Along California’s coast, two ambitious efforts are reshaping how we approach restoration in a rapidly shifting world. The White Abalone Captive Breeding Program, led by Dr. Alyssa Frederick, and the Kelp RISES project, led by Dr. Marissa Baskett, working alongside a broad interdisciplinary team, are tackling ecological crises head-on.
When oil spills or pollutants enter the ocean, the visible damage is only part of the story. Dr. Andrew Whitehead studies the genetic ripple effects—how exposure reshapes the biology of fish and other marine life for generations. His federally funded research helps reveal what industrial pollution leaves behind in coastal ecosystems, and why cleanup isn’t the end of the process. It’s science that connects environmental justice, molecular biology, and long-term ecosystem health.
Join Karl Menard, Aquatic Resources Manager at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, for a behind-the-scenes look at efforts to support longfin smelt in captivity.
UC Davis graduate student Elisabeth Sellinger traveled to France as part of the French American Doctoral Exchange (FADEx) Program in Marine Science. From lab visits in Paris and Brest to presenting at the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice, she explored international collaborations, connected with fellow ocean researchers, and even gave her biggest talk yet, just one hour after stepping off the train!
Reflections on the "Microplastic Pollution: Impact on the SF Bay Delta and Remediation Strategies" symposium hosted by the Coastal Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI) and the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC).
What do you picture when you think of the California coast? Perhaps it’s the redwood-covered bluffs that plummet down to crashing waves, or the forests of kelp swaying along with the current. But the one thing that might not have come to mind has a surprising presence at UC Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML): corals.
New research from the University of California, Davis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Texas A&M University reveals that massive emissions, or burps, of carbon dioxide from natural earth systems led to significant decreases in ocean oxygen concentrations some 300 million years ago.
At the Bodega Marine Laboratory, science leapt beyond the lab bench in a surprising collaboration—part fashion show, part modern dance, part film screening—where artistic expression met ecological research on the Sonoma Coast.
For some, the ocean is a scenic backdrop—an inviting place for relaxation or an awe-inspiring force of nature. For Mona Hansche, it’s the soundtrack of her life; and Bodega Bay is the chorus—the part that always returns, anchoring the melody of her experiences.
After a summer of tide pooling and hands-on marine research at Bodega Marine Laboratory, UC Davis undergrads Makayla Peixoto and Jessica Bartolome returned to campus as peer advisors, helping future students discover their own path to the coast.
