Section
Ocean Science
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That Time We Tried to Live Under the Sea Off California
One of the most ambitious attempts to allow humans to live on the ocean floor took place just off San Diego. It’s called SEALAB II.
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Why Southern California is the Stingray Capital of the World
According to research led by Dr. Chris Lowe at California State University, Long Beach Shark Lab, Southern California’s nearshore waters may host one of the densest concentrations of stingrays anywhere in the world.
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How the Jones Act Strangles California Innovation and Keeps I-5 Packed with Trucks
California’s highways are clogged with trucks moving goods that could travel by sea, but the Jones Act makes coastal shipping too costly to scale, locking freight onto crowded roads and limiting a cleaner alternative.
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Curiosity Is the Point
The more you look around in California, the more you realize there is almost always something fascinating to notice and something worth learning a little more about.
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California’s Daily Tidal Wave of Life
Every day, trillions of marine animals migrate up and down through the ocean in the largest daily movement of biomass on Earth. California’s exceptionally productive waters, and research hubs like MBARI near Moss Landing, make the state one of the best places in the world to observe and study this vast, invisible pulse of life.
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California’s Two-Spot Octopus is the Alien Mind Off Shore
Would you support us? Just a few bucks. We’d appreciate it! I have a deep passion for octopuses. I have made several short documentaries about them and even traveled twice to Indonesia with one of…
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Upwelling, the Ocean’s Engine Beneath California’s Waters
Few marine processes are as impactful on the abundance of sea life off the coast of California as upwelling. It may not be a term you’ve heard before, but the natural oceanic process of upwelling is one of the most important engines driving climate, biological diversity, and the ocean’s food web.
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Transforming California’s Oil Platforms into Marine Sanctuaries
Beneath the surface of California’s offshore oil platforms lies one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. As the state debates whether to remove or reef these massive structures, scientists, divers, and environmental advocates like Blue Latitudes’ Amber Sparks are fighting to keep the life they support alive.
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San Clemente Island is Where War Games and Wildlife Coexist
San Clemente Island looks like a long volcanic ridge from offshore, but it has been one of the most important and least visible military landscapes in California for almost a century.
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Ten Essential Books About California’s Nature, Science, and Sense of Place
I’m an avid reader, and over the past decade I’ve dedicated a large section of my bookshelf to books about California—its wild side, its nature, and its scientific wonders.
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The Myth of the 100-foot Whale
So, according to the best records we have, the largest blue whale ever properly measured was 98 feet long. Granted, 98 feet is close to 100 feet, but it’s not 100 feet, and it’s certainly not over 100 feet, as so many otherwise reputable references state.
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California Is a Nobel Powerhouse
The University of California system now counts 74 Nobel Prizes among its faculty and researchers. 23 in physics and 16 in chemistry. Berkeley leads the list, with 26 laureates, followed by UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Francisco. Even smaller campuses, such as UC Riverside, have ties to winners like Barry Barish, who shared the 2017 Nobel in Physics for detecting gravitational waves.
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Corals Revealed as Never Before Through a Groundbreaking New Microscope in California
What this new tool allows scientists to do is determine whether corals may be under stress from factors like warming seas, pollution, or disease. Ideally, these warning signs are detected before the corals expel their zooxanthellae and bleach. Researchers are also learning far more about the everyday behavior of corals: something rarely studied in situ, directly in the ocean.
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A Tiny California Seaweed Could Make a Big Dent in Livestock Methane
Because methane is so potent, trapping more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, the livestock industry’s footprint has become a central focus for climate scientists searching for solutions.
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The Story of Southern California Sand from Mountains to Surf
It turns out most of the grains between your toes actually began their journey high in the mountains above LA, on craggy slopes far from the shore. Mostly, we are talking about the San Gabriel Mountains and other peaks in the Transverse Ranges that run east-west across Southern California.
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The Physics and Geology of The Wedge, California’s Most Dangerous Wave
There is something unforgettable about the Wedge and the way its waves crash with such raw force. Sometimes they detonate just offshore, sending water skyrocketing into the air; other times they slam thunderously against the sand, eliciting groans and whoops from bystanders.
