IMS Newsfeed
September 13, 2022
UCSC partners in NSF research hub to use nature to protect coastal communities
September 7, 2022
A $20 million NSF grant funds the new Climate Risks and Equitable Nature-based Solutions Hub, focusing on coral reef and mangrove ecosystems.
With Pivot Fellowship, astronomer J. Xavier Prochaska turns to oceanography
September 7, 2022
A new program from the Simons Foundation supports successful researchers who have a deep interest, curiosity, and drive to make contributions to a new discipline.
‘Water’s Extreme Journey,’ a new exhibit at the Seymour Center, opens in September
August 22, 2022
A new exhibit opening in September at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center features a maze and interactive activities highlighting the challenges of keeping our water clean.
NOAA scholarship supports graduate student’s seabird conservation research
August 4, 2022
Aspen Ellis, a Ph.D. student in ecology and evolutionary biology, is one of seven students nationwide selected by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to receive a 2022 Nancy Foster Scholarship.
Two UCSC grad students are finalists for prestigious Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships
August 4, 2022
The finalists for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program include UCSC graduate students Austen Stovall and Ellen Willis‑Norton.
Data from elephant seals reveal new features of marine heatwave ‘the Blob’
July 28, 2022
Instruments carried by migrating elephant seals measured deep warm-water anomalies that lasted much longer than the surface warming.
Researchers track juvenile elephant seals for insights into mortality rates
July 19, 2022
An outreach program to bring science and scientists into K-12 classrooms is part of a study investigating the differences between male and female elephant seals.
Narwhals show physiological disruption in response to seismic survey ship noise
July 8, 2022
Scientists deployed monitoring devices on narwhals to record heart rates, breathing, and diving behavior during seismic air gun pulses from a ship in the fjords of Greenland.
Destruction and recovery of kelp forests driven by changes in sea urchin behavior
June 29, 2022
A long-term study of kelp forest dynamics on California’s Central Coast highlights the critical role of sea urchin behavior, not just the size of the urchin population.
Study finds chaos is more common in ecological systems than previously thought
June 27, 2022
The idea that chaos is rare in natural populations may be due to methodological and data limitations, rather than the inherent stability of ecosystems.
Reefense project aims to meld biology and engineering in novel structures for coastal protection
June 22, 2022
UCSC scientists are part of a DARPA-funded team to develop innovative solutions for coral reef restoration in Florida and the Caribbean to protect coastal infrastructure.
Study shows mangrove and reef restoration yield positive returns on investment for flood protection
June 17, 2022
A robust analysis demonstrates that nature-based solutions to reduce the damage caused by coastal flooding are cost-effective.
Students dip their toes into coastal science at Younger Lagoon
June 14, 2022
Ocean Sciences Professor Carl Lamborg uses Younger Lagoon Reserve to teach Field and Lab Methods in Aquatic and Coastal Science.
Hunting in darkness, elephant seals use sensitive whiskers to find prey
June 13, 2022
Researchers used miniature video cameras to study how free-ranging elephant seals use their whiskers to track down prey in the darkness of the deep ocean.
Free public beach tours of Younger Lagoon Reserve have resumed
June 1, 2022
Tours of the reserve, which were suspended due to COVID-19 precautions, are again being offered through UCSC’s Seymour Marine Discovery Center.
New global forecasts of marine heatwaves foretell ecological and economic impacts
April 20, 2022
The forecasts could help fishing fleets, ocean managers, and coastal communities anticipate the effects of marine heatwaves.
Kelp restoration project is finalist in LaunchPad pitch competition
April 14, 2022
Andrea Paz-Lacavex, a graduate student in UCSC’s Coastal Science & Policy Program, leads SPORA, a kelp restoration project in Baja California.
Annual Confronting Climate Change Conference focuses on local impacts and solutions
March 24, 2022
UC Santa Cruz offers a weekend of free events at the Seymour Center to spark conversation and inspire action.
Effects of ancient carbon releases suggest possible scenarios for future climate
March 16, 2022
New findings reveal a precursor event before the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, giving scientists a fresh perspective on future global climate scenarios.
California Sea Grant funds graduate research fellows at UCSC
March 10, 2022
California Sea Grant has awarded funding to four UC Santa Cruz graduate students for marine science research projects that address the agency’s priority themes of resilient coastal communities and economies, sustainable fisheries, and healthy coastal ecosystems.
Younger Lagoon study tells a tale of two fishes
March 9, 2022
Research at UCSC's Younger Lagoon shows that the state of estuary waters, not competition from another fish species, is the most important predictor of populations of an endangered fish.
Elephant seals’ map sense tells them when to head ‘home’
February 28, 2022
Researchers found that female elephant seals know their distance from the breeding beach and allocate extra time to get back if they have farther to travel.
Ocean scientist Claudie Beaulieu wins NSF CAREER Award
February 24, 2022
Claudie Beaulieu, assistant professor of ocean sciences, has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support her work using data science to study climate variability and climate change.
Genome of extinct Steller’s sea cow reveals surprising link to human skin disease
February 9, 2022
Analysis of ancient DNA from sea cow bones finds genes that may have played a role in adaptation to cold marine environment and yields evidence of a long population decline.
Marine scientist Adina Paytan wins EGU’s Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal
February 7, 2022
The European Geosciences Union (EGU) has awarded the 2022 Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal for exceptional contributions to biogeosciences to Adina Paytan, a research scientist at the UC Santa Cruz Institute of Marine Sciences.
Optimizing coastal wetland restoration for carbon capture and storage
December 15, 2021
UCSC leads a large collaborative effort to develop guidelines for maximizing the effectiveness of coastal wetlands as a climate mitigation solution with multiple benefits.
Researchers recover ancient mammoth tusk during deep-sea expedition
November 22, 2021
A team of researchers from UC Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and University of Michigan are studying the tusk retrieved from deep waters off the California coast.
New book chronicles more than 50 years of elephant seal research at Año Nuevo Reserve
November 9, 2021
Professor Emeritus Burney Le Boeuf summarizes the findings of the UC Santa Cruz elephant seal research program, one of the longest running studies of any animal
Researchers find whales eat more than expected
November 3, 2021
New estimates of how much whales eat suggest that past culling of the creatures by humans has contributed to broader declines in ecosystem health and productivity.
Survivor salmon that withstand drought and ocean warming provide a lifeline for California Chinook
October 28, 2021
Late migration of outgoing juvenile fish is a crucial life history strategy for survival of spring-run Chinook salmon during drought years.
Data-driven animations of marine mammals combine biology, art, and computation
October 27, 2021
New tools for data visualization can transform data from animal-borne tags into cinematic and informative animations of marine mammal behavior.
Seagrass restoration study shows rapid recovery of ecosystem functions
October 25, 2021
Restored plots of eelgrass in Elkhorn Slough expanded rapidly, providing improved habitat for fish and invertebrates and other benefits of a healthy ecosystem.
Emerging ocean conservation leaders set to visit UC Santa Cruz
October 22, 2021
The Blue Pioneers Program (BPP) Accelerator recently announced its 2021 cohort of international ocean conservation professionals who will visit UC Santa Cruz’s Coastal Science Campus.
Long-term study of elephant seal reproduction shows population’s resilience
October 20, 2021
Researchers found that a female elephant seal’s age and experience were more important than ocean conditions in determining the condition of her pup at weaning.
