The Importance of Ocean Science

Dr. Julie Pullen is founding partner and chief scientist at Propeller, an early-stage venture fund focused on the intersection of the oceans and climate change. It recently announced that it had raised $100 million for its first fund. Coincidently, today (June 8) is also World Oceans Day, globally recognized by the UN as a day to foster public interest in the protection of the ocean and the sustainable management of its resources.

Today's conversation is about the ocean, its critical role in regulating our climate, how humans have been damaging this balance, and what we can do about it. Julie's work is at the intersection of humanity and the oceans, and her expertise spans climate, weather, and hydro science, with a particular focus on high-resolution coastal urban prediction for flooding, heat waves, and other perils.

Prior to her role at Propeller, Julie was most recently the climate strategist at Jupiter Intelligence, a startup delivering hyper-local projections of climate impact and business risk. And she's an adjunct research scientist at Columbia's Climate School. She was previously an associate professor in civil, environmental, and ocean engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, where she organized field studies globally to improve our understanding and prediction of the Earth's system. And we could go on further about her amazing credentials at the Naval Research Laboratory and more, but let's jump into learning from her about our oceans.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:39] World Ocean Day activities and awareness
• [4:22] An overview of Propeller and Julie's work
• [6:16] The reason behind the firm's ocean focus and its scope
• [8:00] Propeller's ocean investment categories including,  carbon, organics, and industrials
• [10:04] Major challenges and concerns with oceans today
• [13:00] Implications of warming ocean waters
• [15:43] Transition points in ocean health that could lead to cascading effects
• [19:09] The role of venture capital in supporting ocean-based solutions
• [20:53] A brief overview of marine biogeochemistry
• [22:52] Solutions aimed at ocean carbon sequestration
• [25:36] Challenges with measurement and verification
• [28:43] The role of data simulation
• [34:13] Fisheries and food security solutions
• [35:40] Alternative proteins on the market
• [38:44] Julie's time at Jupiter Intelligence
• [41:32] Emissions reductions as a wedge to drive necessary change for our oceans
• [43:30] Ocean-specific pledges like 30x30
• [44:39] The importance of benthic environments and vital ecosystems
• [45:59] What Julie's excited for in the ocean industrials space
• [47:53] How people can get informed and involved in ocean preservation

Get connected:
Dr. Julie Pullen LinkedIn / Twitter
Cody Simms
MCJ Podcast / Collective

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Episode recorded on June 1, 2023

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant