Science. Denise is a marine mammal ecologist who studies underwater sounds and sonic marine enviroments to investigate how marine species use and are impacted by sound. During the conversation Denise plays a number of marine animal sounds and explains why sound is such an important sense, and vital for survival. Human sounds are also talked about, and how this anthropogenic noise is rapidly becoming a major threat to the ecology of our seas.

A bilingual episode. Mhairi meets Alasdair Whyte, musician, writer, singer and academic from Mull and hears all about local place names, songs and stories relating to the seas around Mull, Iona and the Hebrides.

Do Artists listen Differently from Scientists? In fact, do we all listen differently from each other, and how does this affect our perception of the world and our shared understanding of it? What happens when we can hear sounds but are separated visually from their source?

Mhairi meets Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust director Alison Lomax and Jenny Hampson of HWDT to discuss the amazing ecology of the seas around the west coast of Scotland and hear more about their citizen science programme, and HWDT research into the impact of Joint Warrior on cetacean behaviour.

Mhairi meets Glasgow composer Fergus Hall and they talk about his compostion for On Sonorous Seas, his creative process and the amazing acoustic material, collected by Mhairi when she was at sea with the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust, which Fergus used in the composition. You’ll hear about Fergus’ background in music and his ongoing love of watery things.

The story of the carcass of the ‘North End Whale’ and how it led to a 10-day sea voyage, and an exploration of the cryptic worlds of whales and the military. Find out what happened in late summer 2018 when 118 beaked whales stranded across the shores of the Hebrides, Ireland, Iceland and the Faroes.