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Stanford undergraduates taught by professors of oceans William Gilly and Christopher Francis study science and literature on the same fishing vessel that novelist John Steinbeck chartered to the Sea of Cortez in 1940.
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A microscopic kingdom in peril? Rising seas could threaten South Carolina's 'subterranean estuaries'
Co-authored by scientists in the Oceans Department, new research published in Environmental Microbiology examines how the microscopic organisms that exist in the groundwater below beaches play a critical role in capturing and filtering everything from agricultural run-off to pollution from leaky septic tanks.
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"The turtles are moving northward six times faster than the average for marine animals. So, our loggerhead, our sentinel loggerheads, are teaching us about this new ocean, this new warming ocean there," said professor of oceans Larry Crowder.
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Oceanographer Kristen Davis explores the potential of seaweed as a solution to the world’s greenhouse gas problem.
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Between 1997 and 2024, endangered North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles shifted their foraging northward at a rate six times faster than the average for most marine species.
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“These microbes live in complex communities, many with specialized roles that include processing nutrients and even producing or consuming greenhouse gases,” said co-senior author Christopher Francis, professor of Earth system science and of oceans in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
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Steve Palumbi joins podcast host Steve Curwood for an episode about the ocean’s oldest, oddest, fiercest, and strangest creatures.
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“The areas that are most affected today are those in the south, which are currently under climatic stress,” says Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez, who completed this work while a postdoctoral researcher in the Oceans Department. “But in 15 to 30 years, the areas that will be most vulnerable, according to our projections, are those in the north."
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Professor Larry Crowder: Preserving oceanic biodiversity while inspiring tomorrow’s conservationists
As early as high school, Larry Crowder’s passion for marine ecology was sparked by visits to Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey Bay — the oldest marine laboratory on the West Coast.
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Twelve of the world's leading marine biologists, oceanographers, and sea kelp specialists co-authored an open letter calling on leaders and policymakers from across the globe to create new and better protections for kelp forests around the world.
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Kelp forests face a range of threats, writes Nur Arafeh-Dalmau and a team of scientists from around the world.
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Alexandra DiGiacomo, a PhD candidate in biology, reflects on her work in the lab of Barbara Block, a professor of oceans and biology, where she deploys innovative technologies to study juvenile white sharks.
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Scientists and storytellers discuss the urgent need for technology to deepen understanding, democratize data, and inspire collective action for the ocean.
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Meet Mark Baugh-Sasaki, the inaugural visiting artist at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, and Mehr Kumar, a marine ecologist, environmental justice advocate, and artist in the Oceans Department.
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Twelve students from the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and Naval Postgraduate School led research on disaster response, food and water security, and coastal resilience. “I jumped at the opportunity to get my foot in the door,” said Oceans Department postdoctoral scholar DeVant'e Dawson. “I think the first step is science communication across sectors."
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The study team seeks to inform consumers about the link between krill supplements and recovering whale populations.
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In early 2024, a Baja fishing cooperative’s combined knowledge and learnings were described in a study in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science led by Stanford University marine ecologist Fiorenza Micheli.
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“It’s important to make the kelp forest accessible to people who can’t dive necessarily,” said Robin Elahi. “They are iconic ecosystems that draw in a lot of people to marine science.”
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Kristen Davis seeks to understand how physical processes in the ocean shape coastal ecosystems and support climate resilience.
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Because the Southern Ocean is so remote, few people realize that krill fishing is competing directly with whales. In a newly published study, Matthew Savoca and colleagues found that competition with this burgeoning fishery may impede whales’ recovery.
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Soaring human demand for krill in the Southern Ocean poses a challenge to the recovery of whale species once hunted nearly to extinction. Stanford researchers identify the growing food conflict and offer solutions.
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Juan Martín hopes to continue doing research with faculty in the Oceans Department during the school year and plans to pursue graduate studies in oceanography.
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Kristen Davis is studying the potential benefits and risks of a controversial idea: growing seaweed to fight climate change.
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“It’s a stunningly important summary of the history of the world’s largest reef system,” said Stephen Palumbi, a professor of marine biology.
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Stanford experts in coastal ecology and engineering share their tips for bringing a scientist’s perspective to your next trip to the coast.
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Seed grants awarded under the Big Ideas for Oceans program will enable work on high-risk, potentially high-reward projects designed to conserve the ocean and address climate change.
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Local professor and author Steve Palumbi is working to highlight the people who made Monterey Bay what it is today.
