New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...

Kelp forests rely on the top-down pressure sea otters exert via predation on sea urchins. By controlling the sea urchin population, they help manage the grazing pressure on kelp, since sea urchins ...

Imagine gliding through the chilly, emerald-green waters of the Pacific, sunlight flickering through waving forests of kelp.

A photographer shares the epiphanies she has had while chronicling underwater jungles off the California coast ...

A southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) foraging on a purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) in Monterey Bay, California, USA. Image by Morgan Rector. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert!

New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...

"We wanted to know how did this sea urchin outbreak happen where there are so many otters, how did the otters respond, and what does that mean for the fate of kelp forests here on the Central Coast?" ...

Warming sea water has triggered an ... But even without these in place the Otter Force One can still be used by human divers to improve their urchin-gathering efficiency.

Bringing back sunflower sea stars, which are functionally extinct in California, could help restore kelp forests off the ...

In 2013, a sea star wasting syndrome decimated populations of Pisaster along the west coast of North America and along the Monterey Peninsula in California, where this study was conducted. The orange ...

In 2013, a sea star wasting syndrome decimated populations of Pisaster along the west coast of North America and along the ...