LiMPETS Field Blog

Climate Connections: connecting educators to the latest in climate change vol. 2

This installment of Climate Connections by Sara Hutto Ocean Climate Program Coordinator for NOAA’s Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary was funded by NOAA’s CA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

 

Hello LiMPETS educators, and welcome to the second edition of Climate Connections, where we connect you to the latest information on our changing climate. With a new year came a new administration and a new federal (re)focus on climate change. Hurrah! Considering 2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year ever, and the last 6 years were the hottest 6 years ever (do I sound like a broken record from last year’s report?), there’s no time like now to take some bold actions:

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Climate Connections: connecting educators to the latest in climate change vol. 1

Image of mangrove plant above and below water surface

This installment of Climate Connections by Sara Hutto Ocean Climate Program Coordinator for NOAA’s Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary was funded by NOAA’s CA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

Hello LiMPETS educators, and welcome to the first edition of Climate Connections, where we connect you to the latest information on our changing climate. Not only is it a new year, but a new decade, so first let’s focus on where things stand and what this means for the special coast and ocean places we love. More

Coming Full Circle with LiMPETS

Having grown up in San Francisco, I was exposed to the endless nature that Northern California has to offer. I spent my childhood exploring the waters of Baker Beach, surfing the Northern California coastline and hiking and camping in the beautiful mountains of Desolation Wilderness. Waking up early for school every morning was made more enjoyable by the sound of the foghorn—which I have come to love—and the faint smell of the ocean. My interest in nature and the ocean was ingrained in me from a very young age, and was further developed into a passion through the exposure and experience I gained in my coursework at The Branson School. Each morning, as I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on my way to school, I took in my surroundings—the fog hugged the tall pillars of the bridge and the rugged cliffs dropped steeply into the churning waters of the vast Pacific Ocean. I watched whales and dolphins splashing in the water from my car window. Questions started to pop up in my head. What caused the fog to concentrate in the bay and then disperse almost immediately upon entering Marin? Why were the whales more active during certain months of the year? How did this whole ecosystem work? My interest was sparked and my curiosity craved answers. 

 

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The Power of Community Science

By Emily Gottlieb, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

On a sunny afternoon in late October, a small group of students from an alternative high school were participating in the LiMPETS sand crab monitoring program at their local beach. Many had not been present for the in-class training a few days prior, so standing in the beach parking lot, they had a crash course in the monitoring protocol. They learned how to set vertical transects and collect their samples, how to measure and sex the crabs, how to return the crabs to the swash zone after collecting their data. After some half-hearted grumbles about getting their feet sandy, they had made their way down to the water. Once there, they followed the protocol meticulously, quickly forgetting their protests against the sand. After completing their survey, most of the students were wading in the shallow water or gathering their gear to return to the parking lot, but one student was hanging back. His towering 6-foot frame was bent over a small sandy child who had curiously wandered over with his mom. The high school student was gingerly holding a large sand crab and demonstrating how to lift the crab’s telson to reveal the bright orange eggs that she carried. The tiny beachcombers’ eyes went wide with fascination and the high school student was beaming — fully engaged in this teaching moment as he shared his newfound expertise.

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Citizen Science: Shaping the Youth and Understanding our Habitats

I first heard about the LiMPETS program when I was looking for an internship after college and stumbled onto a job posting for a Marine Science Intern. I was immediately drawn to it as I read about the citizen science program that focused on looking at changes in organisms’ population and density at sandy beaches and tidepools of the California Coast. I was ecstatic when I got the call that I got the internship and couldn’t wait to start. My weeks consisted of time out on the field and time in the office, and I’ve learned so much from both. More

Oil? Spills? and Crabs? Oh my!

How did the 2007 oil spill in the San Francisco bay affect the population of sand crabs in the area? This question is important because sand crabs are significant to beach ecosystems; they are food for many animals, and they are also an indicator species. This means that scientists and researchers can look at sand crabs to determine the health and sustainability of beaches and other marine ecosystems. More

Crabtivating Sand Crab Distribution at Playa Del Rey Beach

Cleo, Jerome, Kate, and Gloria
Bishop O’Dowd High School

No need to feel clawstrophobic (or get crabby), there is plenty of room for all the sand crabs on Playa del Rey Beach! So, how has sand crab population changed over time on this Southern Californian beach? This question allows us to further understand the Southern California sand crab population.
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What about the Children?

Sand crabbingGianna, Jack, Peter, and Nathan
Bishop O’Dowd High School

After going on a trip to Ocean Beach in San Francisco and gathering data about the local sand crabs, we wondered how many of them were “recruits,” little crabs which are new to life on the beach. How does this number change over time? Once a recruit settles on a beach, it will spend the rest of its life there. So, a healthy recruit population means that there will be a healthy adult population in the future (unless there is an environmental hazard). As long as there are no environmental hazards or strange weather conditions, the portion of recruits can be used to predict future sand crab growth and decline.
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