For decades, whale migration and crabbing operated as a tag team. But now, the whales are coming sooner—widening the window for exposure to fishing gear.
El Niño
In this special, reader-funded series begun during the 2015-2016 "Godzilla" El Niño, Bay Nature goes beyond the media hyperbole to explore what this Pacific Ocean phenomenon means -- and doesn't -- for Northern California.
This series has been funded by donations from Bay Nature readers. Please help us by sharing our work, or donate today to support our mission to connect people to the natural world of the Bay Area.
The 2015-2016 El Niño Erased Hundreds of Feet of California’s Beaches
April 3, 2017 •
A report from the US Geological Survey shows how the powerful 2016-2016 El Niño reshaped the California coast.
El Niño’s Gone, But Some Unusual Southern Visitors Remain on the North Coast
March 17, 2017 •
Biologists found 19 live pelagic red crabs in Bodega Bay in January, a first.
Lessons From An El Niño That Didn’t Go As Planned
June 2, 2016 •
What can we learn from last winter’s El Niño not behaving as expected?
What Lurks Beneath
February 8, 2016 •
A small research team sets out in the search for a potential ocean killer. But in this unusual year, nature is not cooperating with her interrogators.
El Niño Means It’s Warmer Than Usual. Take Away the El Niño? That’s Warmer Than Usual, Too.
January 26, 2016 •
The focus on 2015’s record heat conceals a larger truth: cool years are increasingly unlikely.
It Hasn’t Been A Textbook El Niño Winter So Far — But That Could Change
January 19, 2016 •
The forecast for rain for 2015-2016 followed El Niño convention. But the pattern broke the rules.
Warm El Niño Water Meets a North Pacific Already Disrupted By The Blob
December 16, 2015 •
Scientists still aren’t sure what to make of what’s happened in the Pacific Ocean this year.
‘Unprecedented’ Toxin Spread That Delayed Crab Season Shines Light on Mysterious Algae
November 11, 2015 •
Marine ecologists have long been alarmed at the potentially dangerous summertime growth of the single-celled algae Pseudo-nitzschia — but there are still significant blind spots in our knowledge and research funding has been scarce.
El Niño Update: It’s Going to Rain (Almost Certainly, Probably)
October 2, 2015 •
The forecaster mood and message is upbeat these days, with less hedging and more agreement that, yes, this El Niño winter could be a wet one.