Rocky intertidal surveys (26908978841)

Natural Resource Damage Assessment scientists from UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, CDFW, Tenera, and Stantec are tracking changes in rocky intertidal habitats following the Refugio spill by determining percent cover of organisms within each quadrat (the squares seen in the photos) along a transects (the measuring tape) at various sites. Since these surveys were repeated multiple times following the spill at sites within and adjacent to the spill zone, changes in the rocky intertidal species abundance and diversity can be observed. In addition, many of these sites have been monitored for decades by the Marine Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe). More information about MARINe can be found at: http://www.eeb.ucsc.edu/pacificrockyintertidal/index.html" www.eeb.ucsc.edu/pacificrockyintertidal/index.html</a>.