About this episode

Explorers reveal the hidden life beneath Canada's frozen lakes and discuss climate impacts and citizen science.

What’s happening beneath the ice of Canada’s lakes? Home to roughly two million lakes and covering nearly nine per cent of the country’s surface, Canada boasts a great reputation, holding more than half of the world’s freshwater lakes. But until recently, what goes on beneath Canada’s frozen surfaces has been largely unexplored. In this episode of Explore, podcast host David McGuffin dives into this hidden world with scientist Andy Bramburger and filmmaker Andrew Budziak. From cutting massive holes in lake ice to sending divers into a surreal, cathedral-like underwater world, this is exploration at its most extreme. But the real story lies in what they’re exploring: diatoms — microscopic algae living on the underside of ice that help power aquatic food webs, produce oxygen and may play a critical role in carbon cycling during winter. As ice cover shrinks with climate change, this little-known ecosystem could be disappearing before we fully understand it. Through a mix of science, storytelling and citizen-led exploration, Bramburger and Budziak are racing to uncover what’s beneath the ice—and why it matters to all of us. A research scientist with Environment and Climate Change…

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