Leatherback Turtles Back in Earnest
Pacific Leatherback Turtles have been spotted in the coastal waters south of San Francisco earlier than ever before. Sightings of sea turtles are rapidly approaching last years’ 23, with 17...
The Ocean
Point Reyes: On the Edge
You always know essentially where to find it: just aim yourself toward the western horizon, and go. At the road's end, the trail's end, the far end of that last...
Point Reyes: Fingers of the Sea
Dawn. Spring tide. Fog shrouds the estuary. A shore-cast tree trunk--contorted, branching skyward--rests in the shallows. On its twisted branches roost a half-dozen cormorants, some with wings outstretched or akimbo,...
A West Marin Walkabout
Jules Evens has lived next to the Point Reyes National Seashore for most of his four decades in the Bay Area. With the park's 50th anniversary at hand, Jules decided...
Killer Algae on Sonoma Coast
In late August, environmental scientist Laura Rogers-Bennett was driving back to Bodega Bay after conducting ocean surveys in Mendocino when she saw "dark-coffee-colored water" north of Salt Point State Park....
Humpbacks Make Rare Near-Shore Visit in Santa Cruz
A pod of humpback whales, about two or three families, adults with a few calves, have been dazzling whale-watchers since about October 18, as they feed in Monterrey Bay about...
Fur Seals Making a Comeback on the Farallones
Recent surveys on the Farallones show that the islands' cute, feisty fur seals continue to make a comeback, more than a century after the West Coast population was hunted nearly...
A Container Caper in Monterey Bay
On a stormy winter night in 2004, as the merchant ship Med Taipei plowed southbound off the coast of Monterey in 20- to 30-foot swells, 15 shipping containers slid into...
First Day of Ocean Research Tour Finds Red Tide Rather Than Whales
Marine scientists gathering data off the Golden Gate have zeroed in on a number of hotspots of biodiversity, including transects north and south of the Farallon Islands. Turns out, though,...
Sea Level Rise Could Wipe Out Ocean Beach
A new study finds flooding and episodic storm events could result in an estimated $20 million in damages by 2100. And accelerated landward erosion from an estimated 1.4-meter rise in...
