Off the Radar

Climate science is most often communicated through charts, graphs, and visual models. But data does not have to be seen to be understood.

In this episode, meteorologist Emily Gracey explores how climate data can be translated into sound. Emily is joined by mathematician and musician Harlan Brothers, who creates climate sonifications by converting real datasets into music and audio you can hear.

Using measurements such as global temperature over land, sea surface temperatures, and sea level rise, Harlan turns long term warming trends into melodies that reveal patterns over time. The conversation looks at how sonification works, why sound can engage people differently than visuals, and how music can add a new dimension to climate communication without compromising scientific integrity.

Throughout the episode, listeners will hear examples of these climate sonifications woven into the discussion, offering a chance to experience climate data through a different sense.

Alaska is warming faster than any other U.S. state- nearly four times the global rate. Permafrost that's been frozen for thousands of years is thawing. Villages are sinking. Homes are floating away. And Indigenous communities are paying the highest price.

In this episode, meteorologist Emily Gracey talks with Rick Thoman, one of the foremost experts on Alaskan climate and weather, about the extreme events reshaping the state. From the unprecedented remnants of Typhoon Halong that displaced over a thousand people in October 2025, to the disappearing Bering Sea ice and collapsing salmon populations, Rick walks us through what the data tells us about Alaska's rapidly transforming climate, and why what's happening at the top of the world matters for all of us.

This is part one of a two-part series on Alaska's changing climate. Part two will explore the impact to Tribal communities in the state.

When catastrophic flooding hits, we usually look at rainfall totals and records broken. But what if the most important number comes before the rain ever starts?

In this episode, meteorologist Emily Gracey explores a groundbreaking Washington Post investigation that reveals how massive flows of atmospheric moisture are intensifying across the globe, creating hotspots that turn storms into deadly floods. Using a powerful metric called Integrated Vapor Transport (IVT), the reporting shows that the real story isn't happening on the ground...it's happening way above our heads.

Emily sits down with Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll, who spent a year analyzing the data behind "Deadly Rivers In The Sky." Together, they unpack how rising global temperatures have supercharged the movement of moisture through Earth's atmosphere, why certain regions now face grave risks of extreme rainfall, and what this means for communities from Appalachia to Spain.

Floods can be sudden, devastating, and hard to recover from. But what if the real story isn't just the rain that falls, but the moisture in the sky that never used to be there?

NOAA has just released its 2025 Arctic Report Card, and the findings are stark: the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, with this year setting alarming new records. In this episode, meteorologist Emily Gracey sits down with Dr. Matt Druckenmiller, one of the report's editors, to unpack twenty years of tracking rapid Arctic change. From the lowest winter sea ice maximum ever recorded to "rusting rivers" flowing orange with metals from thawing permafrost, the transformations happening at the top of the world are reshaping weather patterns, sea levels, and ecosystems far beyond the Arctic Circle. Dr. Druckenmiller explains what "atlantification" means for ocean circulation, why the oldest Arctic sea ice has declined by 95% since the 1980s, and how these changes are already disrupting Indigenous food security and cultural traditions. This isn't just about polar bears and melting glaciers, it's about understanding a planetary shift that's affecting all of us, from Arctic communities to your own neighborhood. Tune in for a deep dive into the science, the stakes, and why sustained Arctic observation has never been more critical.

It's been a monumental year, both for weather and for Off the Radar. From Hurricane Melissa's record-breaking assault on Jamaica to devastating Texas floods, from NOAA layoffs to groundbreaking AI forecasting models, 2025 reminded us how powerful and vulnerable we are when it comes to our changing climate.

In this special year-end episode, host Emily Gracey sits down with associate producer Brian Pietrus to count down their favorite episodes of 2025. They revisit the conversations that stuck with them, the research that blew their minds, and the projects that deserve far more attention.

It's also been an award-winning year for the podcast. Off the Radar took home a national Headliner Award for Best Information Podcast, and Emily Gracey won the Women's Podcast Award for Best Science Podcast Host!

Stay tuned until the very end to hear Emily's absolute favorite project of the year - the moment that resonated most in a year of extraordinary science and storytelling.