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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High-fidelity record of Earth’s climate history puts current changes in context
A continuous record of the past 66 million years shows natural climate variability due to changes in Earth’s orbit around the sun is much smaller than projected future warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.
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Cooperative research effort documents northward migration of kelp forests
From Alaska to Mexico, warming waters are driving widespread changes in these highly productive coastal ecosystems.
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Marine mammals show off their training in evacuation from Long Marine Lab
All of the resident marine mammals at UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory are safe and well after a successful evacuation effort.
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Coastal scientist Borja Reguero awarded Early-Career Research Fellowship
The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has awarded a 2020 Early-Career Research Fellowship to IMS researcher Borja Reguero.
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Alaska’s salmon are getting smaller, affecting people and ecosystems
A comprehensive study of four salmon species across all regions of Alaska finds salmon are returning to rivers smaller and younger than in the past.
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Influential marine biologist John Pearse dies at 84
A leading authority on marine invertebrates and intertidal ecology, Pearse was a beloved teacher and mentor to generations of marine biologists.
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Is COVID-related reduction in marine traffic reducing stress in whales?
Whale researchers are taking advantage of changes in boat traffic in Monterey Bay during the pandemic to collect data on stress hormones in humpback whales.
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Researchers honored for work in UCSC-NOAA Fisheries Collaborative Program
Three researchers affiliated with the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at UC Santa Cruz have received awards from the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center for their outstanding contributions to research in 2019.
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NOAA funds new Cooperative Institute for Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Systems
CIMEAS supports the ongoing collaboration between UC Santa Cruz and the National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
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Alumna Kathy Sullivan embarks on another first, this time to the ocean’s depths
The first American woman to walk in space, Sullivan is now aiming to be the first woman to visit the deepest spot in the oceans.
