The peculiarities of how coastal currents change close to the shore is a surprisingly recent field of research and one in which several Bodega Marine Laboratory researchers are active, using approaches that include mathematics and field-observations. The study of internal waves dissipating nearshore, the slowing of currents in the coastal boundary layer, the breaking of waves on the shore, and the retention of waters in small coves and bays is understood within a broader view of nearshore ecology and environmental issues.
Bodega Marine Laboratory is located in the center of the California upwelling system, with the strongest and most persistent winds anywhere along the west coast of North America. It is logical then that researchers are leaders in the science of wind-driven coastal upwelling, and how it yields such a rich ecosystem.
Scientists at BML are engaged in researching many other aspects of climate change, which can be grouped broadly into oceanographic and ecological studies as well as in the context of habitat restoration and invasive species.
