Visionary in Marine Sciences
Ocean health and coastal sustainability are critical national and international issues, and marine scientists at UC Santa Cruz are leaders in addressing these challenges. UCSC has long been on the forefront of marine science research and education. With state-of-the-art facilities and internationally recognized faculty and researchers, the campus's Institute of Marine Sciences supports scientists in a wide range of disciplines. Their investigations range from microscopic plankton to massive blue whales, from the depths of the seafloor to the coastline, and from frigid polar waters to tropical coral reefs. This diversity reflects the many ways in which the oceans affect the global environment and the lives of people, in California and around the world. Through partnerships with state and federal agencies, environmental policy groups, and other organizations studying marine and coastal issues, UCSC has become a major hub for research, training, and outreach activities in marine science and conservation.
Latest news
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Grad student Sara Gonzalez wins policy award from Ecological Society of America
Sara Gonzalez, a Ph.D. student in ecology and evolutionary biology, is among the recipients of the Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Awards from the Ecological Society of America.
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Study of brine discharge from desalination plant finds good news and bad news
Brine discharged from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant raises offshore salinity levels more than permitted, but researchers found no direct local impacts on sea life.
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Why beaked whales return to Navy sonar range despite frequent disturbance
A new study using underwater robots reveals dense patches of deep-sea squid attract beaked whales to a Navy sonar test range off Southern California.
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Upper-ocean warming is changing the global wave climate, making waves stronger
The energy in ocean waves has been increasing as a consequence of climate change, according to a new study.
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Environmental, social changes shift how elephant seals communicate
UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. candidate Caroline Casey retraced biologist Burney Le Boeuf's scientific footsteps and discovered the seals’ threat calls no longer had geographic distinctions. Instead, as the northern elephant seal population had increased, the males’ calls had grown more individualized and complex.
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Escape responses of coral reef fish obey simple behavioral rules
Loom-sensitive neural circuits characterized in previous lab studies are shown to underlie complex evasive behaviors observed in a natural environment.
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Oil and gas development off California's coast—Is more in our future?
The Ken Norris Memorial Lecture at the Seymour Center on Tuesday, November 13, features a moderated discussion with an expert panel.
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Researchers plant baby oysters at Elkhorn Slough
First attempt in California to restore native oysters through aquaculture is led by Kerstin Wasson, adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz.