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California’s Precarious Future and the Promise—and Limits—of Desalination
Visibly low water conditions at Shasta Lake in Shasta County, on October 13, 2022. Andrew Innerarity / California Department of Water Resources. Water, water, every where, nor any drop to…
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Bring Human Exploration Back to California’s Deep Ocean
Launching a Triton 3300/3 submersible from a scientific support ship in the Bahamas. (Photo: Erik Olsen) Would you support us? Just a few bucks. We’d appreciate it! It’s time for California to put…
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How California Has Revived Its Groundfish Fisheries
How Smart Policy and Collaboration Brought Groundfish Back From the Brink Vermillion Rockfish scientific illustration Would you support us? Just a few bucks. We’d appreciate it! Recently, I wrote a…
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California’s Wild Laboratory and The Evolutionary Wonders of the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands of California, an enchanting archipelago, offer a fascinating natural laboratory for the study of island biogeography. This field of biology, which explores the distribution of species and ecosystems in island environments, finds a perfect case study in these islands.
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The Scourge of Ghost Lobster Traps and the Battle to Save Marine Life in California
Ghost lobster trap off Santa Cruz Island in California’s Channel Islands (Photo: Erik Olsen) Lobster is delicious. Let’s just get that out of the way. Yes, I’m sure there are some who either don’t…
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The Fight for California’s Coastline and the Future of the Coastal Commission
For over 50 years, the California Coastal Commission has protected public access and natural beauty, but growing challenges—wildfires, housing shortages, and political pressure—are testing its authority like never before.
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Camp Pendleton’s Wild Landscape as a Natural Refuge
Covering approximately 200 square miles in north San Diego County, the base has served as a critical training ground for the U.S. Marine Corps since 1942. However, its restricted access and limited development have inadvertently preserved some of Southern California’s last remaining wild coastal terrain.
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A Deep Dive into Monterey Canyon, California’s Great Abyss
Monterey Canyon, often called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is one of the largest and most fascinating submarine canyons in the world. Stretching over 95 miles from the coast of Monterey, California, and plunging to depths exceeding 3,600 meters (11,800 feet), this underwater marvel rivals its terrestrial counterpart in size and grandeur.
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California’s Two-Spot Octopus Combines Extraordinary Intelligence with Masterful Camouflage
The California two-spot octopus, Octopus bimaculoides, is a marine creature that not only captivates with its intelligence but also serves as a window into the complex tapestry of cephalopod behavior and genomics.
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Walter Munk was a Californian Oceanographer Who Changed Our Understanding of the Seas
Photo: Erik Jepsen (UC San Diego) Support California Curated with a small donation. Walter Munk, often referred to as the “Einstein of the Oceans,” was one of the most influential oceanographers of…
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The Remarkable Revival of the Giant Sea Bass in California: Catalina Island’s Growing Giants
The Giant Sea Bass, also known as Stereolepis gigas, has long been a majestic part of California’s coastal ecosystems. This behemoth of a fish can grow up to nearly 7 and a half feet long, weighing a whopping 560 pounds, and can live to the age of 75.
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John Isaacs, the Maverick Oceanographer Who Wanted to Tow Icebergs to California
California’s water crises have always inspired bold solutions, but few ideas rival the sheer audacity of John Isaacs’ proposal to tow a giant Antarctic iceberg to San Diego.
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All the Fish We Did Not See - The Discovery of the Ocean’s False Bottom off California
This phenomenon, later termed the Deep Scattering Layer (DSL), created a “false bottom” in sonar readings, revealing an unexpectedly dense concentration of biological life in a mid-ocean zone once thought to be relatively sparse. The discovery of the DSL challenged assumptions about life distribution in the ocean, showing that vast numbers of organisms—such as fish, squid, and zooplankton—populate these depths, rising and descending with daily cycles to avoid predators and optimize feeding.
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A Massive Aircraft Carrier called the USS Independence Rests in Deep Waters off the Coast of California
The waters off California’s coast are scattered with relics of wartime history, each telling its own story of conflict and survival. Among these wrecks is the USS Independence, a WWII aircraft carrier whose journey took it from the heights of naval warfare to the depths of nuclear experimentation.
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The Magic, Wonder, and Science of Ocean Bioluminescence in Southern California
The phenomenon that causes the blue glow has been known for centuries, but that in no way detracts from its wonder and beauty. The phenomenon is called bioluminescence, and it is one of nature’s most magical and interesting phenomena.
