New inhabitants of seafloor and shoreline habitats in Central California surprise researchers, provide new insight into valuable coastline

Benthic Ecology Blog Post by Tyler Hee Researchers have found surprising abundances of non-native species in several intertidal habitats (the area of shore exposed at low-tide and submerged at high-tide) and subtidal habitats (the shallow are just below the intertidal) along the important, exposed coastline of Central California. Watersipora a non-native group of bryozoans, or marine invertebrates that live in … Read More

Are we changing coral reefs and the ecosystem services they provide?

Benthic Ecology Blog Post by Travis Courtney Coral reefs provide about half a billion people around the world with food, coastal protection, building materials, and/or income (1). Thirty million of those people live on atolls and are nearly entirely dependent on the ecosystem services provided by coral reefs for their livelihood (1). Despite their great importance, coral cover has declined … Read More

Loss of Mexico’s Valuable Mangrove Forests

Benthic Ecology Blog Post by Madelin Andersen Mangroves are marine trees that form coastal wetlands known as mangrove forests and can be found around the world in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Mangroves have evolved to survive in coastal wetland environments where the salt and oxygen poor soil makes it impossible for other plants to live. Mangroves thrive in these conditions … Read More

The Missing Link in Reef Recycling

Benthic Ecology Blog Post by Michelle Loewe What We Know The first goal of any living thing is to stay alive. Whether it be to stay alive long enough to reproduce, or to stay alive long enough to pay off your student loans, no matter the organism, the goal is to stay alive. Of course, a very large component of … Read More

Hydrothermal Vents: Incubators for Deep-Sea Skate Egg Cases!

Benthic Ecology Blog Post by Tarice Taylor The Deep, Dark Discovery A scientific paper published on February 8, 2018, in Scientific Reports, details the 2015 discovery and research of external egg cases belonging to the deep-sea skate species, Bathyraja spinosissima (think: cartilaginous fish related to sting rays and sharks), nestled within close range of a hydrothermal vent system. This location … Read More

A Bad Romance-Climate Change Creates Toxic Relationship in Coral

Benthic Ecology Blog Post by Ariel Pezner For humans and animals alike, relationships are best when they are equal. Corals are one of the best examples of a partnership in nature, though climate change may be souring their relationship beyond repair. Given the crucial role that corals play in forming and maintaining diverse and healthy coral reefs, understanding how and … Read More

Octavio Aburto-Oropeza named PEW Marine Fellow

The Pew marine fellows program was created to seek solutions to the problems affecting the world’s oceans. CMBC’s  Dr. Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, was named one of eight distinguished scientists and conservationist selected for the 2018 award.  Aburto-Oropeza will assess changing productivity and distribution of mangrove ecosystems using high-resolution satellite imagery in real time. Dr. Aburto’s research has focused on the ecology … Read More

CMBC Alumni head to D.C.

  Two of the four 2018 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellows are CMBC graduates. Derek Southern (MAS-MBC 2017) and Lauren Linsmayer (Ph.D. 2017) will spend the next year in Washington, D.C.  placed with hosts in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. The one-year fellowship provides a unique educational experience for graduate students interested in ocean, coastal, and … Read More

Salty Cinema Series Brings Global Discussion to Plastics

Plastics present a global challenge but the strongest solutions start locally, which is why alumni from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego focused their latest “Salty Cinema” event on plastic pollution. The environmentally conscious film screening series features quarterly events focused on various marine issues including coral reef bleaching, the cultural significance of surf breaks, and now, plastic … Read More