BML in the News

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Surf’s up: Turbulence tells sea urchins to settle down
UC Davis News and Information - April 9, 2013
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory have found that tumbling in the waves as they hit a rocky shore tells purple sea urchin larvae it’s time to settle down and look for a spot to grow into an adult. Abstract here.

Purple sea urchins evolve to survive growing acidity
NBC News, Science - April 9, 2013
Rising carbon-dioxide levels are leading to corrosive ocean conditions, but some species, like the purple sea urchin, have the ability to adapt to this changing environment, a new study shows.

Evolution in the face of ocean acidification
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – April 8, 2013
Collaborative research between scientists at Bodega Marine Lab and Stanford University reveals that sea urchins may have the genetic variation to adapt to ocean acidification. The research article is available here, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ocean Acidification
Science Today, California Academy of Sciences – Feb 25, 2013
Scientists, including Jill Bible and Kristy Kroeker from BML, discuss the impact of the ocean’s changing pH levels.

Seeking secrets of the sea
Press Democrat - Feb 17, 2013
Scientists have been studying the sea and shore at Bodega Bay for 50 years, but after the first 10 they decided to build a marine lab there.

Flushing Nemo? Pet fish pose ocean threat
NBC News, Science - Jan 10, 2013
Exotic and colorful aquarium fish, such as those made famous by the Disney film “Finding Nemo,” are escaping to the open ocean in real life and disrupting marine ecosystems, according to a new report on the spread of invasive species.

Flushing Nemo: Home aquarium species a potential threat to California waters
UC Davis News and Information - Jan 10, 2013
Well-intentioned children and aquarium hobbyists seeking to “free” their pet fish down a toilet bowl or into a local waterway may inadvertently be contributing to the threat of invasive species downstream, according to a new report from the University of California, Davis.

Native Oysters and Ocean Change
University of California Science Today – Dec 10, 2012
Graduate student Jill Bible studies how to best restore Olympia oyster populations in an era of increasing environmental change.

University Writing Program Celebrates Prized Writing Winners.
UC Davis College of Letters and Science – Oct 2012
Former BML undergraduate Andrew Maddox wins this year’s Prized Writing, the University Writing Program’s annual anthology of undergraduate writing.

Researchers Assess Responses to Ocean Acidification.
Science – Oct 5, 2012
Highlighted research includes the Ocean Margin Ecosystems Group for Acidification Studies (OMEGAS), a consortium that includes Bodega Marine Laboratory scientists, and work by Kristy Kroeker, a new post doctoral researcher at BML.

Scientists Focus on Ocean Acidification.
KQED Radio California Report Podcast – Sept 25, 2012
This week, scientists from around the world are meeting in Monterey to discuss what they call the “other” climate change problem–the oceans are becoming more acidic. It happens as oceans absorb the carbon dioxide we add to the air through burning fossil fuels. It can be bad news for oysters, mussels and the marine food web.

At Hog Island Oyster Company, Bay Area Teachers Get Real Life Examples of the Effects of Ocean Acidification.
KWMR Radio Podcast – July 12, 2012
Hog Island Oyster Company’s Terry Sawyer tells teachers what he is doing in light of uncertain seed supply due to ocean acidification.  Former Hog Island Oyster Company intern Walker Livingston, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary’s Jennifer Stock, UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory’s ocean acidification expert Dr. Tessa Hill and Bay Area teachers speak with George Clyde about getting the message across in the classroom.

Ocean Babies on Acid: The Time Machine
Climate Science TV – June 6, 2012
How will ocean acidification impact the early life stages of sea urchins? BML scientists build a laboratory “time machine” to transport sea urchins to ocean conditions of the future.

Stargazing on rocky shores
University of California, Research News – April 30, 2012
At Bodega Marine Lab, a UC Davis scientist studies sea stars and mussels to determine how climate change will affect ecosystems along the California coast.

Gulf Oil Spill: Scientists Develop New Model for Deep-water Oil Spills
National Science Foundation Discoveries – April 20, 2012
Call for a “whole new type” of marine ecology: On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a panel of researchers is offering a new model for understanding what happened in the disaster, how to think of such events in the future, and why existing tools were inadequate to fully predict what lay ahead.

Deepwater Horizon exposed serious gaps in deepwater oil spill research
UC Davis News and Information - April 20, 2012
On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a national team of scientists, including two researchers from the University of California, Davis, warns that inadequate knowledge about the effects of deepwater oil well blowouts threatens scientists’ ability to help manage comparable future events.

Global Warming Threatens Native Oysters in Tomales Bay
KWMR Radio Podcast - April 18, 2012
Bodega Marine Lab researchers in Tomales Bay study potential impact of rising water temperatures on local native oysters and the invasive snails that prey upon them.