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The Lost Island of Santarosae off California’s Coast
During the last Ice Age, approximately 20,000 to 25,000 years ago, when sea levels were significantly lower, Santarosae Island was a single, expansive landmass that now comprises most of California’s Channel Islands.
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California’s Elephant Seals are the Giants of the Golden Coast
Elephant seal in California. Buy us a cup of coffee? Lots of work goes into California Curated. We’d appreciate it! Once teetering on the brink of extinction, the California elephant seal has made an…
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Squid Pro Quo: How the California Market Squid Gives Back to Nature and Economy
The California market squid, scientifically known as Doryteuthis opalescens, is an integral component of the marine ecosystem and significantly contributes to California’s economy.
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California’s Monterey Formation: Unraveling the Secrets of a Fossil-Rich, Oil-Bearing Geological Wonder
California’s Monterey Formation is one of the most fascinating geological formations in the United States. Stretching along the California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles, this formation is notable for its incredible diversity of siliceous rocks—rocks rich in silica, such as shale, chert, diatomite, and porcelanite.
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Why bringing back California’s kelp is so important
Sea urchins have devastated kelp forests in California. Support California Curated by buying us a coffee? Two centuries ago, the waters off the California coast were home to a vibrant ecosystem of…
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The California Sea Lion’s Story of Survival and Conservation
California sea lions are part of the family Otariidae, which includes all eared seals. These agile marine mammals are well adapted for life in the ocean, with streamlined bodies, strong flippers, and a layer of blubber to help regulate body temperature.
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Saving California’s White Abalone is Part of a Much Bigger Story
The current effort to bring back the white abalone is one of numerous projects underway in California to revive the state’s once-thriving marine environment.
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California Coastline Teems with Whale Skeletons
Recently, scientists have discovered an extraordinary number of these whale falls off the coast of Los Angeles—over 60 skeletons, a number that surpasses the total found worldwide since 1977.
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Julia Platt was the Unwavering Force Behind Monterey’s Ecological Conservation
Monterey Bay (Photo: Erik Olsen) Support California Curated with a small donation. In the 18th century, when Spanish and French explorers ventured along the northern California coast they encountered…
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Through the Looking Glass Head: The Enigmatic World of the Barreleye Fish
The Barreleye fish is the kind of creature that captures the imagination and evokes wonder about what remains undiscovered in the deep ocean.
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The Ocean’s Invisible Elevator: How Upwelling Fuels California’s Marine Bounty
The Vital Role of Upwelling in California’s Rich Ocean Life Click to buy us a cup of coffee? We’d appreciate it! Few marine processes have been as impactful on the abundance of sea life off the coast…
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Navigating the Unseen Current: How the California Current System Shapes Our Ocean, Climate, and Future
The California Current, originating from the colder regions up near British Columbia, sweeps its way down toward Baja California, extending laterally several hundred miles offshore into deep oceanic waters off the continental shelf.
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Davidson Seamount and the Unseen Mountains and Hidden Treasures Off California’s Coast
Perhaps the most astonishing discovery at Davidson Seamount occurred in 2018, when scientists discovered the “Octopus Garden,” the largest known aggregation of octopuses in the world. The garden is about two miles deep and was discovered by researchers on the research vessel (RV) Nautilus.
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The Majestic San Gabriel Mountains: A Deep Dive into Their Formation, History, and Biodiversity
It is believed that much of the sand on California’s legendary beaches originated in the San Gabriel mountains, the result of erosion and various rivers and streams that run into the Pacific Ocean.
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The Garibaldi’s Dance of Color and Character in California’s Coastal Ballet
California Garibaldi Underwater photos of California’s coast featured in books and magazines almost always showcase a certain fish: the garibaldi. Within the underwater kaleidoscope of California’s…
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Hannes Keller’s Deadly 1,000-Foot Descent off Catalina Island Was the Dive of the Century
“If a man could go, for instance, to 1,000 feet down and do practical work,” Mr. Keller wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald, “then all the continental shelf zone could be explored, a total of more than 16 million square miles.”
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Why Are Dinosaur Fossils So Scarce in California?
