What's Current in

Ocean and Beaches

On the water and on the sand, our research explores ocean health and evolution so we can better understand how to protect and preserve the largest area of Earth.

two researchers on a boat
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image
Volunteer taxonomist Gustav Pauly from the Florida Museum of Natural History, left and SBC-LTER lab technician Darrin Ambat on a morning dive to retrieve Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures from the sea floor

Bioblitz reveals hidden biodiversity in the Santa Barbara Channel

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A government official inspects dozens of large fish on the concrete after seizing illegal gillnets (in background) in the Gulf of California.
Photo Credit
Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (PROFEPA)
Totoaba poaching continues in the Gulf of California despite a 50-year fishing ban. But farming the fish for export may curb poaching.

Farmed totoaba could curb poaching
kelp wrack at sunset

Kelp forests are connected to local beach ecosystems
a bloom of green algae off the coast
Eutrophication — caused by excessive nutrients, such as fertilizer runoff — causes a bloom of algae that depletes the water of oxygen and causes 'dead zones' that kill fish and other marine organisms

Human impact on the ocean will double by 2050, UCSB scientists warn
A young man places a small orange box of electronics near a bush on the seashore with
Photo Credit
Elena Zhukova
There’s a cacophony of acoustic signals below the range of human hearing, many quite intense, that you can pick up with the right “ears.”

Scientists tune in to the surf’s hidden signals
Aerial image of a lagoon wetland.
Photo Credit
David Huang
San Dieguito Lagoon, one of Beheshti’s primary research sites.

Kat Beheshti earns early career distinction for contributions to coastal science and resource management
A barracuda school off Bikar Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Photo Credit
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Monitoring fishing activity far from shore presents a challenge for resource management and marine conservation.

Satellites show that strictly protected marine areas exclude industrial fishing
dead tree on salt island in the Dead Sea

Dead Sea’s salt giants offer rare glimpse into Earth’s geological past
two orange-clad fishermen in a commercial vessel
A commercial fishing vessel near Kodiak Island, Alaska

Experts say seafood deregulation could impact sustainability and supply
Hayden Vega wears a lobster on his head
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

Real-world coral studies spark future in ocean conservation
cargo ships queueing at Los Angeles and Long Beach port during COVID pandemic
Cargo vessel congestion at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex during the COVID pandemic

A cheap and easy potential solution for lowering carbon emissions in maritime shipping
women weaving and mending fishing nets
Geospatial information about how women use the ocean is an important part of marine spatial planning, but tends to be hidden in the data

Gender-sensitive data brings more depth to marine spatial planning
A giant sea bass cruises the deep reef.
Photo Credit
Merry Passage
Southern California’s population of giant sea bass is recovering from overfishing, but progress is slow.

Community science helps reveal population growth among SoCal’s endangered giant sea bass
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