Scripps Institution of Oceanography

🎓 Congratulations to the Scripps Oceanography Class of 2024!

Today we celebrated the hardworking and dedicated undergraduate and graduate students who earned their degrees in ocean, earth, and atmospheric sciences.
We are so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. Cheers to you and all the great things you've done and will continue to do! 🌊

A new study from Scripps Oceanography scientists finds that in productive surface waters off California, an understudied type of mercury appears to be the main source of the form of the heavy metal that accumulates in seafood and poses a danger to human health.

Dive into the study recently published in Environmental Science and Technology (ACS Publications). ⬇️

Study Illuminates Previously Unknown Ocean Mercury Pathway In early May, the neurotoxic effects of the heavy metal mercury made news when outlets reported that 2024 U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in 2012 that he experienced cognitive issues such as memory loss due to mercury poisoning, likely from a diet heavy in tuna.

🛰️ Thanks to NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellite imagery, Scripps physical oceanographer Lia Siegelman found that the storms at Jupiter’s polar regions are powered by processes known to physicists studying Earth’s oceans and atmosphere.

“There is some cosmic beauty in finding out that these physical mechanisms on Earth exist on other far-away planets,” said Siegelman.

Blast off into the study published in Nature Physics. ⬇️

Using Oceanography To Understand Fronts and Cyclones on Jupiter New research led by Lia Siegelman, a physical oceanographer at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, shows that the roiling storms at the planet Jupiter’s polar regions are powered by processes known to physicists studying Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. The geophysical commonalit...

Scripps Oceanography alum Kim Cobb is many things — she's a leader in the climate action arena, a Brown University professor, an avid bicycle commuter and a budding gardener. She can also add Scripps graduation ceremony speaker to her already impressive resume! She'll be returning to her alma mater this Friday to deliver an inspiring speech to the Class of 2024. 🎓

Learn more about Kim, her time as a Scripps student and her illustrious career working to better understand future climate change impacts. ⬇️

Views from the Forefront of Climate Action After receiving a PhD in oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in 2002, Kim Cobb has dedicated her career to raising awareness about and advocating for our planet. As the Lawrence and Barbara Margolis Director at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, and...

When Arnel Orig first visited Scripps Oceanography in 1983, he knew he would return someday to follow his dreams of becoming a marine biologist. Now just a few days from graduation, he’s one step closer to those dreams becoming a reality! (Swipe to see his first visit to the Scripps campus, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, in 1983.)

After serving in the military as a U.S. Navy diver and working as an IT manager, Arnel is now a student in the Scripps MAS Marine Biodiversity and Conservation program. With his graduation approaching, Arnel has been working with Kaua’i Sea Farms on his capstone project that examines aquaculture and the ecological and economic importance of sea cucumbers.

🐚🪸 Learn more about Arnel’s journey: https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/scripps-student-spotlight-arnel-orig

Hot off the presses (with an emphasis on 'hot'): Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Scripps Oceanography announced today that carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever, and accelerating on a steep rise to levels far above any experienced during human existence.

The Keeling Curve, which is maintained by scientists at Scripps, calculated a May monthly average of 426.7 ppm for 2024, an increase of 2.92 ppm over May 2023’s measurement of 423.78 ppm. 2022 to 2024 has seen the largest two-year jump in the May peak of the Keeling Curve in the NOAA record.

“Not only is CO2 now at the highest level in millions of years, it is also rising faster than ever. Each year achieves a higher maximum due to fossil-fuel burning, which releases pollution in the form of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 program that manages the institution’s 56-year-old measurement series. “Fossil fuel pollution just keeps building up, much like trash in a landfill.”

Learn more. ⬇️

During Year of Extremes, Carbon Dioxide Levels Surge Faster than Ever Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever — accelerating on a steep rise to levels far above any experienced during human existence, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego announced today.

🌊🐋 When blue whales were recently spotted off of San Diego, Scripps Oceanography PhD candidate Michaela Alksne saw more than the fascinating cetaceans; she saw an opportunity to leap into cutting-edge, noninvasive marine research.

As a member of Simone Baumann-Pickering’s Scripps Acoustic Ecology Lab, Michaela and the team are involved in an interdisciplinary effort to learn how to reliably detect cetaceans in environmental DNA samples, or DNA shed by organisms into the marine environment.