Hadrosaur on ancient California landscape. Hadrosaurs like this AI generated one are among the very few dinosaurs whose fossils have ever been found in California. Support California Curated with a…
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A Deep Dive into the World of California’s Orcas: Majestic Ocean Predators
The marine ecosystem of California is both vibrant and diverse, boasting an array of majestic creatures, from the smallest microorganisms to the most massive marine mammals. One of the ocean’s most…
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Ten Little-Known Facts About California
Giant Sequoia California is known for its sunny beaches, bustling cities, and iconic landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Hollywood sign. However, the state is also home to a wealth of…
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California is a dolphin paradise
A Pacific White-Sided Dolphin swims alongside a boat off Newport Beach, California For those who are fortunate enough to live near the coast of California, Dolphin sightings are a frequent delight.…
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Not So Big: How We Overstate the Length of the Blue Whale, Earth’s Largest Creature
Many articles and references about blue whales will tell you, blue whales can reach lengths of up to 100 feet long or more. But not a single blue whale has ever been scientifically verified as being 100 feet long. That’s right. Not one.
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White shark sightings are up in California, but don’t panic
CSULB Shark Lab They’re baaaack! Here we are in late summer and the great white shark stories keep coming. On August 22, a drone captured a white shark swimming beneath some surfers, who…
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California’s unheralded role in Apollo 11 // Wildfires, climate change and atmospheric rivers // Marine reserves working even better than thought // California science news roundup
California’s unheralded role in Apollo 11 // Wildfires, climate change and atmospheric rivers // Marine reserves working even better than thought // California science news roundup
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Redwood poachers ruin majestic giants // LA’s air quality is deteriorating // Inhaled: new podcast series // California science news roundup
Redwood poachers ruin majestic giants // LA’s air quality is deteriorating // Inhaled: new podcast series // California science news roundup
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Blocking offshore drilling // Finding clear skies for stargazing in California // Amazing moon shots // Black abalone recovery // California’s Central Valley as art
Blocking offshore drilling // Finding clear for star-gazing in California // Amazing moon shots // Black abalone recovery // California’s Central Valley as art
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Using California reservoirs like a battery // NASA’s Mars Helicopter // A gazillion ladybugs fill the sky // The fish with Dragonglass teeth // Lighter than air metal
California companies lead the effort to save the world with microbes, California connection: meet 2018 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Frances Arnold, Carnegie Observatories and the GMT, Questioning “Disaster tourism” in California, Feeling the Force in Anaheim and more
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California companies lead the effort to save the world with microbes, California connection: meet 2018 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Frances Arnold, Carnegie Observatories and the GMT, Questioning “Disaster tourism” in California, Feeling the Force in Anaheim and more
California companies lead the effort to save the world with microbes, California connection: meet 2018 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Frances Arnold, Carnegie Observatories and the GMT, Questioning “Disaster tourism” in California, Feeling the Force in Anaheim and more
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How California Companies are Leading the Effort to Save the World with Microbes
Synbio startups like NovoNutrients are developing novel products to help feed the world and stop climate change. Wikipedia - CC BY-SA 3.0 (Sign up for the California Science Weekly newsletter ,…
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Lithium in Death Valley, Frogs making comeback, JPL’s Climate Elvis, Science of traffic jams, Mono Lake’s gulls, Amazing scallop eyes, Cow burps, Bee thieves
CalTech’s famous fly lab, Saving California’s rare fruit, Atomic microscope, Winter snowfall earthquakes, Brain enhancement drugs, Mars copter
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Netflix’s Our Planet takes on California, Talking with your brain, Banning animal dissection, California’s “King Tides”, Threats to California’s artichokes
CalTech’s famous fly lab, Saving California’s rare fruit, Atomic microscope, Winter snowfall earthquakes, Brain enhancement drugs, Mars copter
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Strange new sea life in California, Magnificent murres, Eagle cam at Big Bear, Going to prison for killing a fish, Oral history of the Keck observatory
CalTech’s famous fly lab, Saving California’s rare fruit, Atomic microscope, Winter snowfall earthquakes, Brain enhancement drugs, Mars copter
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Oil rigs’ future, turning rigs into reefs, Lake Death Valley, Charles Darwin in California, Huge fossil discovery in LA
Marine Policy What to do with California’s dying oil rigs? Credit: Los Angeles Times A magnificent multimedia story by the Los Angeles Times looks at the fate of the Holly oil platform off the coast…