Bodega Marine Laboratory

Groundswell of Giving

A recent donation made by 11-year-old Matthew Gray exemplifies the impact of fostering the spirit of philanthropy from a young age. When Gray toured the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory for the first time this past year, he became an instant fan.

How Students Dive into Marine Science at UC Davis

UC Davis junior Caroline Donohew watched the everyday power of biology in just five minutes during her summer session class at UC Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory, or BML, a coastal research and education facility about 100 miles west of campus. 

While observing a mussel’s muscle through a microscope, “I saw it create a byssal thread in real time,” said Donohew, who is from San Anselmo. “And it was just so cool.” 

In the Middle of Everywhere

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.

All Eyes on ARG: Bodega Marine Lab’s Best-Kept Secret

What does it take to study the ocean? It’s a lot harder than you might think, considering most marine research happens in a lab instead of the ocean itself. Imagine you are starting a project at Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) and given only two weeks with limited funding to set up your study and collect all of the data you need to answer your research question. Data collection is an enormous task, but have you ever thought about the time it takes to replicate ocean environments on land?

Research Rockstars: Michael Brito and Kenzie Pollard win first prize for their video

Bodega Marine Lab undergraduate students Michael Brito and Kenzie Pollard just won first prize for their short film, submitted to the 2020 UC Davis Research Rockstars Undergrad Slam Video Contest! Michael and Kenzie made their video as part of their independent research project last summer during the Coastal Marine Research (BIS 124) class at the laboratory, working under the guidance of Eric Sanford.

High variability of Blue Carbon storage in seagrass meadows at the estuary scale

By Aurora M. Ricart, Ph.D.

Seagrass meadows are considered important natural carbon sinks due to their capacity to store organic carbon (Corg) in sediments. However, the spatial heterogeneity of carbon storage in seagrass sediments needs to be better understood to improve the accuracy of Blue Carbon assessments, particularly when strong gradients are present. We performed an intensive coring study within a sub-tropical estuary to assess the spatial variability in sedimentary Corg associated with seagrasses, and to identify the key factors promoting this variability.