Our Coasts and Oceans

You can find us in the middle of everywhere! Join UC Davis interns Dawson and Alexa on a journey to the coast, where they meet up with Dr. Ellie Fairbairn and Dr. Suzanne Olyarnik at the Bodega Marine Laboratory and Bodega Marine Reserve. Along the way, they'll see the gorgeous coastline, meet furred, feathered and finned friends, and show you where to grab a tasty meal in Bodega Bay.

Watch the daily process of algae maintenance, completed by the Aquatic Resources Group (ARG) at Bodega Marine Lab. This algae goes from test tubes, to flasks, to bins, and then to our animals. ARG provides sterile live algae to students, faculty and researchers worldwide all year long.

Dive below the surface with our Aquatic Resources Group (ARG) to get a close-up view of an urchin barren and see how they're impacting kelp forests along the California coast.

Video by Sam Briggs, ARG Lead diver and field operations manager

Read more about the Aquatic Resources Group

Join us in a celebration of all things seagrass! March 1st is World Seagrass Day, and we're taking an in-depth look at what seagrasses are, how they interact with marine coastal ecosystems, and how they're being impacted by climate change.

The UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory's Aquatic Resources Group offers a glimpse into the world of oyster aquaculture. See the hatchery, where tiny Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) - the only oyster species native to the west coast of the US - are prepared for outplanting into the ocean.

This video was filmed and produced by Sam Briggs and features Joe Newman. Want to see more of Sam's work? Check out his science-meets-art photography on Instagram.

In a world where charismatic megafauna often capture the majority share of attention, microscopic marine larvae can sometimes end up overlooked. However, Dr.

Stepping out onto the rocky shore of Bodega Bay, you would quickly notice that the intertidal zone is teeming with life. From mussels and barnacles to crabs and anemones, hundreds of species occupy these rocky areas - experts Jackie Sones and Dr. Eric Sanford estimate that there are about 250 different species that make their homes in this rocky intertidal zone in Bodega Bay!

The flashlight illuminates tens of thousands of swirling, floating specks, each no bigger than a breadcrumb. Raising my voice to be heard over the low roar of machinery in the wet lab, I ask Dr.

On May 3, 2021, the UC Davis Coastal & Marine Sciences Institute hosted Dr. Hilda Lloréns, an Associate Professor at the University of Rhode Island and an author of multiple books. Dr. Lloréns is a cultural anthropologist and de-colonial scholar whose research is centered on how racial and gender inequality manifests itself in access to environmental resources and exposure to environmental degradation.