By Rachel RoenfeldtMarine protected areas (MPAs) have been an increasingly important and effective form of conservation and management of coastal habitats and species.
By: Richelle Tanner Introduction: The giant kelp forests of Catalina provide not only a subaquatic wonderland for divers, but also a habitat for countless marine organisms...
By Kristen WeissIn a few short days, I will be heading to Micronesia with several USC staff and faculty members, as well as 26 bright, enthusiastic USC undergraduates.
Every year we take an outstanding group of USC undergraduates through full American Academy of Underwater Sciences Scientific Diver training and then travel with them to the Micronesian Islands of Guam and Palau for investigations of marine and coastal ecosystems...
Planning for this year's Guam and Palau course stated about two weeks after we got back from last year's course. Halfway through our stay in Palau this year, my co-instructor Dave Ginsburg and I were being interviewed on Oceana Television Network when the anchor asked if we were doing the course next year...
By: Abigail Joyce and Mallory PirogovskyHydrophobic organic compounds are often introduced into aquatic environments through manufacturing and sewage discharge, storm water runoff, and by leaching out of consumer waste...
By Kaitlin Mogentale and Nicole MatthewsWe recently sat down with Karl Huggins the director of the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, located at the USC Wrigley Marine Institute on Santa Catalina Island to discuss his scientific contributions to diving...
by Kaitlin MogentaleOn one of our multiple dive training trips to California’s beautiful Santa Catalina Island, we were fortunate enough to receive a tour of the hyperbaric chamber stationed on the island...
By Judith Fong Note: The students have now returned to Los Angeles from Micronesia and some are reflecting on their experiences. Remaining posts in this year's blog will focus on lessons learned and ongoing environmental research activities in the waters off California...
By Iñaki Pedroarena-LealAs a natural wonder and an iconic screensaver, the Rock Islands of Palau are just as much of a biological marvel as they are an attraction for nature enthusiasts worldwide...
By Dylan GiordanoThe Republic of Palau is host to one of the highest levels of marine and terrestrial biodiversity in all of Micronesia.
by Roxi AslanOn our science diving trip to Palau we visited Jellyfish Lake, a tropical marine lake home to millions of golden and moon jellyfish.
By Kali StaniecOne of the highlights of my days diving in Palau was zooming through the Rock Islands on the boats travelling to and from dive sites.
By: Emily LuJust a few short months ago, our class was learning how to use SCUBA equipment for the first time in the swimming pool on campus.
By Jim Haw and David Ginsburg The Rock Islands of Palau is a unique and unmistakable site. It is not uncommon to hear comparisons between this very real place and the fictional world of James Cameron's Pandora...
By Edward FischerThe loss of natural reef systems is a threat to both biodiversity and ecosystem services on a global scale. In many cases, the loss of these reef ecosystems is a direct result of anthropogenic activities, which, is in fact, one of the primary themes of the environmental studies field course that I am currently enrolled...
By Santiago Fernandez-BarreraDrenched by the torrential rains of Guam as a tropical depression petered out to the northwest, my classmates and I loaded up the dive boat with gear as we prepared for our first set of dives since leaving Catalina Island...
By Santiago Fernandez-Barrera and Iñaki Pedroarena-LealAs practitioners of Mexican culture and native Spanish speakers visiting Guam, we have quickly become attuned to a familiar tone in the Chamorro language...
By Dawnielle TellezIn the Pacific, a genus of birds known as Gallirallus has evolved on various islands forming twelve distinct modern species, endemic to different islands ranging from Okinawa all the way to New Zealand...
By Nick LeonardIn December 2002, the US–Japan Security Consultative Committee began a series of conversations about strategic military alignment in the Pacific and how to protect their associated countries in “today’s rapidly changing global security environment.” [Guam Buildup EIS, 2010] This three-and-a-half-year conversation evolved into what has been know as the Defense Policy and Review Initiative, part of which planned for the relocation of over 8,600 United States troops from Okinawa, Japan to Guam and other parts of the Pacific.However, in response to cuts in the United States’ defense budget, funding for a military build-up in Guam was for a time put on hold as officials tweaked details of the plan, partly with an eye to cost...