“I was emailing back and forth with Scripps project scientist Julie Dinasquet about how exciting it was that the whales were out there, and she mentioned that it would be a great opportunity to get their DNA. So I figured why don't we try and do it?” Michaela said.

Armed with 25-liter jugs and a Nikon camera, Michaela led a team of researchers, including Jack Elstner from The Semmens Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, to deploy a small boat off Scripps Pier to collect clues left by the blue whales. The team headed toward the group of whales, aiming to collect samples near the ripple at the surface that occurs when a whale dives.

After collecting the biological material, the team headed back to extract and sequence the DNA in the collected samples in the coming weeks. The beauty of this data collection method is that it’s noninvasive, inexpensive and can provide additional information about the animals and the environment around them.

“This opportunistic study served as a fantastic calibration because it will allow us to determine how well our data collection method is working,” Michaela said. “If we detect the whale's DNA, then we know we're doing something right, and we should keep using the same methodology. This method is another window into their world; it’s another way to understand the distribution and abundance of cetaceans, which ultimately helps to protect them.”

Michaela is grateful for access to small boats on the pier, supportive principal investigators, and funding that made this innovative and collaborative research possible.

“I feel like this was the coolest thing I've done during my time at Scripps and I've done a lot – this may have been the most exciting two hours of my life because I was so close to blue whales, the largest animal to ever exist!”

Photos taken under NMFS Permit No. 2285. NOAA Fisheries Service
Research funded by ONR MURI Grant No. N0014-22-1-2719. Office of Naval Research

What can fish tell us about our environment? 🐟 A lot, according to Scripps Oceanography PhD candidate Toni Sleugh! Toni, who studies marine biology in The Semmens Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, uses fish caught by recreational anglers across Southern California to investigate how historical offshore disposal of chemical waste off the coast of Los Angeles impacts modern fisheries and the people who depend on them.

“I'm working on several projects related to marine contamination and understanding the trophic ecology of recreationally important fish species using stable isotope analyses, looking at trends in contaminant exposure in fishes, identifying the full range of halogenated organic compounds present in fishes, and exploring potential contaminant exposure in recreational anglers,” said Toni.

With a deep love for the ocean, Toni loves getting to live, work and research near and in this incredible ecosystem. One of her favorite experiences at Scripps has been getting up close and personal with the animals she studies in their natural habitat through the SCUBA DIVERsity program.

“While we may not be able to breathe underwater like fish can, we are all marine organisms,” she said. “We depend on the ocean for food, for a healthy livable climate, and for fun and the ocean depends on us to be responsible and respectful stewards of its resources. In the example of my research, poor ocean conservation—such as allowing offshore waste disposal—can lead to long-term negative impacts for humans and non-humans alike.”

For those with a fascination with and passion for the ocean, Toni encourages them to get involved with the ocean community.

“There's no right or wrong way to get into marine science and ocean advocacy!” she said. “Talking to people in the field and building a diverse network are great ways to learn more about different career paths."

With so much of the ocean still unexplored, underwater robots are stepping in to help. 🌊🤖

Headed by Scripps Oceanography scientists, Argo is an international program collecting data about the evolving state of the ocean. Argo floats are helping us better understand the ocean's role in Earth’s climate and how it will change in the future.

🌎 More than 4,000 floats have been deployed throughout the ocean to collect data on the temperature and salinity of the water, and even the biology and chemistry of the ocean. Standard Argo profiling floats drift with the ocean currents, moving up and down between the surface and depths of 6,500 feet, while Deep Argo floats can reach depths of nearly 20,000 feet. All the collected data is transmitted back to researchers via satellite and is freely available to the public.

Learn more about the Argo program: https://argo.ucsd.edu/

It's safe to say that Scripps Oceanography alum Rosina Garcia ('17) loves Planet Earth. 🌍 💙 As a former science teacher and current director of education initiatives at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center, her mission is to engage and inspire the next generation of scientists, and her origin story began at Scripps.

"The interdisciplinary nature of a Scripps degree has made me a well-rounded employee and a better leader," she said. "Taking classes combining chemistry, biology, physics and math gave me a robust perspective on pressing problems that we face today and a critical mind for solving them. I have used each of these disciplines in my various roles—as a teacher, scientist, and now in my current role—and I credit my success to the education I received at Scripps."

🎓 Rosina will return to the Scripps campus in a few weeks to deliver the alumni commencement address at the Scripps Undergraduate Recognition Ceremony, a celebration for the Class of 2024.

