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.

A floating weather station buoy.
Photo Credit
Liveslow via iStock
With ever more ocean data available to researchers and resource managers, the task of finding and organizing it has become a task in its own right.

A new tool makes mapping the ocean easier

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An arial view of Campus Point looking toward the university and the mountains behind it.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
UCSB’s privileged position on the coast places it in the vanguard of climate adaptation.

UCSB seeks community input as the university plans for sea-level rise
Waves roll up the shoreline at sunrise, horizon is orange in the distance
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

UC Santa Barbara introduces minor in environmental humanities
a closeup of a centimeter-long crustacean on beach sand
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image
Megalorchestia corniculata, one of six major species of sand hoppers in California

Tiny beach-dwelling crustaceans are big-time sand movers, shaping the California coast
Satellite imagery shows the difference between current and average sea surface temperatures in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as a literal heatmap.
Photo Credit
NOAA Satellites
Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean were already far higher than average by the first week of June 2026 due to El Niño.

El Niño has become more intense over last 40 years than the previous 1,000 years
a picture of smoke rising from a wildfire in the hills behind a coastal city
The Palisades Fire of January, 2025, burned watersheds in the Santa Monica Mountains, subsequently impacting water quality at several Southern California beaches

Researchers link wildfires in California’s coastal watersheds to the water quality at the beach
Two Caribbean reef sharks swim past a coral-encrusted rock on a flat, sandy bottom in clear blue water.
Photo Credit
Photo by Alex Rose on Unsplash
Caribbean reef sharks are frequent denizens of Caribbean coral reefs, and their scales certainly find their way into the region’s sand.

Two oceans, one country, 20 times the number of sharks
A shark fin sticks out of the ice at a fish market.
Photo Credit
enginakyurt11 via iStock
Small and easily stored, shark fins can be far more valuable than the rest of the animal’s carcass.

Combining fishing regulations and trade data reveals the complex global market for shark products
Christopher Costello
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Christopher Costello

Christopher Costello recognized for his pioneering work in environmental markets
a view of the Black Sea

UCSB-led international team evaluates anoxic marine basins as potential sites for carbon sequestration
giant kelp in the water

Disturbance has a greater effect on giant kelp productivity than does resource availability
An illustration of two fishes with the skin unwrapped to reveal the internal anatomy: skeleton on the left and organs on the right.
Photo Credit
Jessica Eggers
With its fantastical illustrations and offbeat humor, "Gonzo Ichthyology" leads readers through topics in fish biology and other flights of fancy.

Ichthyology meets ‘Through the Looking Glass,’ in pen and ink
sand dunes against an ocean background

California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes, first-ever comprehensive assessment reveals
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