Marine Content

The Last Stop: When There’s Nowhere Colder to Go

Katherine E Kerlin — October 18, 2017 - 4:22pm

Fish have been migrating to cooler water over the last several decades as the ocean warms. But in Antarctica, the coldest place on the planet, polar species have nowhere to go.

Marine life in Antarctica is especially vulnerable to climate change, which is warming oceans throughout the world. Anne Todgham, an animal scientist at the University of California, Davis, is studying how — and whether — polar fish will adapt to the changing conditions.

$3M Program to Integrate Science and Policymaking in Ocean Research

Katherine E Kerlin — July 27, 2017 - 1:18pm

�ٺ��Ƶ is receiving a nearly $3 million award from the National Science Foundation to train the next generation of marine scientists under a new paradigm that puts a focus on policy at the front end of research.

Beginning in fall 2018, the research traineeship, “Sustainable Oceans: From Policy to Science to Decisions,” will train scientists to generate their research questions by first asking what decisions are facing policymakers.

Tiny Shells Indicate Big Changes to Global Carbon Cycle

Katherine E Kerlin — May 25, 2017 - 4:31pm

Experiments with tiny, shelled organisms in the ocean suggest big changes to the global carbon cycle are underway, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

For the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists raised foraminifera — single-celled organisms about the size of a grain of sand — at the �ٺ��Ƶ Bodega Marine Laboratory under future, high CO2 conditions.

Canary in the Kelp Forest

Katherine E Kerlin — April 18, 2017 - 3:06pm

The one-two punch of warming waters and ocean acidification is predisposing some marine animals to dissolving quickly under conditions already occurring off the Northern California coast, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

Reef Fish That Conquer Fear of Sharks May Help Control Excess Algae

Katherine E Kerlin — January 12, 2017 - 1:08pm

Coral reef fish experience “landscapes of fear” depending on where and how much shelter from predators is available, according to a �ٺ��Ƶ study. However, the study found that reef fish are willing to move past that fear. They will stray far from their sheltered coral refuge and risk the possibility of being eaten by sharks and other predators if the pay-off in tasty algae is higher.

Why Do Seabirds Eat Plastic? The Answer Stinks

Katherine E Kerlin — November 09, 2016 - 10:20am

We know plastic in the ocean is a problem. But why do seabirds eat marine plastic in the first place? A �ٺ��Ƶ study found that marine plastic debris emits the scent of a sulfurous compound that some seabirds have relied upon for thousands of years to tell them where to find food. This olfactory cue essentially tricks the birds into confusing marine plastic with food.

Robot Larvae Deployed at Sea

Katherine E Kerlin — August 31, 2016 - 4:30pm

Scientists from the University of California, Davis, are deploying “robot larvae” into the ocean at Bodega Bay, just north of San Francisco.

These robots mimic clouds of microscopic marine larvae, such as baby crabs, mussels, clams and rockfish. The data the bots bring back provide some of the first direct confirmation of a decades-old and surprisingly contentious scientific mystery: Where do marine larvae go, how do they get there and back, and what allows them to do this?

Wild Killer Whales to Get Personal Health Records

Katherine E Kerlin — April 04, 2016 - 9:10am

Update April 4: Experts at the symposium last week agreed to formulate a plan for individual health records, or a health database, for each of the 84 endangered southern resident orcas in Puget Sound.

•••

The endangered southern resident killer whales of Puget Sound could soon get their own personal health records following a meeting of wildlife health experts being held March 28-29 in Seattle.

Wildlife Experience High Price of Oil

Robyn Frances Huey — June 02, 2015 - 8:00am

A �ٺ��Ƶ study reveals the high price of oil on wildlife. Learn how �ٺ��Ƶ rescued oiled animals, the impacts of oil extraction, and potential solutions.