Scripps Institution of Oceanography

09/08/2026

🎈 Let's launch a weather balloon off Scripps Pier with Jeri!

We caught up with Jeri Wilcox, a research data analyst with the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at Scripps, to learn more about why weather balloon launches are crucial for operational global weather models.

Float over to the link in our comments to learn more about CW3E's work.

09/04/2026

💊 For decades, discovering a new drug meant years of painstaking work. Artificial intelligence is changing that equation.

At UC San Diego, interdisciplinary teams are using AI, machine learning and advanced computational models to accelerate drug discovery. One leader in this effort is Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Distinguished Professor William Gerwick.

Gerwick’s approach starts in the ocean. He and his students collect marine algae and cyanobacteria from tropical waters, searching for the remarkable chemical compounds these organisms produce.

A major challenge has been determining the molecular structures of promising compounds. Gerwick and his collaborators developed Small Molecule Accurate Recognition Technology (SMART), a deep-learning system that analyzes nuclear magnetic resonance data and rapidly generates hypotheses about unknown molecules.

In one early test, SMART returned a ranked list of likely structures in eight seconds. What could once take weeks suddenly took seconds.

And the work doesn't stop with identifying molecules. Gerwick’s team is now developing AI tools that could help predict whether newly discovered compounds may have activity against cancer and other diseases.

Learn more about how his work is revolutionizing marine drug discovery. ⤵️

Artificial intelligence accelerates drug innovation at UC San Diego.

09/03/2026

🏄🏽‍♂️ Calling all surfers, scientists, and surfing scientists — this one's for you!

Scripps Oceanography PhD student Kanoa Pick recently led a study that dove into the physics behind a pattern surfers have observed for generations: how the seafloor and wave height shape breaking waves, turbulence, and even the movement of sand.

🌊 Hear from Kanoa about what they discovered, then head to this link to learn more about the research: https://today.ucsd.edu/story/surfs-up-how-the-seafloor-shapes-breaking-waves

09/01/2026

🌧️ A new study from Scripps Oceanography's Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) finds that improved weather and water forecasts could help the state safely increase water storage in existing reservoirs.

The study examines Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO), a program co-led by CW3E with state, federal and local water agencies. FIRO uses improved forecasts of atmospheric rivers, precipitation and reservoir inflows to give reservoir operators greater flexibility in deciding when to store or release water.

Across 20 major California reservoirs, researchers estimate FIRO could increase water storage by approximately 315,000 acre-feet, or more than 100 billion gallons, per year. In wet years, gains could approach 500,000 acre-feet, or 162 billion gallons, enough for more than 1 million households.

Under a higher-gain scenario, FIRO could provide nearly 1 million acre-feet of additional water and generate an estimated $460 million annually in direct agricultural and urban benefits.

The findings come as California works toward identifying 9 million acre-feet of additional water supply by 2040.

“Smarter operation of existing reservoirs could make a meaningful contribution,” said lead author and Scripps economist Tom Corringham.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qSXs7Z

08/31/2026

🌊If you've spent any time in the ocean off the coast of California, you may have noticed the water feels less refreshing and more like bath water. Data gathered by the Coastal Data Information Program - CDIP is backing this up.

“Long-term buoy records give us the historical perspective to tell the difference between a warm week and a long-term climate signal,” said Randy Bucciarelli, a Programmer Analyst and Technical Liaison with CDIP. “Without decades of consistent observations, we wouldn't have the baseline to understand how this summer compares to what we've seen in the past.”

For example, two long-running CDIP buoys are recording water temperatures about 6°F above normal for this time of year.

📍 Santa Monica Bay: roughly 74°F, which is nearly 6°F above its 26-year average for Aug. 25, setting a new daily record.
📍 Torrey Pines: approximately 77°F, which is also nearly 6°F above its 23-year average.

🌡️ And it's not just a one-day spike. Water temperatures across the summer have averaged about 2°F warmer than normal, with July and August especially warm. NOAA has identified Southern California as being in a marine heatwave since May 2025, with temperatures around 3 to 4°F above normal. These CDIP measurements closely match that broader pattern with 47 daily records set in Santa Monica and 76 records at the Torrey Pines buoy in 2026.

This ocean heat is also driving the humid heatwave impacting Southern California. “That v***r in the coastal zone is going to make conditions more humid,” according to Scripps climate scientist Alexander Gershunov. “That's what's making our heat waves more humid and that's what's keeping temperatures much hotter at night.”

