Scripps Institution of Oceanography

09/29/2026

👋 🌊 As the academic year gets underway, we’re excited to 'wave' hello to six new Scripps Oceanography faculty members!

This group of six scientists and educators includes new professorial faculty Alec Brenner, Samer Naif, Shi Joyce Sim and Park Williams, as well as research faculty Qing Liu and Clarissa Anderson, who has taken on a newly appointed role.

Their research spans physical oceanography, geoscience, biological and atmospheric sciences, bringing new expertise, ideas and perspectives to Scripps. They’ll also be teaching, mentoring and inspiring the next generation of scientific leaders.

Meet the faculty members: https://bit.ly/4hxKpVm

09/24/2026

🏆 Congratulations to Scripps Oceanography marine ecologist Jennifer Smith for earning one of the inaugural University of California Regents Innovation Awards!

Smith received a Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing her innovative work developing cutting-edge techniques to study and restore marine ecosystems, including 3D imaging technology for coral reefs.

Her work also extends into the world of seaweed aquaculture. She is co-founder of the California Seaweed Company, a culinary seaweed startup, and is helping develop commercial-scale seaweed cultivation. In collaboration with CH4 Global, she is also cultivating a red seaweed that has the potential to reduce methane emissions from cattle.

Learn more: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/23-uc-innovators-who-are-changing-world

09/22/2026

👩🏽‍🚀 To say this Scripps Oceanography alumna is an all-star is an understatement, to say the least.

Meet Megan McArthur (PhD ‘02), a retired NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut and current Chief Science Officer for Space Center Houston.

We're thrilled to welcome her back to campus on Sept. 23 as the keynote speaker for the Scripps Student Symposium! Ahead of Megan's visit to her alma mater, we caught up with her to learn more about her time at Scripps, life as an astronaut and more: https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/scripps-space-alumna-megan-mcarthur-career-exploration

📸: NASA

09/21/2026

🌎 You probably have questions about . Scripps Oceanography scientists have answers!

Learn more about the science behind El Niño and potential impacts on marine ecosystems, weather and more: scripps.ucsd.edu/news/el-nino

09/16/2026

What El Niño-related questions do you have for
Scripps Oceanography scientists?

09/10/2026

🥳 🌊 YOU (yes, you!) are invited to celebrate 25 years of ocean impact!

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) at Scripps Oceanography. The center was created to promote marine biodiversity research and address conservation challenges through interdisciplinary research, education and partnerships.

From Sept. 15 through 19 and continuing through the fall, CMBC will mark the anniversary with a series of events celebrating the center’s history and the contributions of its affiliated faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Event highlights include:

🎤 Sept. 15: 25th Anniversary Party & Knowlton-Jackson Lecture with Scripps alumnae Marcia McNutt and Noelle Bowlin
🐟 Sept. 19: Community Celebration of Marine Conservation at Birch Aquarium at Scripps
🌊 Throughout Fall 2026: CMBC-themed programming through Birch Aquarium’s Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series
❗And more!

▶️ Learn more about CMBC's history of impact, and reserve your spot for next week's celebrations: https://bit.ly/4xgq64w

09/10/2026

🌅 Name a more San Diego photo; we'll wait 😎

Swipe to see more stunning shots of Scripps at sunset captured by UC San Diego photographer Erik Jepsen.

09/09/2026

🌊 It's no secret that our coastlines are constantly evolving. Powerful storms can reshape coastal cliffs in a matter of days. Beaches shapeshift as a result of wave impact, tide changes and wind activity. And cliffs retreat over time. To understand these changes, you first need to know exactly what the coastline looked like before the next big event.

That's where the Scripps Oceanography Air-Sea Interaction Laboratory comes in with its MASS instrument, which includes a topographic LiDAR alongside visible, hyperspectral, and infrared imagery.

The team is set to conduct its seventh statewide survey of California's coastline using MASS to create a high-resolution baseline for tracking both seasonal and longer-term coastal changes, as funded by the State of California.

✈️ So, how does the survey work? Researchers and engineers take to the skies to operate MASS from a small plane during low tides. The LiDAR uses laser pulses that are emitted from a small airplane to map the elevation of the coastline in remarkable detail. When the data is combined with the collected imagery, it can create a telling 3D point cloud visualization. The surveys capture everything from gradual, centimeter-scale cliff retreat to individual collapses that can move meters of earth.

The goal? To build a record of coastal change that helps scientists understand how California's coastline responds to storms and other events, to improve models of future change, and to provide data that informs coastal planning and infrastructure decisions. The Air-Sea Lab works closely with labs across Scripps, including the Coastal Processes Group, to provide a holistic view of the state's changing coastlines.

Nick Statom, an associate development engineer with the Air-Sea Interaction Lab, also brings a handheld camera on board to document the changes in photos while operating the instruments.

“We can mobilize quickly with the MASS to basically create a snapshot before and after a particular set of storms,” says Statom. “When paired with photos of familiar landmarks along our coastline, it can help raise awareness of the changes that are taking place.”

By turning those snapshots into a long-term record, researchers can better understand where California's coast is changing most and help communities prepare for what comes next. The team is looking ahead to the end of this month, when the next survey is set to take flight. 🌎

Learn more about the survey: https://airsea.ucsd.edu/fieldwork/coast/

09/09/2026

🌊 25 years of advancing marine conservation, and we’re just getting started!

Next week, the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) is celebrating 25 years of bringing people, ideas and science together to help create a healthier, thriving ocean planet.

Join us September 15 through 19 for a week of celebrations, including:

🐙 The annual Knowlton-Jackson Lecture, featuring two prominent Scripps alumnae—Marcia McNutt and Noelle Bowlin, followed by a joyful anniversary party
🎉 A community celebration at Birch Aquarium at Scripps with hands-on activities for all ages

RSVP to the events below. ⤵️

Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

09/08/2026

🎈 Let's launch a weather balloon off Scripps Pier with Jeri!

We caught up with Jeri Wilcox, a research data analyst with the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at Scripps, to learn more about why weather balloon launches are crucial for operational global weather models.

Float over to the link in our comments to learn more about CW3E's work.