Although the world’s oceans cover approximately 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, most humans interact with only the narrow strip that runs up onto land. This bit of real estate experiences terrestrial conditions on a once- or twice-daily basis and … Read more
Bay Nature stories about the Pacific Ocean.
What We Can Learn about the Coast from Sick Sea Otters
What’s keeping sea otters from expanding their population? Cat poop, perhaps.
Deep Sea Exploration Off the Farallones Catches Sea Stars Hunting Moving Prey
Many people generally think of sea stars as slow, almost immobile animals, living in tidepools or in along the shoreline, feeding slowly on clams and mussels. So here’s something you might not know: sea stars can capture and devour small … Read more
Want to Prevent California’s Katrina? Grow a Marsh
These islands in the Delta aren’t really islands at all anymore.
How Otters Keep Seagrass Healthy
Seagrass beds are important to consider when regarding climate change not only because they can sequester carbon in soils, but also because seagrass may buffer against ocean acidity.
Review of The Pacific Warm Blob Sequel: Not Yet a Phenomena like the Original
The Pacific is warmer than usual, again.
An Artist Finds the Life Lessons of Seaweed
If you’ve ever stepped into a certain kind of beach town gift shop on the Northern California coast, you are likely familiar with Josie Iselin’s work: an artist, Iselin creates slim coffee table books filled with detailed, dramatically lit photographs … Read more
How Do I Start Out Tidepooling?
Which species am I most likely to see in a Northern California tidepool, and how can I try to identify them? There is something fascinating about tidepools. They are places of liminality, an in-between world that is neither fully land … Read more
Voracious Flowers of the Tidepool
Some of the most conspicuous animals in Northern California tidepools don’t look like animals at all. They resemble flowers more than any animal you’re probably familiar with.
California’s Early June Heat Wave Cooked Coastal Mussels in Place
Bodega Marine Reserve research coordinator Jackie Sones has worked in or walked on the rocky shores of the North Coast almost every day for the last 15 years. But while she was surveying the reserve for sea stars in mid-June, … Read more