News Archive - Brittany Hook

Study Illuminates the Protective Role of Fluorescence in Neon-Colored Sea Anemones

For the first time, a team of researchers at Stanford University and UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography has uncovered a direct genetic link between fluorescence and color in sea anemones — those soft and tentacled tide pool creatures often encountered by beachgoers.

New Paper Pinpoints Key Role of NASA Satellites in Monitoring Earth’s Vital Signs

In a new paper, scientists from five different institutions present an anthology of key findings unearthed by satellite technology over the last two decades. The all-women group of authors includes Helen Amanda Fricker, a glaciologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Scientists Publish 37-Year Record of Ocean Acidification off Southern California

For the first time, scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have published nearly four decades’ worth of dissolved carbon dioxide measurements from waters off Southern California.

Diving Sector Could Hold the Key to Advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals

A new review paper by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego highlights the untapped potential of the diving community in advancing global marine conservation and sustainability efforts.

Antarctica’s Floating Boundary Moves up to Nine Miles with the Tide

An international study co-authored by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has created a detailed record of the grounding line location of the southern Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica, showing that it moves up to 15 kilometers (nine miles) with the changing tide.

Historic Red Tide Event of 2020 Fueled by Plankton Super Swimmers

A new study led by scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Jacobs School of Engineering has pinpointed how a dinoflagellate plankton species created the major red tide event off Southern California in 2020.

Phenomenal Phytoplankton: Scientists Uncover Cellular Process Behind Oxygen Production

According to new research, the amount of oxygen in one of 10 breaths was made possible thanks to a newly identified cellular mechanism that promotes photosynthesis in marine phytoplankton. The study, led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was published May 31 in Current Biology.

“Segment-Jumping” Ridgecrest Earthquakes Explored in New Study

A Scripps Oceanography seismologist and colleagues have used a supercomputer to reveal the complex dynamics of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes — the biggest earthquakes to hit California in more than 20 years.

Underwater Soundscapes

Biological oceanographer Simone-Baumann Pickering leads the Scripps Acoustic Ecology Laboratory, a group of researchers that works in collaboration with other campus labs recording underwater sound data in an effort to learn more about deep sea marine mammals and their prey.

Elephant Seals Drift Off to Sleep While Diving Far Below the Ocean Surface

For the first time, scientists have recorded brain activity in a free-ranging, wild marine mammal, revealing the sleep habits of elephant seals during the months they spend at sea.