Changing Seas

Along the rugged Northern California coast, Año Nuevo State Park harbors a thriving colony of elephant seals, where science and nature intertwine. For over 50 years, University of California Santa Cruz researchers, spanning three generations, have worked alongside seven generations of seals to better understand their life cycles and ocean health.

Between late 2023 and the spring of 2024 more than 80 species of fish were observed spinning in the Florida Keys. While most were able to recover, a large number of endangered smalltooth sawfish died. A group of multidisciplinary scientists is trying to piece together what happened in the environment to cause this unusual phenomenon.

Far out in the eastern Atlantic, the Portuguese island of Madeira rises from the depths of the open ocean. Despite its remote location, the archipelago is impacted by floating plastic trash. Researchers with MARE-Madeira study the effects plastics, and their chemical compounds, have on the health of marine mammals that frequent local waters.

On Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, the surf break at Playa Hermosa is a world-class wave—and the heart of a vibrant ecosystem where endangered sea turtles nest. Recently named a World Surfing Reserve, it’s now the focus of a bold conservation effort, as community members work to restore forests, protect wildlife, and preserve the powerful waves that shape their way of life.