The California Current Ecosystem LTER is part of the network of Long-Term Ecological Research sites funded by the National Science Foundation.
The California Current System is a coastal upwelling biome, as found along the eastern margins of all major ocean basins. These are among the most productive ecosystems in the world ocean. The California Current Ecosystem LTER (32.9°, -120.3°) is investigating nonlinear transitions in the California Current coastal pelagic ecosystem, with particular attention to long-term forcing by a secular warming trend, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and El Niño in altering the structure and dynamics of the pelagic ecosystem. The California Current sustains active fisheries for a variety of finfish and marine invertebrates, modulates weather patterns and the hydrologic cycle of much of the western United States, and plays a vital role in the economy of myriad coastal communities.
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Latest Posts
Summer REU program underway at CCE!
Seven undergraduates joined our CCE team late June to conduct summer research in various labs at SIO. A big welcome to (L to R in photo): Soleil Michaud, Ainsleigh Lloyd, Ana Sofia Barrera, Abigail Severance, Lana Lubecke, Hannah Yek, and Tongfei Yang.
New study from CCE highlights prior unknown pathway of ocean mercury
CCE graduate students and scientists from the P2107 cruise describe a highly toxic form of mercury as a possible danger to human health via the food chain: Read here.
Zooplankton research: Sample collection, processing, and the end of the cruise
One of the many research subjects aboard the R/V Roger Revelle and one of the many components of CCE-LTER is the study of zooplankton. One of the focuses of the Décima lab out of Scripps Institute of Oceanography is the study of mesozooplankton and more specifically mesozooplankton grazing. What areRead more.
Life aboard the R/V Revelle: February 20th to February 27th
Abroad the R/V Revelle It’s confusing to find your way around at first, but it’s easy to grow familiar with the layout. All of the hallways look the same, but you can tell what level you’re on by the color of the floors. Above the First Platform is the MainRead more.
Friday Evening and Cycle One of California Current Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research (CCE LTER): February 16th to February 20th
First time on board I boarded the R/V Roger Revelle around 8:00 PM on Friday the Sixteenth and quickly got lost looking for my room aboard the 273-foot research vessel. I spent nearly twenty minutes wandering the upper decks looking for an entrance into the ship, only to be guidedRead more.