Change: Observations on the shifting ecology of the Sanctuary

Change is the only constant in the universe. Change alone is unchanging.

So said Heraclitus of Ephesus more than 2,000 years ago, and it still holds true for the marine ecosystems of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

At the Marine Sanctuary's annual Current Symposium, the public is invited to learn about changes occurring throughout the sanctuary, and the drivers of those changes, from the experts seeking to understand them. This year's symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, April 27, at CSU Monterey Bay's University Center. Driving directions and a campus map are available here.

Presentation topics will include top predators, ocean chemistry, marine mammals and geology and will conclude with insights into the changing face of resource management in the region.

Program of Events

8-8:45 a.m. – Registration

9 a.m. ?– Welcome

9:15 – 9:40 a.m. – ?Observing, monitoring and protecting the Blue Serengeti off the California coast. Dr. Barbara Block, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University

9:40 – 10:05 a.m. ?– Waves in the Sanctuary: Impacts from top-down to bottom-up Dr. Curt Storlazzi, US Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, USGS

10:05 – 10:30 a.m. ?– At the crossroads: What Monterey Bay tells us about climate change, and what climate change tells us about the future of Monterey Bay Dr. Stephen Palumbi, director of Hopkins Marine Station

10:30 – 11 a.m. ?– Break

11 – 11:25 a.m. ?– The ever-changing world of marine mammals in our Sanctuary Dr. Karin Forney, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

11:25 – 11:50 a.m. ?– The changing face of management. A reflection on 20 years of oversight in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary William Douros, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA

11:50 – 12:30 p.m. ?– Lunch

12:30 – 2:15 p.m. ?– Research Posters

2:15 – 3 p.m. ?– Ricketts Memorial Lecture? What would Ed do? Innovations in science and management of kelp forest ecosystems in the 21st century Dr. Mark Carr, UC Santa Cruz

3 – 3:15 p.m. ?– Poster Awards

3:15 – 3:30 p.m. – Closing

For more information visit the NOAA website or contact James Lindholm at jlindholm@csumb.edu

Sponsors: Institute For Applied Marine Ecology, California State University Monterey Bay; Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary; Monterey Bay Aquarium; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration