Blog

11 Feb

Posted at 08:30h in eNews by
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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] In January 2020, Beach Watch staff and west coast-wide partners published a paper in PLOS ONE linking the an unprecedented common murre die-off to what scientists call the warm water “Blob”—a large-scale ocean warming event (aka marine heatwave) in the Pacific Ocean during 2014-2015. According to the paper, in 2015-16, about 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge) washed ashore on beaches from California to Alaska, and that as many as 1 million birds may have perished during this time, accounting for an estimated 10-20 percent of the North Pacific population.  “Die-offs and breeding failures occur sporadically in murres, but the magnitude, duration and spatial extent of this die-off, associated with multi-colony and multi-year reproductive failures, is unprecedented and astonishing,” according to the paper.  The research team says the link between the massive marine heatwave and the die-off is diminished forage fish, a major food source for common murres. Research shows that the prolonged marine heatwave negatively impacted the amount and quality of phyto-and zooplankton, the primary food source for forage fish. This, among other factors detailed in the paper, led to reduced forage fish—and subsequently murre—populations.  Marine heatwaves like the ‘Blob’ can significantly alter marine ecosystem structure. They are happening more frequently and impacting marine life. Our Beach Watch program collects critical data on marine life and human activities along the North-central California coast to inform important conservation and resource protection efforts. Greater Farallones Association thanks all of the partners involved in this highly-collaborative research, and its dedicated Beach Watch volunteers who donate their time to collecting important data along the sanctuary coastline. News coverage: Alaska Native News American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) EurekaAlert! Associated Press EcoWatch Futurity Live Science Los Angeles Times MEAWW Mirage News Mother Jones New York Times PhysOrg Science News ScienceBlog Sit News (Ketchikan, Alaska) University of Washington News U.S. News Learn more about Beach Watch. View the publication at PLOS ONE Greater Farallones Association Contributing Author: Kirsten Lindquist, Ecosystem Monitoring Manager Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Contributing Author: Jan Roletta, Research Coordinator Publication Abstract: About 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the North Pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from California to Alaska. Most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was found to explain this mass mortality. Three-quarters of murres were found in the Gulf of Alaska and the remainder along the West Coast. Studies show that only a fraction of birds that die at sea typically wash ashore, and we estimate that total mortality approached 1 million birds. About two-thirds of murres killed were adults, a substantial blow to breeding populations. Additionally, 22 complete reproductive failures were observed at multiple colonies region-wide during (2015) and after (2016–2017) the mass mortality event. Die-offs and breeding failures occur sporadically in murres, but the magnitude, duration and spatial extent of this die-off, associated with multi-colony and multi-year reproductive failures, is unprecedented and astonishing. These events co-occurred with the most powerful marine heatwave on record that persisted through 2014–2016 and created an enormous...

14 Jan

Posted at 07:50h in eNews by
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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]High school students from the Branson School participating in the Greater Farallones LiMPETS program shared their research among scientists at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Conference in San Francisco on December 12, 2019. The “Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project” examined student-collected data from 2005-2019 at Duxbury Reef State Marine Conservation Area in Bolinas, CA. Students noticed a 49% increase in Turban snail abundances and a decrease in iridescent algae, a food source for turban snails, coinciding with the unprecedented El Niño in 2015-2016. Students proposed that resulting storms from the El Niño, and the loss of turban snail predators such as ocher stars to Sea Star Wasting Disease along the coast, as possible explanations in need of further study. LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) Network reaches over 6,000 students annually statewide, exposing them to California’s sanctuaries and engaging them as ocean stewards. By presenting at this scientific conference, LiMPETS students learn how to summarize scientific results and gain scientific communication skills in a real-world setting. Learn more about the Greater Farallones LiMPETS Program.  Project abstract:  The Sustainable Seas Student Monitoring Project at the Branson School in Ross, CA has monitored Duxbury Reef in Bolinas, CA since 2000, in cooperation with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Goals of this student-run project include: 1) To monitor the rocky intertidal habitat and develop a baseline database of invertebrates and algal density and abundance; 2) To contribute to the conservation of the rocky intertidal habitat through education of students and visitors about intertidal species; 3) To increase stewardship in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; and 4) To contribute abundance and population data on key algae and invertebrate species to the national database, LiMPETS (Long Term Monitoring Program & Experiential Training for Students). Students, trained each fall, identify and count key invertebrate and algae species along two permanent transects and, using randomly determined points, within two permanent 200 m2 areas, in fall, winter, and late spring. Using data from the previous years, we will compare population densities, seasonal abundance and long-term population trends of key algal and invertebrate species, including turban snails, Tegula funebralis, and iridescent algae, Mazzaella splendens. Future analyses and investigations may include population counts for the pisaster sea star, Pisaster ochraceus, and intertidal abiotic factors (including water temperature, pH and human foot-traffic) to enhance insights into the Duxbury Reef ecosystem, in particular, the high and mid-intertidal zones experiencing the greatest amount of human impacts. View on the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Conference website. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

12 Nov

Posted at 08:00h in eNews by
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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class="`{`class*=``wpfc```}` h2 span.entry_date { display:none ; }"]Earlier this year, the Greater Farallones Association released a comprehensive plan to address the dramatic loss of bull kelp forests along the Sonoma-Mendocino coastline. Over the last few months, the Association has taken the first steps towards recovery by establishing a Kelp Recovery Program and by leading a collaborative effort to map kelp forest canopy in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC).  Flight teams from the Association and TNC surveyed 33 kelp recovery sites in Sonoma and Mendocino counties using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones. Methods and protocols for kelp canopy mapping and monitoring were developed with guidance from researchers at UC Santa Cruz and UC Los Angeles. Key restoration and monitoring sites in the Plan were identified based on comprehensive GIS analysis of historic and current kelp canopy, historic and current biological survey sites, areas of cultural significance, proximity to MPAs, accessibility, and areas of value to both recreational and commercial fisheries.  Along with producing kelp canopy imagery and data, the team also completed an analysis of various flight planning and mapping software platforms. Over the next year, the Kelp Recovery Program will work with partners to assess imagine methods via plane-based surveys, remote sensing and UAVs with the goal of developing a comprehensive plan standardizing kelp canopy mapping protocols for all west coast sanctuaries. Survey team: Rietta Hohman (PI), Warren Hewerdine (pilot), Kate Cavanaugh (pilot), Abby Nickels (visual observer), Catie Michel (visual observer) Learn more about the Kelp Recovery Program.   Photo credit: Keith Johnson (bull kelp); Steve Lonhart, NOAA (purple urchins)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

12 Nov

Posted at 08:00h in eNews by
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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_gallery type="image_grid" images="4085,4083,4084" img_size="full" column_number="3" grayscale="no" images_space="gallery_with_space"][vc_column_text]Each year since 2012 from April through October, Greater Farallones Association, in partnership with Marin County Parks, Audubon Canyon Ranch, US Army Corps of Engineers, and hundreds of hard-working volunteers, have been removing non-native plants on Kent Island. Removing invasives helps restore the island’s naturally-shifting dune habitat, facilitates return of native plants and the animals that depend on them for food and shelter, and improves water and sediment transport throughout the lagoon. Learn more about the Bolinas Lagoon Restoration Project. Interested in volunteering? Check our volunteer page for 2020 Bolinas Lagoon Restoration Volunteer Days, or see what other volunteer opportunities are available now at Greater Farallones Association.   Photo credit: Kate Bimrose, GFA[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...