Marine Ecology | Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute & Bodega Marine Laboratory

Lost Sea Creatures Wash Up on California Shores as Ocean Climate Shifts

"Five years ago, the Gulf of Alaska warmed to record temperatures, likely due to a sudden acceleration in the melting of Arctic sea ice. Usually a cold southern current flows along California. That year, the warm “blob” spread down the coast and, instead of blocking tropical species from moving north, it served as a balmy welcome to a variety of animals far from home."

Marine Ecology

Unprecedented Number of Warm-Water Species Moved Northward During Marine Heatwave

Tropical Species Near San Francisco? New Range Limit Records Indicate Future Face of California Coast

Blending In: Ecology Graduate Student Grace Ha Investigates Camouflage in Seagrass Meadows

“We’re in a region with a Mediterranean climate and upwelling— what’s cool is that both of these are associated with high levels of biodiversity,” says Grace Ha, an ecology Ph.D. student. In upwelling zones, nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean are transported to coastal regions, which makes them hotspots for biodiversity.

Marine Ecology

What’s In a Scientific Name? A Story.

A scientific name means more than just Linnaean nomenclature. Names go out into the world like buoys in the ocean, mere indicators of the stories and relationships weighted below them. Grace Ha writes about discovering a new marine species — and naming it.

Remembering Susan Williams

At the Bodega Marine Laboratory and CMSI, we couldn’t be more honored and humbled to have Dr. Susan Williams a part of our community for so long. On the 26th of October, over 180 people from around the world gathered to celebrate the life of Dr. Williams.

“I wanted to be an oceanographer since second grade, without understanding what that meant other than being fascinated by "things" that washed up on the beach during seaside family vacations.” - Dr. Susan Williams in her CMSI Spotlight.

Marine Ecology

Volunteer/Research Credit Opportunity Observing Krill Abundance and its Role in Fisheries Dynamics

The Morgan Lab is seeking volunteers and students needing undergraduate research credit to assist in a project to examine variation in krill abundance and its role in fisheries dynamics in the California Current System.

Summer Research on the Coast: Fellowship Supports Undergrad Emily Meyers at Bodega Marine Laboratory

In the early summer months, undergraduate Emily Meyers would rise before the sun, sometimes around 3 or 4 a.m. Keeping time by the ocean tides, she’d cart her research materials to eelgrass beds near the Bodega Marine Laboratory.

Marine Ecology

Discovering Curiosity: Eric Sanford Discusses How Marine Science and Sustainable Fisheries Go Hand in Hand

Outside Eric Sanford’s office window, foamy waters crash against rocky shores and open up to the expansive blue of the Pacific Ocean. Here, at the Bodega Marine Laboratory, Sanford and colleagues in his lab work to understand how ocean acidification is changing the ecology and evolution of the planet’s marine life.

Marine Ecology

Blog Post: Where has all the bull kelp gone?

by Jordan Hollarsmith

Under the unseasonably warm June sun with the Seattle Space Needle as our reference point, Dr. Jamey Selleck and I don our thick wetsuits. The air may be warm, but the water is still frigid. Our small boat bobs in the water as our captain, Brian Allen, scans our surroundings.

“Nothing.” He remarks with resignation.

We sigh, finish connecting our hoses and checking our gauges, then plunge into the icy water.

Marine Ecology

Absolutely Crabulous: Why Some Crabs Get Dressed Up

Covering themselves in everything from algae to urchins, crabs know how to accessorize for safety. Sponge crabs use their back pair of legs “to hold an intact sponge over their body,” says Jay Stachowicz.