Scholars diving for research and outreach

Hard at work above and below water at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

—

Audrey Sarin, a 2021 Hollings scholar, and Gracia Rojas, a 2021 EPP/MSI undergraduate scholar, have been hard at work above and below the water this summer in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary! Audrey has been investigating the efficacy and potential hazards of sea urchin culling for kelp forest restoration, while Gracia has been capturing 360 degree images to contribute to virtual reality dive experiences on Sanctuaries 360: Explore the Blue.

Audrey and Gracia also collaborated on training materials to help other interested researchers learn from and continue their work. Both Audrey and Gracia are certified American Academy of Underwater Sciences Scientific Divers, and they have been able to put their skills to use to do SCUBA dives for data collection, underwater photography, underwater videography, specimen collection, and more!
Audrey and Gracia are underwater in full SCUBA gear. They pose for the camera and though their mouths are difficult to see around the scuba mouthpiece, their eyes are clearly smiling. Gracia holds a large, professional-looking underwater camera while Audrey has a smaller underwater camera.

Hollings scholar Audrey Sarin (left) and EPP/MSI scholar Gracia Rojas (right) used their diving expertise during their 2022 summer internship projects with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. (Image credit: Chad King)

Download Image

More about Audrey’s internship

The iconic kelp forests of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary serve many important ecosystem roles, including offering food and a nursing ground to a diverse array of organisms. A recent loss of top predators has caused an explosion of purple sea urchins, leading to the overgrazing of kelp. Policy makers in California want to test out a potential way to balance the ecosystem: culling sea urchins. SCUBA divers are allowed to take or smash as many sea urchins as they want at a particular test site within the boundaries of the Sanctuary. Audrey’s research focused on the ways this new practice may help or hurt the ecosystem. She examined the reproductive capacity of sea urchins at this site compared to other sites. She also investigated collateral damage caused to the ecosystem as a result of urchin culling. Her work will inform whether the practice is continued and/or expanded to other areas.

 

Audrey smiles with her hand on her hip, wearing a pair of bright orange waders, a winter hat, and long sleeves. She is standing in a rocky intertidal area characteristic of the Pacific coast. The water looks choppy the sky is overcast.
Audrey Sarin participated in intertidal abalone surveys to support other ongoing research projects at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. (Gracia Rojas)
Download Image
A view of Audrey scuba diving. She is swimming up and away form the camera while holding transect tape. Rays of light shine down into the water and highlight the kelp Audrey is swimming among.
Audrey Sarin swims through kelp forest understory as she takes data on kelp coverage and juvenile rockfish presence for her internship project with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. (Steve Lonhart)
Download Image

More about Gracia’s internship

National marine sanctuaries are underwater parks that protect important habitat and conserve natural and cultural resources. However, unlike parks on land that people can easily connect with through hikes, much of the beauty of national marine sanctuaries is hidden underwater. For her internship, Gracia created 360 degree virtual reality image tours so that anyone can “dive” alongside her and interact virtually with the fluctuating ecosystems within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. These Virtual Reality (VR) “dives” allow everyone, from scientists to students, to learn from and experience National Marine Sanctuaries at any given time. Gracia’s VR dives are available on the Monterey Bay section of the “Sanctuaries 360: Explore the Blue” webpage. 

Gracia SCUBA diving. She holds onto a large camera on a tripod that is placed on the ocean floor. The camera's flash is going off.
Gracia Rojas taking 360 photos during her summer internship at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. (Chad King)
Download Image
Gracia sits on the side of a small boat wearing a dive suit and smiling at the camera. Another boat in the background is labeled with text that reads "National Marine Sanctuary."
Gracia Rojas aboard the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary vessel Tegula, underway to conduct diving operations. (Audrey Sarin)
Download Image
Audrey and Gracia are underwater in full SCUBA gear. They pose for the camera and though their mouths are difficult to see around the scuba mouthpiece, their eyes are clearly smiling. Gracia holds a large, professional-looking underwater camera while Audrey has a smaller underwater camera.

Audrey Sarin and Gracia Rojas

Audrey Sarin is 2021 Hollings scholar and a marine science major at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. Gracia Rojas is a 2021 EPP/MSI undergraduate scholar and a marine science major at the College of the Florida keys. Both Audrey and Gracia are certified American Academy of Underwater Sciences Scientific Divers.

This article was updated on September 19, 2022. The original text said "sea urchins" rather than "purple sea urchins."

Related Features //