Aquarium in the News

Birch Aquarium at Scripps is continuously in the news, lending its experts to speak about issues in ocean science and promoting its educational programs.

Ocean Creatures Delight Visitors on Tide-Pool Tours
North County Times, February 4, 2012

Around 40 participants in a tide-pool excursion Saturday in La Jolla learned how to look for certain creatures in specific zones, spending a pretty much perfect February afternoon on the beach looking for animals that inhabit the California coastline.The regular excursions are led by Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, with aquarium naturalists and marine biologists taking visitors of all ages on a trip to find and examine coastline creatures. Read more...

Oceanographer Lisa Levin Next in Birch Lecture Series
La Jolla Light, November 23, 2011

Birch Aquarium at Scripps' winter lecture series continues on Dec. 12 with biological oceanographer Lisa A. Levin speaking on "A New Imperative for Deep-Ocean Stewardship." Her talk is the next one in the Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series with scientists from and connected to Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego talking about research they are conducting around the world. Read more...

Dead Whale Washes Ashore in Point Loma
10News San Diego, November 20, 2011

In a sandy cove just north of the Point Loma Waste Treatment Plant, an endangered 50-foot fin whale was discovered by workers at the plant, Saturday afternoon. The fin whale, also referred to as a fin-back or razor back whale, is the second largest living mammal on the planet, next to the blue whale. Nigella Hillgarth, director of Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego told 10News that this whale may have died naturally and washed up on the shore. “They are often known as a greyhound of the sea – and as I like to call them the Porsche of the ocean, because they are so fast, they are really sleek,” Hillgarth told 10News Sunday afternoon. There are only about 100,000 fin whales left in the world. Off of the coast of California, that number is a mere 1,500. That’s why it’s important for scientists to look at how this whale died. “I think it’s always an exciting opportunity to learn more about these giants of the ocean, when they do wash up on our shores,” added Hillgarth. “It’s very sad that it is dead, but it’s also a good scientific opportunity.” Read more...

Go Wading: Tide-pooling Helps Visitors See Sea Creatures Up Close
North County Times, November 20, 2011

Ocean Observatories Initiative Video Game Named Finalist for Top Interactive Games in Science & Engineering Visualization
Ocean Observatories Initiative, November 2, 2011

The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) XBOX game has made the finals of the Top 10 in interactive video games for the 2011 National Science Foundation International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. A group at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and Birch Aquarium at Scripps have been developing the Deep-sea Extreme Environment Pilot (D.E.E.P.) game on the Microsoft Xbox360 platform. Read more...