“Underwater Gardens” — Short Film by Smith Lab Volunteer

One of our talented volunteers, Nicole Lopez (mentored by Dr. Adi Khen), put together this film about the Smith Lab’s efforts to re-establish an herbarium collection at Scripps Oceanography. “Underwater Gardens” is a short exploration of the often overlooked but beautiful world of seaweeds, and the unexpected ways they intersect with art, science, and climate solutions: Stay tuned for future … 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

Can California get cows to burp less methane? Check out this story by NBC

Dr. Jen Smith was recently interviewed by NBC – the latest story on Asparagopsis taxiformis is officially out, and this time we get to hear from people who make their living maintaining cattle ranches and dairy farms in addition to the scientists! Check out the video below to learn more!

UCSD Research highlight: “Usurp the Burp”

This week Dr. Jen Smith’s research was featured by the UC San Diego News Center, highlighting her recent collaboration with agricultural scientists at UC Davis. Dr. Smith is researching methods of cultivation of Asparagopsis taxiformis, a red seaweed that has been discovered to reduce methane emissions from cow burps in studies conducted at UC Davis. She’s also working with scientists at … Read More

Herbivore management may be the key to balancing the energetic budget on coral reefs

A new paper published by Emily Kelly and colleagues explains how we can balance the energetic budget on Hawaiian coral reefs through herbivore management and protection. Herbivores on coral reefs play an important role in controlling algal growth, but in systems where density of herbivores is low, algae can grow at a faster rate than they are consumed, resulting in a … Read More

Smith lab and colleagues publish new paper looking at microbes on coral reefs

Global microbialization of coral reefs Abstract: Microbialization refers to the observed shift in ecosystem trophic structure towards higher microbial biomass and energy use. On coral reefs, the proximal causes of microbialization are overfishing and eutrophication, both of which facilitate enhanced growth of fleshy algae, conferring a competitive advantage over calcifying corals and coralline algae. The proposed mechanism for this competitive … Read More

Published Results on Invasive Algae in San Diego

Smith Lab members Niko Kaplanis and Jill Harris recently published the results of their San Diego County non-native algae research project conducted between 2012 and 2014. This work documented patterns of establishment, spread, and persistence for two non-native algal species in San Diego county and analyzed this invasion in the larger geographic context of the entire Pacific Coast of North … Read More

Coral Club with Nick Graham

The San Diego Coral Club is a monthly informal gathering of coral reef researchers visiting or working in the San Diego area. From students to established scientists, these coral reef enthusiasts have the opportunity to present preliminary data and discuss hot research topics among their peers. Also it’s a great environment to develop new collaborations and exchange ideas about coral reef science and the conservation of tropical reefs over wine and pizza.