Cal Geographic

Located on the central coast of San Diego County, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve cradles a fragile 1500 acre remnant of rare prehistoric botanical communities and sedimentary landscapes within a sea of urban and suburban development. As a State Reserve, Torrey Pines SNR is one of only 14 public lands in California (out of 279 … More Rare Ecosystems and Sedimentary Landscapes of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

California’s coastal seasonal freshwater wetlands usually appear in the late winter through spring, during the wet season of our Mediterranean Climate; yet it’s the heart of the dry season in California, and on the north coast late-season freshwater seep wetlands can be found along the rocky shoreline of the marine terraces within feet of the … More Coastal Habitat Oasis

Steady tectonic uplift of the emergent active coastal margin, combined with the erosional forces of wave dynamics, produces a series, or flight, of stair-stepped geomorphic plateaus, known as marine terraces. Through dating methods such as uranium series dating and acid geochronology of bio- mineralogical materials, as well as cosmogenic radionuclide inventories, marine terraces have been … More Marine Terrace Flights, the Ecological Staircase Effect, and the Evolution of Soils

The California Current is one of the world’s most productive eastern boundary currents, and upwelling is the primary physical factor driving the highly productive marine ecosystem associated with the current. Upwelling occurs when persistent longshore winds create an offshore flow at the surface, which in turn upwells deeper nutrient rich ocean waters along the coast. … More California Current Upwelling System

The subnivean layer, or zone, is the concealed ecotone that forms in winter, uniting and encapsulating the boundary between the earth’s surface and the foundation of a snowpack. The subnivean zone can form under as little as ten inches of snow pack, and provides an insulated environment for wintertime productivity and flourishing trophic connectivity. This … More Biogeography of the Subnivean Zone