Coastal Ecology and Biology
Photo Credit: Charlotte Stevenson
Millions of Californians and visitors explore the shores each year, enjoying the rocky intertidal zone, which is filled with tidepools, brilliant anemones, sea stars, crabs and other creatures clinging tightly to the rocks, waiting for the returning tide. Unfortunately, this endless fascination and love of the rocky coastline can cause serious impacts to nearshore ecosystems. USC Sea Grant-funded research and outreach projects have focused on visitor impacts (trampling, collecting and tide-pooling) to identify changes in the abundances of marine life. Recent research has demonstrated long-term changes in rocky intertidal populations and communities over a period of shifts in oceanographic climate and a period of steadily increasing urbanization of our coastlines. Studies like these make it possible to identify and quantify changes in species abundance and community structure over the last 50 years, and, more importantly, to discern which changes are due to natural variations in climate and which changes should be attributed to human impact.
Research and Outreach Projects
- Site Fidelity and Depth Preference of Nearshore Reef Fishes (Lowe)
- Estimating Impact on Shelf Macrobenthic Communities (Kidwell)
- Ecosystem Health Indices (Susan Zaleski)
- Urban Mariner. "Loving the Coast to Death." October 2009, Volume 1, Number 2
- Orange County Marine Protected Area Council: www.ocmarineprotection.org/
Funding OpportunitiesClick here to learn about funding opportunities through USC Sea Grant.
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National Focus AreaHealthy Coastal Ecosystems