Discover Monterey Bay through Oceanography, Ecology, and Literature

2 credits · Undergraduate

Monterey Bay supports an amazing diversity of marine life, important fisheries, and coastal agriculture. There is much to explore here, from a submarine canyon that rivals the Grand Canyon in scope to Elkhorn Slough, California's third largest estuary. A day on the Bay can reveal a fleet of purse-seine vessels searching for squid, sport fishermen seeking salmon and halibut, and humpback whales breaching as they feed on anchovies - all within a relatively small area. What are the oceanographic and biological processes that support these creatures and human endeavors? How do they vary in different parts of the Bay? How are these processes linked to the fog that dominates the coastal climate and is critical to local agriculture? We will address these questions through lectures, discussion, and field work using the restored Western Flyer - the ship John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts took to the Gulf of California in 1940, resulting in publication of Sea of Cortez. You will collect oceanographic and biological data at sea using a variety of research instruments, including remotely operated video platforms, echosounder (sonar), water-column profiler, and plankton-imaging microscope. These observations will be related to the processes and trophic webs in the bay, moving all the way from wind to whales. At Elkhorn Slough we will observe sea otters and birds from kayaks. We will analyze water and sediment samples for nutrients and other properties and compare our results to real-time data from moorings in the slough and bay. We will learn about agriculture, the largest economic driver in Monterey County, and its connections to Monterey Bay through fog, nutrient runoff into Elkhorn Slough, and seawater intrusion into critical aquifers. We will also dive into Monterey Bay's rich cultural and literary history in developing a holistic view that will reveal a dynamic ocean from new viewpoints and build teamwork skills that are essential to working at sea.Our base of operation will be Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove. We will make several field trips on land and use the Western Flyer as our at-sea classroom (day trips only -- all nights will be spent on land). We will study spawning squid and feeding whales, carry out an oceanographic transect across the Bay from kelp forest to canyon, and collect data for projects of your own design. You will analyze the data collected and consider experiences formed during our explorations to create individual or team projects. Projects will be presented at a symposium at the end of the program.