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The cooperative's knowledge and learning regarding adaptation pathways in small-scale fisheries were published in a study led by marine ecologist Fiorenza Micheli.
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From bleaching corals to weakening currents, Stanford scientists help readers navigate the effects of warmer oceans.
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Comprehensive spatial planning in international waters is key to achieving ocean sustainability.
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Larry Crowder, who is the Edward F. Ricketts Provostial Professor, was recognized for his lifetime work on sea turtles.
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Scientists seek to decipher a journey that begins in Japan and ends in North America.
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A recent study into the interactions between marine aquaculture development and small-scale fisheries has highlighted the need for marine planning to prevent conflicts over resources and markets.
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Sculptor and installation artist Mark Baugh-Sasaki will work with ocean scholars as the first visiting artist in a new Stanford program exploring how art and science can join forces to advance sustainability.
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Conventional sunscreen ingredients can damage coral reefs and human health. An immunologist and a marine ecologist teamed up to develop a better approach.
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Interdisciplinary team has developed a groundbreaking optical sensor that measures DNA and other key molecules in seawater using light, potentially revolutionizing the study of biodiversity in the enigmatic depths below the ocean’s surface.
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This year’s Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability photo contest highlights Earth’s beauty, challenges facing people and the planet, and action to advance global sustainability.
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Sixteen grants provided by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will support work on unproven but potentially transformational ideas to deepen understanding of Earth, climate, and society.
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Attendees of the second Stanford Oceans Conference highlighted the need to incorporate different knowledge systems and move beyond ‘either-or’ approaches to sustainability.
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Stanford researchers are searching for heat-resistant corals that could ensure the survival of vulnerable reefs.
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A study of fishing cooperatives and independent operators in Baja California offers lessons for the development of equitable climate adaptation policies across the world.
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The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Naval Postgraduate School recently convened experts to discuss how research can address climate change impacts on the ocean environment, economy, and national security.
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A new report looks back at the most impactful environment and sustainability research from Stanford scholars in 2023.
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Researchers from Stanford have been waiting anxiously, hoping to learn if a mysterious climate-driven pathway is allowing some sea turtles to travel thousands of miles, to the coast of California and Mexico, crossing waters that are normally too cold for them.
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"Throughout my freshman year, I have had the privilege to visit Hopkins through two introductory seminars (IntroSems) in marine biology, BIO 12N: 'The Sensory Ecology of Marine Animals' and OCEANS 6N: 'Ocean Conservation: Pathways to Solutions.'" Reflections from student Helen Katz.
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New research shows the major factors that help coral larvae settle and survive are the nearshore current and the physical features of the seafloor. The work could help identify sites where future reefs will be most viable and highlights a need to better protect these coral nurseries.
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Eleftherios “Ted” Karabelas grew up certain he would be a physician, but a brief stint as an EMT sent him soul-searching. As an inveterate traveler and licensed scuba diver, Karabelas turned to his next great love – coral. He is now in the first year of his doctoral studies in the Oceans Department at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
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A few small Loggerhead sea turtles may not realize it, but they're setting off on a journey that could change the way we understand the Pacific Ocean.
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A team of scientists mapped out a series of kelp forest “stepping stones” calibrated to where habitat will exist and how species might move.
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New Stanford-led research offers a way to build climate resilience into the designs of ocean and coastal areas intended to protect marine species. The researchers recommend establishing numerous marine protected areas across political borders, starting with the Southern California Bight.
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Research shows that slowing biodiversity loss will require more knowledge of sex-specific responses to climate hazards like heat waves and extreme temperature fluctuations.
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Like navigating the ocean, piloting a three-week Sophomore College (SoCo) class centered around working on a ship can be unpredictable and tumultuous. The course, which ran from Sept. 4 to Sept. 22, was led by professor of oceans William Gilly, whose research includes the chromatophores and escape responses of squids at the Hopkins Marine Station.
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An optical sensor smaller than a postage stamp could help coastal communities monitor some of the world’s largest marine protected areas.
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More than 5,000 square miles of central California coast could soon become the newest national marine sanctuary in U.S. It could also make history as one of the first federal sanctuaries to be initiated by a Native American tribe, part of a growing movement to give tribes a say over the lands and waters that were once theirs.
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Less than a century ago, the world's oceans were swarming with giant fish. Could we ever get them back?
