Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

The rocky intertidal zones of southern California are important ecosystems, not only for biodiversity and coastal protection, but also for human interest and education. Like most ocean environments, these areas are sensitive to alteration due to human interference. Measuring the biodiversity in these areas is important, so scientists can track how species abundances and diversity change over time. The goal of this capstone project was to promote the awareness of human impact in the intertidal zone by creating a website. The website serves as a field guide, complete with photos for identification purposes, as well as information on how to lessen impact when visiting these tidepooling sites.