The Natural Laboratory

The Natural Laboratory explores science at Bay Area National Parks – especially Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Monument. In each episode we discover how researchers are solving mysteries of the natural world in our parks. Visit http://www.nps.gov/pore/, http://www.nps.gov/goga/, http://www.sfnps.org/pcslc, and http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfan/ for more information about the parks and programs featured in this podcast. The music used in this podcast is by Ocean Alexander. It is used under a Creative Commons license.

California Sea Otters: A Gap in the Point Reyes Ecosystem

Cassandra Brooks interviews Tim Tinker and Jim Estes to find out why visitors at Point Reyes will not likely see California sea otters today.

10-10
05:13

Declining fog in coastal California?

Cassandra Brooks interviews Mike Vasey and Todd Dawson about how fog is declining along the central California Coast.

09-10
04:33

Searching for the Endangered Black Abalone in Northern California

Cassandra Brooks interviews Amy Henry, an intern looking for Black Abalones in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore.

02-15
04:33

Burning Ancient Life: The Geology of an Oil Reserve

Cassandra Brooks interviews Ivano Aiello about how we burn ancient life to power our civilization and some of the issues that result from fossil fuel pollution.

09-22
04:40

Ocean Acidification: Where will all the seashells go?

Cassandra Brooks interviews Ann Russell, Terry Swyer, and Andrew Dickson about ocean acidification.

05-12
08:46

Deep-water Corals of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Cassandra Brooks interviews Lisa Etherington and Dan Howard about Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary's deep-water corals.

01-05
04:43

An Underground Answer to Greenhouse Gasses

Daniel Strain interviews Becca Ryals and Whendee Silver about efforts to sequester carbon dioxide in the soils of wild meadows and rangelands across California.

10-19
05:36

Birds on the go: Climate change and California's feathered friends

Daniel Strain interviews Diana Stralberg about how climate change will impact California's birds.

09-09
05:24

Sustainability at Point Reyes National Seashore

Daniel Strain interviews John Dell’Osso and Sara Hammond about what Point Reyes National Seashore is doing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and to become more sustainable.

09-09
05:23

Understanding the ecology of native Olympia oysters in Tomales Bay

Ted Grosholz and his students discuss what may limit the Olympia oyster’s recovery and potential restoration efforts.

01-29
05:43

Death Cap Mushrooms at Point Reyes National Seashore

Benjamin Wolfe discusses his research on the invasion of Death Cap Mushrooms at Point Reyes.

01-26
04:28

New Findings about Great White Sharks of the North Pacific

Scot Anderson describes new findings about White Sharks.

01-12
05:04

Climate Change's impact on the California Coast - Part 1

Dr. Frank Schwing, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shares his findings about how climate change has been affecting the California Current and the ecosytem that depends on it.

12-15
04:56

Climate Change's impact on the California Coast - Part 2

Dr. Frank Schwing, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shares his findings about how climate change has been affecting the California Current and the ecosytem that depends on it.

12-15
04:22

Fishing for the Humboldt Squid

Join a team of researchers as they search for the Humboldt Squid.

11-24
05:16

The Return of the Tidewater Goby

Meet the Tidewater Goby, one of the most endangered fish in the Point Reyes National Seashore region. Learn about current efforts to restore Tidewater Goby populations.

11-09
02:26

What's in a Seal?

Join a team of researchers as they round up young seals in Tomales Bay and learn more about the animals that call this sanctuary home.

07-17
06:28

Park Science Day

Join park scientists and rangers at the Bay Model in Sausalito for a veritable buffet of park science projects in the San Francisco Bay Area Network of national parks.

01-31
06:45

White Sharks of the Northern Pacific

Join the search for one of the ocean’s great hunters--the white shark. In this episode, we join a team of shark researchers off the tip of Tomales Point as they study this mysterious predator.

12-15
07:10

Paleotsunami at Point Reyes

In this episode, we paddle to the middle of Abbotts Lagoon to hunt for evidence of the Cascadia earthquake paleotsunami of 1700 in the lagoon mud. Will the idea float?

08-17
05:00

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