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Short abstract

Marine scientists research environmental crises while facing political pressures. Using a case study of Argentinian marine scientists, I will show in this talk how scientists care for environmental crises while also creating resilience towards political oppression.

Long abstract

Marine environments are largely in crisis. Marine scientists research and respond to different crises, ranging from plastic pollution and forever chemicals to melting ice caps, sea-level rise, and the decline of biodiversity. By acting in different capacities - whether as researchers, policy advisors, or activists - scientists translate environmental crises across multiple social arenas. In doing so, they navigate complex terrains of emotional labor, care work, and career paths. At the same time, scientists must also contend with structural insecurities and political restructurings in academia, which leave scientists themselves in a state of crisis.

Against this background, I ask: How do marine scientists care for environmental crises, and in what capacities do they do so? How do they create resilience for their work on and in times of crisis? And what possibilities exist to adapt to changing environments while researching them?

To address these questions, I showcase a moment of care from my case study on Argentinian marine scientists, drawing on interviews and online media data. By hosting a broadcast and internationally recognized YouTube livestream, Argentinian aquatic environments became part of politically oppressive spheres. I argue that marine scientists in this case create resilience not only to adapt to environmental crises but also to respond to a politically oppressive regime that channels a strong backlash against scientific work more generally. Furthermore, I suggest that the case of Argentinian marine scientists exemplifies a regaining of scientific resilience through science communication, which shapes a science-society-environment constellation that is constantly evolving.