About the Show
Kenny Broad believes the need to study blue holes is urgent, as they are among the least studied and most threatened habitats on Earth. More than 90 percent of the Earth’s unfrozen fresh water is in underground aquifers. These systems are a source of drinking water for locals, boast a unique biodiversity of microbial and multi-cellular life that shed light on the evolution of life, and, due to their unique water chemistry, perfectly preserve skeletal remains of long extinct species, including humans. Cave formations such as stalagmites can be used to reconstruct climate as the Earth passed in and out of the ice ages, allowing us to better judge the rates and possible impacts of modern changes in climate.
These cave systems — with their reversing tides — can transition from giant rooms to narrow holes that divers must remove all of their gear in order to squeeze through. “You can’t send a remotely operated vehicle in to explore caves because the technology simply doesn’t exist,” he says. “It’s one of the few environments left on the planet where you must physically go to learn about it. It’s great for job security.”
An entertaining and witty presenter, Broad’s work combines the study of risk perception, exploration, and environmental anthropology. His interdisciplinary training includes an M.A. in marine affairs and policy from the University of Miami, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University. He is currently an associate professor in the Division of Marine Affairs and Policy at the University of Miami and the Director of the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy and holds a joint appointment at Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Broad has participated and led scientific and film expeditions around the world, both above and underwater. He was elected a Fellow National of the Explorers Club in 2009 and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2006, and his most recent work was featured as the cover story of the August 2010 issue of National Geographic.