Learn more about her
https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/spreading-love-planet-earth

🐢 How turtle-y awesome is Lena Stasiak?

She's a Scripps Oceanography student in the Master of Advanced Studies program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, focusing on environmental DNA in sea turtle genetics studies. She also collaborates with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Sea Turtle Genetics Lab, where she studies green and leatherback sea turtles.

"I wanted to get back into the field, so finding the Scripps MAS MBC program felt like the perfect transition for me, as I wanted to end up in a position that would allow me to balance that lab time with fieldwork as well," she said.

Learn more about Lena’s research here: https://bit.ly/4brv2cN

📢 Cast your vote for the 2024 Art of Science Contest Community Favorite!

🎨 The UC San Diego Library invited the UC San Diego community to submit original works inspired by their research and scientific inquiries, and several entries from Scripps Oceanography scientists are featured!

Now through June 7, you have the opportunity to vote on your favorite image. The submission with the most votes will win the Open Voting category and be featured in the 2024 Art of Science exhibit this fall. Vote here: https://bit.ly/3USIUWr

How's this for a deep dive? Scientists with Scripps Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are currently at sea off the coast of Alaska to study methane seeps in the deep. Thanks to major upgrades to the submersible Alvin, the research team is participating in the first crewed U.S. research expedition below 4,500 meters or over 14,700 feet!

“The deep ocean is inches from you,” said Scripps biological oceanographer Lisa Levin, who is currently on the expedition and has taken more than 50 trips in Alvin. “If you watch somebody’s slide show or watch somebody’s movie of a place, it’s not the same as going. It’s better to be there.”

But what exactly are the scientists hoping to find? Science has more on the mission. ⬇️

Alvin, the iconic research submersible, plunges deeper than ever After $50 million upgrade, U.S. sub can reach 99% of the ocean floor

We're seeing bioluminescence in a new light ✨ 🌊 🚤 Members of the Scripps Oceanography community deployed a small boat off of Scripps Pier to capture uniquely stunning shots of bioluminescence in action, courtesy of UC San Diego photographer Erik Jepsen.

Earlier this year, scientists with the Center of Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) took to the skies to gather real-time data on Atmospheric Rivers aboard an aircraft operated by The NOAA Hurricane Hunters. These flights are part of the Atmospheric River Reconnaissance program (AR Recon), which supports improved prediction of landfalling atmospheric rivers on the U.S. West Coast. Anna Wilson, the field research manager for CW3E, captured a behind-the-scenes look at one of these missions mid-flight!

“During these flights, we released dropsondes from the aircraft to measure temperature, humidity, wind, and pressure—all critical to understanding the strength of the atmospheric rivers,” said Wilson. “Looking outside the plane, we could see clouds associated with an atmospheric river, although the atmospheric river itself isn’t visible to the human eye.”

The goal of this flight, which took place on January 12, was to sample an atmospheric river forecast to affect the U.S. West Coast. This was the second in a series of 4 atmospheric rivers that affected the west coast.

“This flight was designed to improve the precipitation forecast associated with this AR, especially over Oregon and California,” Wilson said. “Areas where observations could particularly help were identified in and around the atmospheric river and low-pressure circulation to the north of Hawaii.”

These powerful weather events are crucial water sources for regions around the globe, but can also be responsible for hazardous flooding. According to Wilson and the team at CW3E, accurate forecasting is essential to support resource management and public safety information needs.

“I feel really grateful to be involved in this project and work with so many people who care so much about getting these forecasts right to support weather and water information needs in the West, and learning more about the fundamental science behind these storms,” Wilson said.

Wilson caught up with BBC to share more about her experience aboard AR Recon flights here: https://bbc.in/3wDBTjZ

From the shores of ‘Aiea, Hawai‘i to the labs of Scripps Oceanography, Austin Barnes—a third-year PhD student—is dedicated to bringing his research on the coastal impacts of sea-level rise to the communities he loves. 🌊

Austin works with his advisor, Mark Merrifield, in the Applied Ocean Sciences group and the Coastal Processes Group at Scripps. His research focuses on the effect of rising sea levels on a coral reef in American Samoa and protection from coastal flooding in Imperial Beach.

"My home state of Hawai‘i is grappling with issues from sea-level rise flooding, erosion, and social impacts," he said. "I wanted to learn from the best and take what I learned from Scripps back home to work on these issues. The intersections of climate science with world history, colonialism, injustices, and inequities have captured my attention, and I plan on focusing on these areas of the field."