Sea Star Research
KRCB Radio Podcast - January 16, 2012
Understanding how starfish cope with warm temperatures may unlock clues about the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems.

Sun-oil mix deadly for young herring
Science News - December 30, 2011
A lethal combination of oil and sunlight proved unexpectedly toxic to herring embryos after a 2007 fuel spill in San Francisco Bay, virtually disintegrating the developing fish in the water.

Oil is more toxic than previously thought, study finds
Los Angeles Times – December 27, 2011
Bad news for the Gulf of Mexico: a study released this week sheds new light on the toxicity of oil in aquatic environments, and shows that environmental impact studies currently in use may be inadequate. The report is to be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Oil from 2007 spill surprisingly toxic to fish, scientists report
Los Angeles Times - December 27, 2011
The fuel oil that discharged into San Francisco Bay from the cargo ship Cosco Busan devastated the herring population that feeds seabirds, whales and the bay’s last commercial fishery, study says.

Study: Cosco Busan oil spill damaged herring
ABC KGO TV - December 26, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – A new study released Monday says the Cosco Busan cargo ship accident that dumped thousands of gallons of fuel into San Francisco Bay had a very negative impact on the region’s Pacific herring. Researchers believe the findings could be a warning for the shipping industry.

Study: San Francisco Bay oil spill damaged herring
KTVU News - December 26, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO – A new study says the 2007 cargo ship accident that dumped tens of thousands of gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay has caused lasting damage to the region’s herring population.

Sunlight and bunker oil a fatal combination for Pacific herring
UC Davis News and Information – December 26, 2011
The 2007 Cosco Busan disaster, which spilled 54,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay, had an unexpectedly lethal impact on embryonic fish, devastating a commercially and ecologically important species for nearly two years, reports a new study by the University of California, Davis, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Will ocean acidification harm sea urchins?
KQED-TV, QUEST – September 14, 2011
Ocean Babies on Acid” focuses on an experiment that Stephen Palumbi and UC Davis marine biologist Eric Sanford are doing to study the effects of ocean acidification on sea urchin larvae off the California and Oregon coasts.

Bodega Bay radar could join tsunami alert grid
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - September 6, 2011
A high-frequency radar station at Bodega Bay is part of a California coastal network that was able to detect the tsunami in March as it approached from Japan, the first such use of radar technology.

Tsunami Research
Capital Public Radio – August 17, 2011
Tsunami Research John Largier, oceanographer and Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis, was part of a team of scientists that were the first to track a tsunami by radar. The tsunami they observed was the one generated by the big earthquake in Japan last March.

California scientist: Early tsunami warning system could be possible
CNN – August 16, 2011
A high-frequency radar in California detected the March 11 tsunami that devastated Japan, raising hopes for the development of a new early warning system, a University of California at Davis oceanographer said.

Sperm coat protein may be key to male infertility
UC Davis News and Information – July 20, 2011
The loss of a protein that coats sperm may explain a significant proportion of infertility in men worldwide, according to a study by an international team of researchers led by UC Davis.

Will evolution rescue tidepool animals from climate change?
KGO-TV/ABC News – July 20, 2011
Scientists have discovered more evidence that the oceans are getting warmer.

Climate Change Threatens California Mussels
KQED Radio – July 18, 2011
Researchers at UC Davis say mussels are vulnerable to rising acid levels, and a decline in their population could affect the entire marine ecosystem because so many species eat the mussels.

California mussels: 1st warming casualty?
The Orange County Register – July 18, 2011
The iconic California mussel could be among the first casualties of oceans made more acidic by global warming, a new study of the coastal shellfish shows.

Climate Change Muscling in on Mussels
KQED News ClimateWatch – July 15, 2011
A new study by researchers at UC Davis shows that rising acid levels in the ocean thin and weaken the shells of this diminutive bivalve. And that could spell trouble for entire marine ecosystems.

Acid oceans could hit California mussels
UC Davis News and Information – July 14, 2011
Ocean acidification, a consequence of climate change, could weaken the shells of California mussels and diminish their body mass, with serious implications for coastal ecosystems

How do sea stars cope with warming temperatures?
National Geographic – July 1, 2011
Bodega Marine Laboratory researchers study how seastars stay cool when seawater temperatures change

Can evolution outpace climate change?
UC Davis News and Information – June 8, 2011
Animals and plants may not be able to evolve their way out of the threat posed by climate change, according to a UC Davis study of a tiny seashore animal.

