Date: January 11, 2017
Contact: Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5725
Ventura, CA — Marine biologist and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) professor Dr. Gretchen Hofmann will discuss how marine organisms in the Santa Barbara Channel are adapting to a changing ocean environment, during the January From Shore to Sea lecture.
Data collected since 2010, by Hofmann and other researchers, has shown an increase in the temperature of and the amount of carbon dioxide in the waters of the Santa Barbara Channel, as well as a decrease in water pH and oxygen levels. These changes represent a growing set of stressors that may affect the many organisms that inhabit this unique and diverse ecosystem.
Hofmann’s research has been dedicated to discovering ways that these organisms adapt to this changing environment. Her work has shown that some species, like eelgrass and kelp, can alter the chemistry of ocean water in a way that creates a refuge, while other species, like mollusks and pteropods, are more vulnerable, especially in early life stages. This research has allowed scientists to begin to predict what organisms will be most vulnerable and what actions can be taken to protect these valuable marine resources.
Dr. Hofmann is the chair of the department of ecology, evolution, and marine biology at UCSB and the head of the Hofmann Lab. She has worked around the world, from the coastal oceans of California to the frigid waters of the Antarctic. She served as a U.S. delegate to the IPCC Workshop on Ocean Acidification in Okinawa, Japan, and contributed to the National Research Council’s recent report and recommendations on ocean acidification policy. As an Aldo Leopold Fellow (2009), she works to communicate her science to the public, policymakers, and students.
The talk will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2016. The From Shore to Sea lecture series is sponsored by Channel Islands National Park to further the understanding of current research on the Channel Islands and surrounding marine waters. The 2017 lecture series will take place at 7:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month, January through December, at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and open to the public.
This lecture can also be viewed live online at: Shore to Sea lecture series.
Lectures are recorded and posted at:
https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/photosmultimedia/from-shore-to-sea-lecture-videos.htm
