News

NOAA SeaGrant announced 74 finalists for the 2022 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program, including Carina Fish, a Ph.D. Candidate in the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Congratulations to Carina and to all the finalists, who will spend the next year learning and shaping marine and coastal policy development.

We celebrate all of you and the enthusiasm, passion, and dedication to marine science that has brought you here, and will lead you to revolutionize scientific understanding of our field, communicate, connect, and engage with communities, and become educators, researchers, and world-changers.

Sea stars and rockfish and octopuses, oh my! As part of the virtual events for 2021 UC Davis Picnic Day, get to know the scientists, students, and staff of Bodega Marine Laboratory, Bodega Marine Reserve, and the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute as they share sea-sational stories of ocean critters we know and love.

Spanning six years and seven seagrass meadows along the California coast, a paper published today from the University of California, Davis, is the most extensive study yet of how seagrasses can buffer ocean acidification.

The Coastal and Marine Science Institute is pleased to announce the first-ever recipient of the Dr. Susan Lynn Williams Memorial Graduate Award: Jessica Griffin, a Ph.D. Candidate in the University of California, Davis and San Diego State University joint doctoral program in ecology. This $1,000 award will help support Jessica’s project, titled “The Importance of Environmental Context for Mediating Bivalve Effects on Eelgrass”.

Lessons from a Failed Experiment Mark New Way Forward

Written by Kat Kerlin

Some invasive species targeted for total eradication bounce back with a vengeance, especially in aquatic systems, finds a study led by the University of California, Davis.

Corals and anemones form a symbiotic partnership with photosynthetic algae based on an exchange of nutrients: the host receives sugar from the algae, the algae receives nutrients and consistent exposure to sunlight from the host. This relationship can break down under stressful conditions, a phenomenon known as 'bleaching,' which, in the case of tropical corals, can quickly lead to the death of the host. Bleaching resistance can arise if a local population consistently encounters and adapts to warmer conditions.

A new study led by researchers at UC Santa Cruz, with coauthors from UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Davis, documents the collapse of kelp forest ecosystems off the coast of Northern California. Analyzing the contributing events, from warming oceans to the loss of sunflower sea stars, researchers used satellite imagery from over 30 years to assess historical changes and better understand the dynamics and resilience of kelp forests.

Read the study in Communications Biology

Suzie and the Eelgrass Geese is the story of a young girl who lives in a small town on the coast of California whose love of the ocean leads her to work with a Professor at a local marine lab on an experiment that teaches important lessons about the balance of nature.

California Sea Grant is pleased to announce seven new research projects, a total of  $346,000, supporting early-career faculty members at universities throughout the state. The one-year projects focus on two key areas of California Sea Grant’s strategic plan: sustainable fisheries & aquaculture, and coastal resilience. Continue reading the announcement here.