Tide Pool
National Geographic – May 17, 2011
Cast of Thousands Clings to Rocky Real Estate in a Narrow Strip of Shore Called the Intertidal Zone

First census finds surprisingly few white sharks off California
UC Davis News and Information – March 8, 2011
In the first census of its kind, research led by UC Davis and Stanford University found that there are far fewer white sharks off central California than biologists had thought.

Bodega Bay weather station will measure streams of wet air
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – March 7, 2011
A new weather observation station will be constructed at Bodega Bay to monitor low-lying streams of moisture-laden air that sweep ashore and account for half of the rain that falls in coastal California.

Outrage Greets NSF Decision to End STEM Fellows Program
Science Magazine – March 4, 2011
Researchers are shocked and upset by a decision by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to cancel a high-profi le and successful fellowship program that has brought more than 10,000 graduate students into elementary and secondary schools around the country

Connecting with science: Grad students introduce K-12 youngsters to the ‘aha!’ moments
UC Davis News and Information – March 3, 2011
On a recent day in a busy sixth-grade classroom in Sacramento, the students are learning how to build a battery from a grapefruit. The students don safety glasses, then poke zinc nails through the fruit’s thick rind and wire the nails to a voltage meter.

Warmer ocean waters favor aliens over natives
UC Davis News and Information - October 12, 2010
Warmer oceans promote invasive animals and threaten natives, say UC Davis marine biologists who report striking new evidence from the eastern Pacific fishing harbor of Bodega Bay, Calif.

Invasive species impact NorCal’s marine life
KGO-TV/ABC News – September 27, 2010
A new study on the health of our waterways is bringing some discouraging news. the problem is increasing in bodies of water that are getting warmer because of climate changes.

Oysters could hold key to ocean acidification.
KGO-TV/ABC News – July 6, 2010
Video

Warming threatens state’s coast, scientists say
San Francisco Chronicle, SFGate – June 4, 2010
Northern California’s two great marine sanctuaries and nearby coastal regions will be severely threatened by the planet’s changing climate over the next several decades as the sea level rises, the ocean water warms, marine animals migrate and coastal storms and erosion intensify, a panel of scientists warned Thursday.

Study Eyes Climate Impacts on Ocean Ecosystems
KQED ClimateWatch – June 3, 2010
The north-central California coast is likely to experience rising seas, more extreme weather events and coastal erosion, increased ocean acidity, and shifting marine habitats as a result of climate change, according to a new report released today from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Big Changes in Store for Northern California’s Oceans, Report Warns
KQED Radio Report – June 3, 2010
The north-central California coast is likely to experience rising seas, more extreme weather events and coastal erosion, increased ocean acidity, and shifting marine habitats as a result of climate change, according to a new report released today from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

BML researchers study the effects of ocean acidification on Tomales Bay oysters
KNTV/NBC News – May 22, 2010
Video

Acidic oceans worsening, experts warn – CO2 impact coming faster than seas can adapt, they say
MSNBC.com – April 22, 2010
Manmade emissions of carbon dioxide are making our oceans more acidic — and thus threatening corals and shellfish — at a rate unseen in at least 800,000 years, a blue-ribbon panel of scientists reported Thursday.

World Is No Longer Our Oyster
National Science Foundation News: On ‘Earth Week‘ – April 19, 2010
Acidifying oceans dramatically stunt growth of already threatened shellfish

Bodega Marine Lab teams with west county schools
Sonoma West Times & News – December 2, 2009
Program gets students involved in study of ocean pollution

Natural Coolant
Science – October 28, 2009
BML researchers are studying how marine organisms may respond to climate change

Chill out
Nature – October 28, 2009
BML researchers are studying how marine organisms may respond to climate change

Starfish pump up to cool down
BBC News – October 28, 2009
One starfish has a remarkable strategy to avoid overheating in the sun, scientists have discovered.

Sea Sick: Rising acid levels, floating trash are signs of oceans in peril
Santa Rosa Press Democrat Editorial – September 13, 2009
From declining fish stocks to rising levels of acid to a swirling vortex of discarded plastic in the northern Pacific, there are signs that the world’s oceans could present the next environmental crisis.

Researchers Detail Mounting Perils for San Francisco Bay
AAAS Pacific Division Meeting – September 11, 2009
Some 35 years ago, a crew from the PBS science show “Nova” joined a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey as the researchers worked to piece together one of the earliest systemic views of the San Francisco Bay.

Bodega Bay scientists weigh impact of ocean acid levels on shellfish
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – September 6, 2009
The danger from increasing levels of acid in the ocean, which could devastate California’s shellfish industry, is under investigation by Bodega Bay scientists.

Biodiversity: Rack and Field
Nature – August 19, 2009
Biological diversity- the number of species in an ecosystem- is threatened globally, and BML researchers are trying to understand the consequences of these diversity changes for how marine ecosystems work.

