Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory The Long Marine Laboratory (LML) was established as a coastal research facility overlooking Monterey Bay (and now the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary) in 1978. It has since expanded to what is now designated as the UC Santa Cruz Coastal Science Campus. LML provides facilities to support research requiring running seawater, large marine mammal pools, seawater wet labs, SCUBA diving, boating, and fieldwork. The close proximity of the lab to the campus allows ease of integrating activities with the campus’ instructional and research activities.

LML comprises four research buildings, six mobile trailers, a boatyard, 14 seawater pools, a tank farm, as well as office and seawater pool space in the California Department of Fish & Wildlife building on the Coastal Science Campus. The temperature-controlled pools include the largest (100-foot linear length) and deepest (30 feet max depth) saltwater research pool in the UC system, allowing for one atmosphere of pressure allowing for diving physiology research and SCUBA training experience.

LML is internationally recognized for innovative marine mammal research in diving physiology, physiological ecology, bioacoustics, and cognition. The Marine Lab also supports extensive fieldwork along the central coast and worldwide, involving field observation, tagging, and monitoring of marine mammals and birds. Innovative research into the biology, physiology and life strategies of fish and invertebrates, marine and coastal ecology, ocean acidification, and issues surrounding ocean health are also carried out.

Similarly, the Marine Mammal Physiology Lab and accompanying Comparative Neurophysiology Lab provide unique opportunities for scientists, undergraduate, and graduate student education, and research. The core facilities include trained marine mammals, 2.5 research staff positions, and facilities/seawater pool maintenance supported by grants to T.M. Williams through the Office of Naval Research marine mammal and DURIP programs. Access to the labs is scheduled weekly to include research project support and educational demonstrations for campus visitors, UCSC courses, and biology classes from Monterey region colleges and elementary and high school groups.

The predominant resources available to researchers utilizing LML are access to seawater and research space. Researchers appointed and affiliated with LML can utilize the services issued through the lab that include but are not limited to the following:

• 14 outdoor seawater pools, including two quarantine pools

• Outdoor tank farm for holding small invertebrates

• 1,000-gallon-per-minute seawater delivery system, wet and dry labs, and staff support

• Temperature-controlled seawater delivery system to the outdoor tank farm

• Seawater laboratories for fish, plankton, and marine invertebrates

• Culture lab for fish and marine invertebrate larvae and juveniles

• Controlled photoperiod labs

• Scientific diving instruction and certification program

• Small boat instruction and motorized boat certification program

• Diver locker, equipment, and Nitrox gas fill station

• Filtered seawater fill station

• Reverse Osmosis fill station

• Conference and classroom spaces

• Research lab space and multi-use lab space

• Wood Shop

• Machine Shop

• Volunteer opportunities for undergraduates with marine mammal and marine sciences programs

• Aquatic diving volunteer opportunities

• Access to federal/state research advisors within the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), UCSC Natural Reserve System (NRS), and USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMS)

• Office, lab, and shared research working space access

• General administrative support (mail, delivery, space, communication, human resources, compliance)

• Facilities management (building maintenance and repair, research project support)

CONTACT: Ashley Vizurraga, Assistant Director Institute of Marine Sciences, LML Managing Director

The Ocean Health Building at Long Marine Laboratory is a research and teaching facility for vertebrate and invertebrate coastal biology and ecology, as well as marine conservation and policy. Built entirely with private support, the building opened in 2001 with 23,000 square feet of labs, offices, and meeting rooms, providing much needed facilities for faculty, researchers, and students. The building has a 60-seat lecture/seminar room and a 20-seat conference room. 

At the Ocean Health Building, UC Santa Cruz has brought together some of the world’s leading coastal and marine scientists, government and non-government coastal conservation and policy experts, and public education leaders. Their projects and partnerships are addressing a wide range of concerns, including complex coastal science and policy issues; troubled sea otter populations in Alaska and California; long-term biological changes in the coastal ocean, including sustainability of fisheries and Marine Protected Areas; ocean acidification; the life histories of and migration patterns of marine mammals and anadromous fish species.

