All Episodes

May 21, 2021 10 mins

In this Radio AI Episode 3.4, Dr. Emily Ury, an ecologist from Duke University, is haunted by ghost forests.   Using big rubber waders, insect protection and AI, Dr. Ury  and a team of ecologists   investigate these ghost forests  using AI to go back through time and space to find the patterns and extent of ghost forests.   Dead trees with pale trunks, devoid of leaves and limbs are the tell tale sign of saltwater.   Scientists call them "Ghost forests."   Emily hits the coastal trail in her waders and insect protection in North Carolina's Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, near the Outer banks where she slogs knee deep on a section of trail that is completely and permanently now underwater.   She saw evidence of forest die off everywhere so she sent up a drone.   But drone data wouldn't cut it, so they went to the sky.   The ghost forests are so big they can be seen from space.   Dr. Ury and her team used NASA and Google Earth's satellite data with AI to find out pattern of ghost forests extend all along the coast - from Main to Florida.  Using AI to find patterns over time and space it was possible to see the spike in North Carolina happened when there was a triple whammy - drought, then fire, then a hurricane, along North Carolina's coast.   Dr. Ury said their results could be a warning for coastal areas around the world.     Join RADIO AI special guest Dr. Ury as she walks us through her very special use of AI and remote sensing data to hunt for ghost forests.


Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage

Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage

Rewarded for bravery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, the Medal of Honor is the United States’ top military decoration. The stories we tell are about the heroes who have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism and courage that have saved lives. From Judith Resnik, the second woman in space, to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice, these are stories about those who have done the improbable and unexpected, who have sacrificed something in the name of something much bigger than themselves. Every Wednesday on Medal of Honor, uncover what their experiences tell us about the nature of sacrifice, why people put their lives in danger for others, and what happens after you’ve become a hero. Special thanks to series creator Dan McGinn, to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Adam Plumpton. Medal of Honor begins on May 28. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear ad-free episodes one week early. Find Pushkin+ on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.