Snails threaten Tomales Bay Olympia oysters
San Francisco Chronicle – August 14, 2009
The rare surviving Olympia oysters of Tomales Bay, once an integral part of the Indian diet and a staple during the San Francisco Gold Rush, are being wiped out by voracious alien snails.

Invasive Species Threaten Critical Habitats, Oyster Among Victims
Science Daily – August 10, 2009
A study of oyster reefs in a once-pristine California coastal estuary found them devastated by invasive Atlantic Coast crabs and snails, providing new evidence of the consequences when human activities move species beyond their natural borders.

Accelerating loss of seagrasses across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems
PNAS – July 8, 2009
Coastal ecosystems and the services they provide are adversely affected by a wide variety of human activities. In particular, seagrass meadows are negatively affected by impacts accruing from the billion or more people who live within 50 km of them.

Vital marine habitat under threat – Destruction of seagrass on a par with loss of rainforests and coral reefs
Nature – June 29, 2009
The first comprehensive assessment of the state of seagrass meadows around the world has revealed the damage that human activities have wrought on these economically and biologically essential areas.

Cosco Busan Oil Spill, One Year Later
KQED – November 4, 2008
BML Faculty Gary Cherr addresses impact of hydrocarbons on herring embryos.

Tracking Climate Change Through Ocean Currents
KGO TV/ABC News – February 14, 2007
It may not seem like it for those travelers stuck by the winter storms, but the world’s climate is warming and no one knows, yet, how much of a change to expect. But those looking for an answer are taking some of their clues from the past.

Greenhouse Methane Released From Ice Age Ocean
UC Davis News & Information – August 28, 2006
Periods of warming temperatures during the last ice age triggered the release of methane from beneath the ocean, according to U.S. and French researchers. Once in the atmosphere, the methane would have acted as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas.

Experts Call for Battle Against Invasive Species
UC Davis News & Information – March 17, 2006
Top experts, including a UC Davis marine scientist, are calling for national action to arrest the natural and economic damage being done in the United States by invasive plants and animals.

Ocean, faculty await new wave of students
DateLine UC Davis – February 12, 2006
Last summer, instead of heading off to work or class, UC Davis student Angelica Zavala began her days at the ocean.

Abalone Studies Should Aid Conservation
UC Davis News & Information – August 26, 2005
UC Davis marine biologist Laura Rogers-Bennett is searching for the best way to preserve California’s vanishing abalone populations.

Call of the Ocean
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – August 14, 2005
Bodega Marine lab director Susan Williams has followed her love of the sea from Alaska to the Caribbean

New boat opens door to mysterious north coast
DateLine UC Davis – May 20, 2005
UC Davis scientists were today slated to launch a unique research vessel: a fast, agile and unsinkable boat built to carry them into previously inaccessible Northern California waters to study one of the world’s richest but least understood marine ecosystems.

Harbor Invaders Could Trigger ‘Meltdown’ of Coastal Ecosystems
UC Davis News & Information – January 18, 2005
A UC Davis ecologist reports today on the cautionary tale of a transplant from America’s East Coast that moved to California and lived peacefully among the natives for a half century — until a new invader radically altered the community dynamics, pushing out the natives.

Bodega nets large crowd of marine life enthusiasts
DateLine UC Davis – August 15, 2003
They might not have gotten particularly wet, but more than 1,500 visitors recently got a look at the world through sea goggles as they immersed themselves in a July 19 open house at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory.

Marine lab swims with sea secrets
Special to SF The Chronicle – July 18, 2003
Marie Nydham of Bodega Bay admits to being in love with sea squirts, blobby gluelike organisms that attach themselves to the bottoms of seafaring vessels and harbor docks.

Bodega’s Bounty: Marine research nets large catch of students interested in scientific careers
DateLine UC Davis – February 9, 2001
Encounters with octopus saliva-and a taste of scientific discovery on the shores of California’s north coastjust might change Cristen Dahl’s life forever.

Voyage to the Sea New Bodega Lab director turns a love of the ocean into her life’s work
DateLine UC Davis – September 29, 2000
Susan Williams looked to science to solve vexing problems at an early age. Once she tried to make her pesky little sister disappear with a potion of household chemicals. She experimented with various formulas on safety pins, keeping careful notes on each experiment.

$3.8 million grant to study effects of cordgrass on estuaries
DateLine UC Davis – November 3, 2000
The effects of Atlantic cordgrass on the sensitive marine estuaries of the West Coast will be studied under a $3.8 million grant awarded to UC Davis researchers by the National Science Foundation.