Sustaining Life:Before the tipping point

Synchro gives researchers something ocean science has long lacked: reach, speed, and scale. Autonomous vehicles probe deep waters. Biosensors based on nanotechnology measure toxins as algal blooms form. Bio-loggers track fish and marine mammals. Environmental DNA—made up of fragments of skin, scales, or cells that organisms shed—captures the genetic signatures of marine biodiversity.

“Environmental DNA allows us to get a more complete picture of all the different species in a particular area,” says Micheli, who is the David and Lucile Packard Professor in Marine Science. “Not just the most common or visible creatures, but the rare, the cryptic, the tiny. Or those that appear sporadically and so often get missed.” A comprehensive picture of marine diversity is vital not just to understanding the web of undersea life, but as an early-warning system for ecosystem collapse.

Oceans are changing faster than our ability to measure them, and many ecosystems risk crossing irreversible thresholds before we recognize the danger. Because of that, Hopkins—as part of the Doerr School’s broader oceans work—serves as a launch pad for urgently needed innovations.

In ocean science, even the best ideas can die on land—stalled by regulations, access, and the difficulty of trying new technologies at sea. Synchro was created to solve that problem, not just studying ideas but testing them at scale. Monterey Bay is unique in combining cutting-edge engineering, policy expertise, and long-term ecological record keeping on a single shoreline. 

Arafeh Dalmau’s work on kelp forests is part of that effort. While the California coast is among the most threatened regions for kelp and their surrounding ecosystems, there are ways to reduce risk. “Studies we have conducted in California and in Baja California, Mexico, show that kelp forests in protected areas off the coast are more resilient to heat waves than elsewhere,” he says. 

But the reason why was a mystery. By using underwater surveys and remote sensing technologies, researchers were able to compare struggling forests to ones that were naturally more resilient, identifying factors that help the forests survive. “One thing we found is that a more intact food web is crucial to helping forests persist and recover from heat waves,” Arafeh Dalmau says. “So now we can use that knowledge to inform how to boost the resilience of kelp forests.”

Ultimately, Hopkins’ most important role may be lowering barriers to ocean science and applications worldwide, by offering access to tools and technologies that would otherwise be out of reach. In some cases, that means genetic tools to analyze eDNA samples. In others, it could involve low-cost sensors, remote sensing imagery, or the scientific expertise needed to combine all these data. The station is involved in projects protecting seagrass beds and the National Marine Sanctuary in Palau, studying a rare population of blue whales in Sri Lanka, and working with local communities to understand the impacts of fishing in Mexico and Tanzania.

Scientists based at Hopkins also work with companies to develop new tools, including low-cost water samplers and floating mini-labs that—like at-home COVID tests—can detect pathogens or toxins in real time. Those results can quickly inform decisions about fisheries management and public health.

“Hopkins acts as a platform to do work that helps the rest of the world,” Arafeh Dalmau says. “That means sharing and developing tools, and also creating collaborations for studying these different ecosystems—both to understand how they’re responding to environmental changes, and to create effective protection.”

PhD candidate Ceyenna Tillman agrees. Her research focuses on protecting the seagrass beds that act as nurseries for many species of tropical fish. 

“The work in Palau is totally dependent on the tools and expertise we have at Hopkins,” she says. “A technology like eDNA requires a lot of resources that aren’t available everywhere. That’s what makes Stanford’s role in these partnerships so important.”

“Hopkins and the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions’ research in Monterey Bay and Palau provide transferable innovations and methods. These innovations—such as data visualization tools and passive eDNA collection devices—consider capacity, accessibility, and scalability to ensure that they can be deployed where needed,” Closek adds.

Even so, more research is needed. Nearly all the world’s ocean ecosystems are feeling the strain of warming waters, fishing pressure, and plastic pollution. To address those issues, Micheli says we need both innovation and a greater ability to scale solutions and interventions, through partnership and investments in high-risk, high-return, solution-driven research. 

“Especially with the crisis of lost federal funding and support,” she says, “there’s a critical urgency for Stanford to take the lead.”

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Fiorenza Micheli is chair of the Oceans Department, co-director of the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, and senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. The department, center, and institute are part of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Micheli is also a professor of oceans in the Doerr School of Sustainability and, by courtesy, of biology in the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Nur Arafeh Dalmau is co-chair of the IUCN Seaweed Specialist group and Ceyenna Tillman is a PhD candidate in biology.