Another year, another Maui trip!

Aloha! Our lab just got back from our annual field work trip to Maui, and we have a lot to report! We’ve been visiting Maui for over a decade to monitor coral reefs along the island’s leeward (sheltered from the wind) coast. We return to the same sites year after year and take thousands of pictures of each reef. When … Read More

SOAR Spring 2020 Report: Red Tide Edition

If you’re a resident of Southern California (and maybe even if you’re not) you likely heard about the recent red tide bloom (and subsequent smelly fish and invertebrate die-offs) that saturated the coastline of Southern California. Here at Scripps Oceanography, it was the main topic of conversation to break the monotony of COVID-19 information and pandemic updates. For those of us … Read More

New study by SIO alum, Dr. Maggie Johnson, reveals how turf algae fare in the face of global change

Dr. Maggie Johnson, a recent Smith Lab PhD grad, recently published a study in the journal Coral Reefs revealing how epilithic and endolithic algae (that is, algae that grows on top of and beneath the surface of “rocks”, respectively) respond to increasing ocean temperature and acidification (lower pH). Samples were collected from turf-covered substrate in Moorea, and were exposed for … Read More

Smith lab and colleagues present an autonomous approach to measure coral reef net calcification and production rates

Assessment of net community production and calcification of a coral reef using a boundary layer approach Abstract: Coral reefs are threatened worldwide, and there is a need to develop new approaches to monitor reef health under natural conditions. Because simultaneous measurements of net community production (NCP) and net community calcification (NCC) are used as important indicators of reef health, tools are … Read More

SOAR with me underneath the Scripps Pier!

It is another beautiful day in paradise.  This paradise is sunny San Diego, California.  Today we’ll suit up for a dive underneath the pier at Scripps Institution of Oceanography to visit our underwater instruments for a cleaning and calibration water sample.  I have done this dive over 200 times, but thankfully it doesn’t get old.  I have been able to … Read More

Published Results: Effects of ocean acidification on San Diego seaweeds

A new paper, written by Susan Kram and co-authors, was recently accepted for publication in the ICES Journal of Marine Science themed article set on Ocean Acidification. The paper, “Variable responses of temperate calcified and fleshy macroalgae to elevated pCO2 and warming,” describes the responses of six different locally abundant San Diego seaweeds to future ocean acidification and warming conditions. … Read More

Smith Lab Ocean Acidification Experiments Featured in the Environmental Monitor

The Environmental Monitor is a journal, published by Fondriest Environmental, that covers topics like products, projects and trends in the environmental monitoring industry. It aims to keep professionals informed about developments in their field. Members of the Smith Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Hamilton Lab at Moss Landing Marine Labs have been performing several experiments that look at … Read More

Smith Lab Collects Data From Year Long Ocean Acidification Experiment

Members of the Smith Lab have been hard at work in collaboration with Emily Donham from Scott Hamilton’s Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories to collect data from a year long ocean acidification experiment looking at effects of pH on marine benthic communities in kelp beds.