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Latest News

An ocean expedition co-led by Christina Ravelo has obtained environmental data from ancient reefs off the coast of Hawai’i which will help to unlock fossilized secrets of climate change. Please see, this article,for more information.

Our seminars

The Ocean Science Department hosts speakers from external institutions and from UCSC to share their research in 1-hour seminars. The seminars are held on Friday’s at 10:40AM in Natural Sciences Annex 101 during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.

March 29, 2024
  • No Seminar - Spring Break
    March 29, 2024  10:40 am - 12:00 pm
    See more details

April 5, 2024
  • OS Seminar - Jim Moffett, USC
    April 5, 2024  10:40 am - 12:00 pm
    See more details

April 12, 2024
  • OS Seminar - Alyson Santoro, UCSB
    April 12, 2024  10:40 am - 12:00 pm
    See more details

Department News

The edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet, where recent melting has left bare ground. (Kevin Krajick/Earth Institute)

A new 66 million-year history of carbon dioxide offers little comfort for today

A massive new review of ancient atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels and corresponding temperatures lays out a daunting picture of where the Earth’s climate may be headed.

The science team of IODP Expedition 389: Hawaiian Drowned Reefs.

Scientists use Hawaiian fossils to study the past and future of climate change

This month, an international team of researchers returned to shore after a two-month-long ocean expedition exploring fossil coral reefs off the coast of Hawai’i. The fossils provide a record of past climate conditions, so scientists are using them to learn about environmental changes throughout geologic history and make predictions about the future

Scientists using biologging tags to study the movement and migratory behavior of whales off California in response to climate change. Photo: Friedlaender Lab

Five UC Santa Cruz projects win California Climate Action Grant funding

Millions of dollars in new funding will support UC Santa Cruz and partners in tackling some of California’s toughest climate change challenges through innovative research and community engagement

Alexa Fredston, an assistant professor of ocean sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, uses large data sets and models to understand human impacts on the oceans. (Photo by Britt Lichty)

Coastal fisheries show surprising resilience to marine heatwaves

Researchers found that fish biomass often increased or was unaffected in the year following a marine heatwave

Alexa Fredston, an assistant professor of ocean sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, uses large data sets and models to understand human impacts on the oceans. (Photo by Britt Lichty)

Marine scientists explore the future of open data science

Researchers make recommendations for how to move forward in a world of near-limitless data

Meet the fearless scientists saving Antarctic whales… With crossbows and tiny inflatable boats

How do you study a gigantic mammal that migrates over thousands of miles and spends most of its time underwater? Here’s how the latest tech is shaping the future of whale conservation

Kathleen Finlay, President of Glynwood, receives the 2023 Rachel Carson Award. Audubon's Rachel Carson Award is a national award which honors American women whose work has greatly advanced conservation locally and globally.

Kathleen Finlay brings UCSC education to the forefront in her fight for food sustainability and social justice

UC Santa Cruz alumna Kathleen Finlay is the president of the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in the Hudson Valley and founder of Pleiades

A pod of narwhals swims near Canada’s Somerset Island.BRIAN SKERRY/MINDEN PICTURES

Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) males, Somerset Island, Canada

Ship noises prove a nuisance for arctic narwhals

The unicorn-horned whales abandon their foraging dives when they hear humanmade marine sounds

Comb jellies, now proven to be the 'sibling group' to all other animals, can be found in the nearby Monterey Bay. (image credit: Darrin Schultz)

Comb jellies proven to be the sibling group to all other animals

New research proves comb jellies are a unique lineage or “sibling group” whose ancestors diverged before the common ancestor of all other animals

More Ocean Sciences news