Reef Check Foundation

A kelp restoration effort is underway along the Oregon Coast. Oregon Sea Grant is supporting this initiative led by the Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA) and several ...other partners. To learn more, watch this discussion with Dan Abbott of Reef Check Foundation and Tom Calvanese of ORKA as they talk about kelp restoration projects in California and those currently underway in Oregon: https://bit.ly/3wzs68X

Did you know we also monitor ocean temperatures at most of our California survey sites? We collect this long-term data with the help of small temperature sensors like this one here. These loggers are bolted to the reef where they gather data for 6-12 months, after which time they're swapped out with fresh units. Our CenCal Volunteer Coordinator Maxwell Seale recently retrieved this happy little sensor from Carmel River! This temperature record will help us monitor climate... change in our coastal ecosystems and influence future research and policy decisions. The loggers may be small, but they have a big impact on protecting our kelp forests. : Kate Vylet

Our California dive teams are hard at work getting certified! Here in NorCal last weekend, our salty crew of Ian Norton, Morgan Murphy-Cannella, and Stevie Abbott trained a fresh team of Reef Checkers at Van Damme State Park. These troopers toughed it out even as the visibility fizzled to a few murky feet. Way to go citizen scientists, we're looking forward to diving with you this summer! : Tristin McHugh

Our SoCal team is out there winning it! : Rob McClelland

How do we keep the ocean from taking our underwater sensors? By bolting them directly to the reef! Here on Catalina Island, our SoCal Manager Selena McMillan uses a submersible hammer drill to punch four holes into solid rock. These holes will then be used to install a set of stainless steel eyebolts which are secured with lag shields and marine-grade epoxy. The resulting framework of eyebolts creates a benthic mooring to which we can fasten our sensors with hose clamps, allo...wing us to anchor them to the reef and ensure that they stay there. Collecting chemistry data under the sea is no easy task! : Rob McClelland, Selena McMillan

We have some celebrating to do! We are thrilled to share that 20 years of Reef Check data-- collected by our incredible network of volunteers-- have been used in an important article published today by Science and it signals great news for coral reefs. The data suggest that coral reefs can survive bleaching events caused by global warming better when less algae are present on the reef. This is positive news for coral reef managers and the planet because it means local conservation action can help corals survive global impacts. This finding wouldn’t have been possible without the data, and it is all thanks to our divers, donors and supporters who made this monumental data collection possible. https://www.reefcheck.org/global-study-uses-reef-check-dat/