Dive into CDIP data: https://cdip.ucsd.edu/m/stn_table/

08/28/2026

🌎 The Master of Advanced Studies in Climate Science and Policy (MAS CSP) program at Scripps Oceanography is hitting the ground running this summer!

This year’s cohort of 22 graduate students is diving into an intensive seven-week summer session designed to build a strong foundation for the year ahead. Students are getting a broad introduction to the science, data and policy tools needed to understand and help address today’s climate challenges.

Their summer coursework spans atmospheric science, climate math, data analysis, oceanography, climate policy and the energy transition. But learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door. Students visit Scripps labs and explore local San Diego ecosystems, connecting what they’re learning to real-world climate and environmental challenges.

The cohort is also hearing from a lineup of guest experts and taking part in interactive discussions that bring different perspectives and experiences into the mix.

The MAS CSP program prepares students to bridge the gap between climate science and decision-making, giving them the interdisciplinary skills needed to navigate complex climate challenges across science, policy, government, industry and beyond.

It’s a demanding seven weeks, but also an exciting start to their graduate journey. We’re proud of this year’s cohort and can’t wait to see where they take this foundation as they head into fall quarter!

🌊 Stay tuned for more from the cohort, including their coursework, field experiences and projects.

Learn more about the program: https://csp.ucsd.edu/

08/28/2026

🤔What if researchers, policymakers, students, and the public could see all the monitoring programs along the California coast, and the parameters they sample, at a glance? What if they could better understand who is collecting data that can be used to manage, conserve, and study California's water resources, and where these programs operate?

Ten recently graduated UCLA Environmental Science students set out to make that happen, using three key questions as their guide:

1️⃣ What ongoing ocean and coastal monitoring programs operate within 11.6 nautical miles (13.4 miles) of the California coast?
2️⃣ What parameters does each program monitor, and what are its spatial coverage, sampling frequency, and monitoring platforms?
3️⃣ Where do spatial, temporal, and monitoring parameter gaps and overlaps exist within the 11.6-nautical-mile coastal buffer?

The result is the California Ocean & Coastal Monitoring Inventory, an interactive geographic information system map that can be searched by research program, the parameters it collects, and its geospatial coverage over time.

California's coastal monitoring programs include California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI), long-term ecological research programs, wastewater discharge centers, marine protected areas, power plants, beach bacterial monitoring initiatives and many more.

The inventory identified both key strengths and gaps in California's coastal monitoring infrastructure, as well as where efforts to close monitoring gaps could have the greatest impact on human and ecosystem health, fisheries, climate understanding, and the management of our ocean resources.

View the California Ocean & Coastal Monitoring Inventory tool: https://calcofi.io/2026-ucla-cal-ocean-coastal-monitoring-map/

08/27/2026

Congratulations to Scripps Associate Research Scientist Kait Frasier for being tapped as one of 12 recipients of the Office of Naval Research's Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Fellows program!

The one-year CNR fellowship is designed to create a growing network of researchers who can help translate the Navy and Marine Corps’ most pressing challenges into science and technology solutions.

A biological oceanographer and leader of the Scripps Machine Listening Laboratory, she develops underwater listening systems that use specialized underwater microphones to record ocean sounds, providing new insights into whale behavior, marine ecosystems, environmental change, and human activity in the ocean.

Learn more about her work in this research profile: https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/scientists-life-kait-frasier

08/25/2026

If you need a laugh and would like the opportunity to learn more about El Niño, this is the video for you!

CNN Weather's Kasha Patel sat down with Marty Ralph, director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Oceanography, to chat more about El Niño.

08/25/2026

🌊 🍽️ A discovery supported by Scripps Oceanography researchers is shaking up how scientists understand the ocean's food web.

Scripps Oceanography researchers helped uncover a surprising secret in the Mediterranean Sea: giant chains of phytoplankton!

Using a Scripps-developed glider equipped with a high-tech camera called the “Zooglider,” researchers teamed up with MIO Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography to observe marine life without disturbing it. The team was able to spot phytoplankton chains over 10 millimeters long, which is far larger than anything seen in previous samples.

“This finding shakes up some historical perspectives,” said Scripps biological oceanographer Mark Ohman.

So, how does this discovery impact how scientists understand the ocean's food web? These giant chains are too big for many tiny ocean grazers, known as zooplankton, to eat. Instead, they may sink into the deep ocean, helping move carbon and nutrients through the sea.

Dive into the discovery. ⤵️

A specialized camera allowed researchers to discover large phytoplankton that would have been nearly impossible to detect using conventional methods. The discovery changes how scientists understand the ocean's food web.