CONTACT: Jody Bruner (jbruner@ucsc.edu), Ocean Health Building Administrative Manager

The UCSC Environmental Health & Safety department manages the University Diving and Boating Safety Program .

Diving at UCSC includes both recreational and scientific SCUBA diving. The Athletics Department teaches basic, advanced, rescue and divemaster SCUBA classes and also sponsors the SCUBA Club. Please go to the Athletics and Recreation quarterly schedule of scuba classes for more information. Scientific diving at UCSC includes courses and research projects based in Monterey Bay and at sites worldwide.

The Diving Safety Program (DSP) assists, trains and maintains students, faculty, and staff in compliance with UCSC scientific diving regulations, as well as Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) requirements. The Diving Safety Program offers the following:

• Scientific diving certification and associated courses needed to meet UCSC, OSHA and AAUS standards;
• Review of all scientific diving and boating project proposals;
• Networking for UCSC scientific divers and divers at other marine science institutions; (If you need divers to assist with your research or would like to assist on a project, contact the DSP office.);
• Resource center for diving safety, equipment and general diving information;
• Opportunities for advanced and diving leadership training;
• Maintenance of boats and motors, and boating training for scientific divers;
• Ensures that the recreational scuba program meets relevant training standards and regulations.

For more information please contact Diving Safety <divingsafety@ucsc.edu>.

The UCSC Boating Safety program oversees all boating that occurs under the auspices of the campus. To ensure safe operation and proper care all users must be trained and/or checked out by the Boating Safety Officer <boatingsafety@ucsc.edu> , even kayak users. If you need to use the boats for your research please fill out and submit a Boating Proposal form well in advance of your planned use to allow time for training.

UCSC is a founding member of the Scientific Boating Safety Association, created to standardize boat training in the scientific community.

The office  for the Scientific Diving and Boating Safety Program is located in the Ocean Health Building at Long Marine Lab. The DBSP’s equipment shop is located in the Marine Support Building at the Ocean Health building complex.

CONTACT: Dave Benet, Diving Safety officer

In 1974, Santa Cruz residents Donald and Marion Younger donated approximately 40 acres of land on the open coast near Monterey Bay for the development of a UCSC coastal marine research station. Approximately 25 acres of the donated land became the Younger Lagoon Reserve.

Located directly adjacent to UCSC’s Coastal Science Campus, Younger Lagoon Reserve represents a unique site within UCSC’s Natural Reserve portfolio. One of the few relatively undisturbed wetlands remaining on the California Central Coast, the Younger Lagoon Reserve encompasses a remnant Y-shaped lagoon on the open coast. The lagoon system provides protected habitat for 100 resident and migratory bird species. Reserve habitats include salt and freshwater marsh, coastal strand, backdune, pickleweed flat, steep bluffs with dense coastal scrub, a pocket beach, grassland, seasonal wetlands and dense willow thickets. The location of the reserve provides unparalleled opportunities for students to learn about the environment, implement field projects, obtain hands-on experience, and become actively involved in research and stewardship projects. As a result, the reserve serves as an outdoor classroom and living laboratory for hundreds of UCSC students and dozens of faculty on an annual basis. Younger Lagoon Reserve staff and student interns are working to restore approximately 47 acres of former agricultural land to native grassland, scrub and seasonal wetland habitats over a 20-year period. These lands were farmed for nearly 70 years, and restoration efforts require extensive weed control, propagation of native plants, planting and maintenance efforts (similar to farming or gardening, but in a wild-land setting). Each quarter, the reserve sponsors dozens of undergraduate interns who participate in all aspects of restoration and stewardship activities.

CONTACT: Elizabeth Howard (eahoward@ucsc.edu), Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve Manage