🏝️ Swim on over to this link to learn more about Austin: https://bit.ly/4by7eTU.

🤿 The Scripps SCUBA DIVERsity Fellowship Program was recently featured in the spring 2024 issue of the UC San Diego Magazine. 🌊

Led by Scripps Oceanography at UC San Diego and launched in 2022, the program is part of a concerted effort to diversify the field of scientific diving. Scientific diver training and access to gear are provided to students who want to contribute and explore the ocean but face barriers to joining the dive community, including cultural, physical, emotional or financial ones.

"As a leader in scientific diving, Scripps has an opportunity to help build a more inclusive future — not only for scientific divers but for the diving community as a whole,” says Keiara Auzenne, director of diversity initiatives at Scripps Oceanography.

Dive into the following link to find out how the SCUBA DIVERsity program came to fruition, and learn from cohort fellows, as well as program leaders, about its profound impact on the world of scientific diving: https://today.ucsd.edu/story/next-gen

📸: UC San Diego photographer Erik Jepsen

🛰️ Two teams led by Scripps Oceanography scientists are shooting for the stars as finalists in NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s new Earth System Explorers Program! They're among four teams selected by NASA for future satellite missions to help better understand how our planet is responding to climate change.

Scripps glaciologist Helen Amanda Fricker and physical oceanographer Sarah Gille are at the helm of the UC San Diego teams, and both researchers have been involved in prior NASA satellite missions. As finalists, both teams will each receive $5 million to conduct a one-year mission concept study. Following the study period, NASA will choose two proposals for satellites to launch in 2030 and 2032, with a budget of $310 million for each chosen investigation.

Learn more about the projects led by Fricker and Gille and how they will enable Earth system research. ⬇️

UC San Diego-Led Science Teams Selected as Finalists for NASA Science Missions to Understand Our Changing Climate Two teams led by scientists from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography are among four selected by NASA to put forward concept studies for future satellite missions to help better understand how our planet is responding to climate change.

New research reveals how sea star embryo cells can adapt to pressure changes by packing themselves into a unique, prism-like shape known as a scutoid. 🔬 Learn more about the cell biology study, led by Scripps Oceanography scientists and collaborators. ⬇️

Study Pinpoints Cellular Response to Pressure in Sea Star Embryos An international team of scientists has discovered a new cellular mechanism that explains how cells can adapt to pressure changes during tissue growth by packing themselves into a unique shape.

Journey from Kodiak, Alaska, to Tromsø, Norway to uncover the mysteries of the Arctic, courtesy of two Scripps Oceanography team members!

Eugene Vivino—a Systems Analyst on Scripps’ Ship Cyber Infrastructure Services Team—and Nick Benz—a geophysical engineer with the Scripps Shipboard Geophysical Group—recently set sail aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (USCGC Healy) to harness cutting-edge science and technology to investigate the long-term environmental changes in a region that is a critical indicator for global climate health.

Scientists, engineers and technicians aboard the USCGC Healy embarked on the mission to collect samples and data from the Arctic as part of the Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System. Eugene and Nick teamed up with technicians from UC San Diego, Oregon State University, and the University of Washington as part of Ship-based Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC), a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Office of Polar Programs. The STARC team supported the technical needs of the Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System 2023 expedition and specialized in various aspects of oceanographic work.

Learn more about Eugene and Nick's experience in the Arctic: https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/discovering-mysteries-arctic

🧊 USCGC Healy breaking ice in the Laptev Sea. Photo by Eugene Vivino.
🌅 Sunrise in the Arctic. Photo by Eugene Vivino.
❄️ The team observed numerous Arctic creatures, including polar bears. Photo by Nick Benz.
👥 Scripps Oceanography’s STARC personnel after the 48th and final NABOS 2023 CTD cast. From left to right: Eugene Vivino, Murray Manchanthasouk, Mason Schettig and Nick Benz.
🛳️ USCG Cutter Healy supporting scientific research. Photo courtesy of USCG / DVIDS.
🚢 Group photo of personnel aboard the NABOS 2023 cruise. Photo courtesy of USCG / DVIDS.

For decades, the waters off the coast of Los Angeles served as a dump site for the harmful pesticide DDT. Now, more than 60 years later, findings led by a team of researchers from Scripps Oceanography and San Diego State University are detailing just how DDT may still be making its way into marine food webs and impacting wildlife and human health.

