Joye featured in Planet Earth: Blue Planet II

Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Arts and Sciences Samantha Joye is featured in the new BBC documentary series, Planet Earth: Blue Planet II:

Presented by Sir David Attenborough and scored by Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer, Planet Earth: Blue Planet II takes viewers on a revelatory and magical journey into the mesmerizing world of our oceans — by turn tempestuous and serene, exquisitely beautiful and bleakly forbidding. They cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and hold 97% of all the water in the world. There is more life in the deep sea than anywhere else on Earth, and it is said we know more about the surface of Mars than the depths of our own planet. Our final frontier is the deep ocean – Earth's ‘inner space’.

By using breakthroughs in science and cutting-edge technology to explore this final frontier, the series reveals the astonishing characters, otherworldly places and extraordinary new animal behaviors. Warm and compelling stories about marine habitats and their characterful inhabitants will leave you emotionally invested in our oceans and the creatures who dwell there, and bring a whole new perspective to this little-known world.

Over four years in production, the Planet Earth: Blue Planet II teams mounted 125 expeditions, visited 39 countries, and filmed on every continent and across every ocean. They spent over 6,000 hours diving underwater, filming everywhere from familiar shores to the deepest seas. From the Gulf of Mexico to the Seychelles and from South Africa to Norway, the team filmed several "firsts"

Joye participated in an episode investigating brine pools:

Very few humans have ever seen the mysterious brine pools in person, an alien landscape of underwater lakes so salty that they kill most fish who get too close.

The brine pools, however, are also thriving ecosystems, host to many species, and with a unique microbiological makeup that makes them extremely valuable to study.

As the Alucia team worked with the BBC to film the brine pools for “Blue Planet II,” Scientists Dr. Sylvia Earle (of Mission Blue ) and Dr. Samantha “Mandy” Joye were aboard the Alucia for several days to observe and advise. 

They descended in the Alucia submersibles to visit the brine pools where Dr. Joye, a world renowned microbiologist, collected samples from this rarely-visited ecosystem which could lead to medical breakthroughs or provide clues to the origins of life.

Great work from one of the most dedicated research scientists in the world. Joye's work as a leading scholar and scientist brings great honor to the department of marine sciences, the Franklin College and the University of Georgia. And her indespensable expertise and influence continues to grow. Congratulations on this fantastically ambitious filmmaking endeavor, which informs us about one of the most mysterious, powerful yet vulnerable ecosystems on Earth. Viewing information at the link.