Diva Amon is one of the most recognized names in deep sea science today, and if you don't know who she is, you might not be as plugged into ocean conservation as you think. In this Ocean People profile from Ocean Decoded Live, host Andrew Lewin breaks down who Dr. Diva Amon is: a deep sea biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and one of the most prominent scientific voices warning against deep sea mining.
Diva holds a PhD in Ocean and Earth Science from the University of Southampton and studies chemosynthetic deep-sea habitats and the human impacts of mining on them. She co-founded SpeSeas, a Trinidad and Tobago-based NGO using science, education, and advocacy to build understanding of Caribbean marine ecosystems, and has held a postdoctoral position affiliated with the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara alongside a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellowship at the Natural History Museum in London. Her honours include being named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2020, a Pew Marine Fellow in 2022, and the International Seabed Authority's Secretary-General's Award for Excellence in Deep-Sea Research. She's also appeared as a deep sea expert alongside Will Smith in National Geographic's Disney+ series Welcome to Earth, diving roughly a kilometre down in a research submersible.
Diva was also among the first scientists to explore the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and push back directly on a deep sea mining executive's claim that the ocean floor there is an empty "desert," arguing instead that it's being industrialized faster than it can be studied or understood. Beyond the science, she continues active deep sea research off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago, where she's from, and is a past guest on Andrew's How to Protect the Ocean podcast. Follow her ongoing work at divaamon.com and on Instagram @diva_amon.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Why You Need to Know Dr. Diva Amon
0:49 Profile Begins: Meet Deep Sea Biologist Dr. Diva Amon
1:28 Background: PhD, Deep Sea Mining Research, and SpeSeas
1:55 Fellowships: Benioff Lab and the Natural History Museum
2:10 Awards and Featured in Nat Geo's Welcome to Earth
2:37 Leading Voice Against Deep Sea Mining
2:47 Debunking the "Ocean Desert" Claim
3:23 Where to Follow Diva Amon
4:00 Diva's Current Work in Trinidad and Tobago
4:29 Wrap-Up and the International Marine Conservation Congress
Takeaways:
Dr. Diva Amon is a deep sea biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and one of today's most prominent scientific voices warning against deep sea mining.
She holds a PhD in Ocean and Earth Science from the University of Southampton and studies chemosynthetic deep-sea habitats and the human impacts of mining.
She co-founded SpeSeas, a Trinidad and Tobago NGO focused on marine science, education, and advocacy in the Caribbean.
Her honours include a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, a 2020 National Geographic
Emerging Explorer title, a 2022 Pew Marine Fellowship, and the International Seabed Authority's Secretary-General's Award for Excellence in Deep-Sea Research.
She appeared with Will Smith in National Geographic's Welcome to Earth on Disney+, diving roughly a kilometre down in a submersible.
She was among the first researchers to directly contest a mining company's claim that the deep seafloor is an empty "desert."
Follow her ongoing deep sea research at divaamon.com and on Instagram @diva_amon.
#OceanConservation #MarineBiology #SaveOurOceans #ProtectTheOcean #OceanAwareness #BluePlanet #ConservationMatters #ScienceForChange #SustainableOceans
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow a career in conservation: https://www.conservation-careers.com/online-training/ Use the code SUFB to get 33% off courses and the careers program.
Do you want to join my Ocean Community?
Sign Up for Updates on the process: www.speakupforblue.com/oceanapp
Sign up for our Newsletter: http://www.speakupforblue.com/newsletter
Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3NmYvsI
Connect with Speak Up For Blue:
Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speakupforblue
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc
YouTube: www.speakupforblue.com/youtube