The new study found that deep-sea fish and sediments collected from near the Catalina Island offshore dump site are contaminated with numerous DDT-related chemicals. Scientists also studied how the DDT dump site has affected the seafloor and the marine flora and fauna that inhabit these environments.

“These are deep-sea organisms that don’t spend much time at the surface and they are contaminated with these DDT-related chemicals,” said Lihini Aluwihare, a professor of ocean chemistry at Scripps and co-author of the study. “Establishing the current distribution of DDT contamination in deep-sea food webs lays the groundwork for thinking about whether those contaminants are also moving up through deep-ocean food webs into species that might be consumed by people.”

Learn more about the history of the dump site and how the study—which was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—seeks to uncover how DDT compounds are making their way into the deep-ocean food web. ⬇️

DDT Pollutants Found in Deep Sea Fish off Los Angeles Coast In the 1940s and 1950s, the ocean off the coast of Los Angeles was a dumping ground for the nation’s largest manufacturer of the pesticide DDT – a chemical now known to harm humans and wildlife. Due to the stubborn chemistry of DDT and its toxic breakdown products, this pollution continues to pl...

Scrippshenge returned last night! Photographers, including UC San Diego's Erik Jepsen, gathered under Scripps Pier for a photo opportunity that happens twice a year, when the sunset perfectly aligns under the iconic pier.

If you missed last night's display, you may be able to see it tonight if the weather permits!

🔊 It's no secret that humans are a noisy bunch, and our noise extends beyond land. A first-of-its-kind study led by researchers from the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography created a model of the ocean soundscape as it was experienced by whales, dolphins, and other marine organisms hundreds of years ago.

So, how much has the soundscape changed since the introduction of commercial shipping?

“It would be like having a picnic in a meadow versus having a picnic on the side of a busy freeway,” said study lead author Vanessa ZoBell, a Scripps alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Scripps Machine Listening Lab.

Dive into the study recently published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. ⬇️

What Did the Ocean Sound Like Before Humans? The Pacific Ocean waters off Southern California used to be much quieter hundreds of years ago. Then came the Industrial Revolution, commercial shipping and about 15 extra decibels (dB) of noise.

Remember that historic red tide event in 2020? While it may have provided some stellar bioluminescence, it also contributed to mass mortality among fish and other marine organisms.

New research led by Zachary Skelton—a marine biologist under contract at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Southwest Fisheries Science Center and recent graduate of Scripps Oceanography—uncovered that deteriorating water quality was a significant factor in the die-offs among the marine species.

Dive into the study to learn more about how extreme water conditions led to the deaths of thousands of fishes and invertebrates, as well as several seabirds. ⬇️

Impacts of 2020 Red Tide Event Highlighted in New Study In the spring of 2020, a historic red tide event occurred in waters off Southern California. Driven by a bloom of the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedra, this event brought nighttime displays of bioluminescence to beaches along the coast, from Baja California to Santa Barbara. While the bloom g*i...

What’s shaking in subduction zones? A whole lot, according to new research led by Scripps Oceanography postdoctoral scholar Bar Oryan. Oryan and a team of researchers recently published a study that helps us better understand and estimate hazards for subduction zone earthquakes, which are among the most powerful on the planet.

Using computer modeling of landscapes, seascapes, and geomorphology, researchers found that earthquakes in subduction zones—or areas where one tectonic plate collides underneath another—remain relatively constant. They also suggest that the slip deficiency, a key factor in assessing earthquake hazards, remains consistent across multiple earthquake cycles.

“This research is important because understanding the true size of the ‘highly coupled’ contact patch in a subduction zone is essential as the larger the patch, the more seismic energy it might release during an earthquake,” Oryan said. “Our study highlights the role geomorphology, or the study of landforms and landform evolution, can play in constraining Earth's greatest source of seismic hazard. Eventually, our foundational model can be built on to improve earthquake estimations in subduction zones.”

Understanding the size of the stressed area where plates interact is vital for assessing earthquake risks and planning safety measures, especially in regions prone to powerful earthquakes and tsunamis, like those along ocean borders where tectonic plates meet.

Learn more about the research published in Science Advances and supported by the City of Paris and the European Research Council: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adl4286

The figure shows how slip deficiency along the subduction zone fault, usually called a megathrust, shapes landscapes and seascapes one seismic cycle at a time.