Cabrillo Marine Aquarium proudly presents the Discovery Lecture Series on select Fridays from 7pm to 9pm.  

December 4: Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems in Urbanized Southern California: Long-term Change, Human impacts, and Management
Dr. Jayson Smith, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Rocky intertidal habitats are located at the interface between land and the sea and are incredibly diverse despite being naturally harsh habitats due to stresses associated with, for example, frequent aerial exposure during low tides and high wave disturbance. In heavily urbanized southern California, human impacts, including visitation, exploitation, climate change, pollution, and introduced species, can further add to these stresses, resulting in long-term changes in the abundances and distributions of marine flora and fauna...READ MORE

February 5, 2021: Marine Heatwaves of the North East Pacific: Will “Blobs” be the new normal?
Dr. Andrew Leising, NOAA Southwest Fisheries

The marine heatwave (MHW) of 2014-2015, aka “The Blob” was an extreme event of high sea surface temperatures across a vast portion of the northeast Pacific (NEP). Areas of anomalously warm water are considered heatwaves when their temperature is greater than 90% of measurements ever taken at that location for more than 5 days in a row. To put the “Blob” and the more recent heatwave of 2019 into perspective, satellite data of sea surface temperature was analyzed from 1982 (the birth of modern sea surface temperature sensors on satellites) to fall 2019...READ MORE

POSTPONED: The June 5 Discovery Lecture is being rescheduled - please check back for the new date and time.

Just say no to drugs: The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria into our coastal wetlands
Dr. David Cummings, Point Loma Nazarene University

Human activities in coastal watersheds can negatively impact nearshore habitats such as beaches and estuaries. Human and animal fecal sources contribute bacteria and viruses to storm water, leading to beach closures due to the unsafe conditions. We have discovered that many of the transient bacteria that are brought to coastal estuaries from urban watersheds are multi-drug-resistant, increasing public health concerns about human contact with these waters...READ MORE

Lecture Archives 2014 - 2020
November 6, 2020: Dr. Nicole Bonuso, CSU Fullerton
Bringing Dark Data in the Light, One Shell at a Time
To watch a video of the lecture click here

October 2, 2020: Dr. Nina Bednarsek, SCCWRP
The Risks of Climate Change on the Most Vulnerable Species and Ecosystems
To watch a video of the lecture click here

February 7, 2020: Dean Pentcheff and Dr. Regina Wetzer, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

February 2, 2018: Dr. Kevin Lafferty, US Geological Survey and UC Santa Barbara
Parasites and food webs
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

December 1, 2017: Dr. John O. Dabiri, Stanford
Do Swimming Animals Mix the Ocean?
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

October 6, 2017: Dr. Bengt J. Allen, California State University, Long Beach
Ecological Consequences of Thermal Stress on Wave-Swept Shores: Insights from a Model Ecosystem
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

August 4, 2017: Dr. Branwen Williams, Claremont McKenna College
Arctic climate, as documented by algal rocks
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

June 2, 2017: Dr. Stephen Weisberg, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Advances in beach water quality monitoring
To watch a video of the lecture click here.
 
April 7, 2017: Dr. Kristy L. Forsgren, California State University, Fullerton
Ovaries, Testes, and Copulatory Structures – Oh My! The Importance of Understanding Reproduction of Fishes
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

February 3, 2017: Dr. Larry G. Allen, California State University, Northridge
The Return of the Kelp Forest King
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

December 2, 2016: Dr. Dan Pondella, Occidental College and Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI)
Beyond Big Fish, Restoring the Southern California Rocky Reef Ecosystem
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

October 7, 2016: Dr. Patrick J. Krug, California State University Los Angeles
Hugs and drugs from sea slugs
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

August 5, 2016: John Calambokidis, Cascadia Research
The amazing underwater world of blue and humpback whales: new tags provide insights into their lives and the threats they face
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

June 3, 2016: Dr. Jeff Armstrong, Environmental Supervisor, Orange County Sanitation District-Ocean Monitoring Program
Sewers to Sanddabs: Profiling Orange County Sanitation District’s Ocean Monitoring Program
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

April 1, 2016: Dr. Ann Bull, Chief of Environmental Sciences Section Pacific Region, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Outlook on the Outer Continental Shelf for Offshore Energy
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

February 5, 2016: Mike Schaadt, Director of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
The Vast Frontier: Tales From the Darkside
To watch a video of the lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

December 4, 2015: Dr. Steve Gaines, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa Barbara
The Future of Food from the Sea
To watch a video of the lecture click here.

October 2, 2015: Dr. Danielle Zacherl, California State University, Fullerton
If We Make Their Bed, They Will Lie In It: Restoration of Native Olympia Oysters in Southern California
To watch a video of the lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

August 7, 2015: Kelly Stromberg, Catalina Sea Ranch
Aquaculture: The Fight for our Local Seafood
To watch a video of the lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

May 8, 2015: Dr. Bill Patzert, Climatologist, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Drought: Are We In or Out?
To watch a video of this lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

April 3, 2015: Dr. David Caron, USC
Harmful Algal Blooms Along the California Coast: Their Ecosystem Impacts and Our Present Understanding
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For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

February 6, 2015: David Helvarg, Executive Director of Blue Frontier
"The Golden Shore - California's Love Affair with the Sea"
To watch a video of this lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

December 5, 2014: Dr. Shana Goffredi, Occidental College
The Universe Below: Explorations of Life in the Deep Sea
To watch a video of this lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

October 3, 2014: Dr. Richard F. Ambrose, UCLA
Tides of change: Past trends in rocky intertidal communities and prospects for the future
To watch a video of this lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

August 1, 2014: Dr. Shawna Dark, CSU Northridge
Unearthing The Historical Wetlands of Southern California
To watch a video of this lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.

May 9, 2014: Dr. Chris Lowe, CSU Long Beach
Return of the big marine predators to California waters: a sign things might be getting better
To watch a video of this lecture click here.
For teacher resources related to this lecture click here.