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Scientists and campaigners recently documented huge krill fishing vessels plowing through pods of whales feeding in Antarctic waters, a permitted practice they say deprives the whales of food.
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Scientists are tracking the epic migration of 100 endangered North Pacific loggerhead turtles from Japan to test a hypothesis that warm water events like El Niño unlock a corridor allowing some turtles to ride ocean currents all the way to North America.
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Three Stanford graduate students share what led them to study the oceans, and why the next generation of ocean scholars must define the field more broadly.
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The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Naval Postgraduate School recently convened experts to discuss coastal resilience, water security, and energy security for communities and military installations along the U.S. West Coast.
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A spate of encounters between orcas and boats off the Iberian coast has puzzled scientists and sailors recently, as seemingly coordinated ambushes by the killer whales led to the sinking of three vessels. The reason for the attacks, according to one scientist who has studied the phenomenon, may be revenge.
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Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing accounts for one in every five fish caught around the world and costs the global economy between $26 billion and $50 billion annually. Fishing vessels engaged in these, largely out of sight, illegal activities have also been linked to organized crime and human rights violations such as forced labour, debt bondage, human trafficking and modern slavery.
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Viewed by the Chumash people as their ancestral home, the Native American tribe is behind the first Indigenous-led initiative to protect the ocean and repair its damaged ecosystem
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With other virus tracking efforts winding down, wastewater data is likely to become increasingly important in the months ahead, scientists say.
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The program is the first in the country to continuously monitor sewage from airplanes
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Seven Stanford faculty are among the newest members of an organization created in 1863 to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology.
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The blue food initiative or blue food (all fish and algae in the aquatic environment) may be the future of nutrition for humanity, due to the amount of essential nutrients for healthy growth. (In Spanish)
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Ecologists deploy a small weapon in a big disease battle.
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The inaugural awards will enable research teams to pursue interdisciplinary ocean and coastal projects that address impacts of environmental change in the Bay Area and beyond.
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Listen as professor William P. Barnett and Stanford student Ingrid Ackermann host a discussion with Stanford Professor Fiorenza Micheli to discuss the takeaways from an academic conference held at Stanford GSB on November 19–19, 2022.
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The new role involves near-term space planning on campus, master planning of the Hopkins Marine Station, and working to decrease barriers between different departments and programs.
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A new research partnership will combine Indigenous and scientific knowledge to monitor marine life in a sacred tribal region that may be a bellwether of how native species will fare in the face of climate change.
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Minke whales have the smallest possible body size to lunge feed successfully
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Stanford experts explain why the recently approved Willow oil drilling project in Alaska has sparked controversy, discuss the significance of new limits on oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, and describe the complicated nature of energy transformation in the fastest-warming place on Earth.
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As the smallest of the group of baleen whales that includes the blue whale - filter-feeding behemoths of the marine realm - the Antarctic minke whale aptly can be called the littlest giant. It also has been among the most enigmatic of the baleen whales, owing to its remote and frigid domain.
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Scientists studied a unique group of Antarctic minke whales and found that these gigantic mammals actually represent the smallest possible body size required for their style of feeding. The findings could inform which whale species are more vulnerable to future climate change impacts, like shifting food sources.
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Scientists observed close to 1,000 fin whales foraging near Antarctica, while fishing vessels trawled for krill in their midst. Without action, such encounters are likely to become more common as this endangered species recovers and krill harvesting intensifies in the Southern Ocean.
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The agreement creates partnerships to explore and address the increasing challenges of global climate change, energy security, and sustainability.
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The Naval Postgraduate School signed an Education Partnership Agreement with Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability on Thursday to tackle climate change and its impacts.
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Speakers highlight the urgent need to scale technologies, democratize data, and apply more diverse skill sets to accelerate understanding and protection of our oceans.
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Growing up, Fiorenza Micheli spent nearly every summer exploring the waters of Italy’s coast, where she fell in love with the sea and its many creatures. At a young age, she was quick to make the connection between her love for the ocean and innate interest in science, which paved a career path consisting of travel, teaching, and innovative research. At Stanford, Micheli is a marine ecologist and professor at the Hopkins Marine Station within Stanford’s Ocean Department and co-director of Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions, but her influence goes far beyond these positions alone.
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A beacon of ocean research for over 100 years, Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove has a storied history. This fall, it enters a new chapter of ocean research, education, and impact when it becomes part of the new Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
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The new Oceans Department will provide unique oceans education and create global impact.