About this web site

When you talk about the seasons, most people think of spring wildflowers, autumn leaves, winter storms... But the ocean, too, has its seasons, which are at least as dramatic as those on land. The difference is that changes in the sea are often invisible to us land dwellers.

My goal in putting together this web site is to show how these "seasons in the sea" play out along a particular stretch of California Coast. On a basic level, I have tried to describe how physical processes (winds, waves, currents, weather) change throughout the year. I also describe in detail how hundreds of different marine animals and algae respond to these changes. But just as important, I have tried to convey a sense of how these changes are vitally interconnected.

To emphasize the interconnections in the marine environment, I have given this web site a very broad scope. It not only describes seasonal change in the open ocean, but also in the kelp beds, the tide pools, the sandy beaches, and even the coastal estuaries. For all are connected by the continuous ebb and flow of salt water.

Map of marine sanctuaries along the Central California Coast (Courtesy of NOAA)

The area I have chosen to cover in this web site stretches from about Point Reyes to Cambria--an region that roughly corresponds to the combined areas of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and the Cordell Banks National Marine Sanctuary (see map at left). This region is not only relatively well studied, but is renowned for its abundant wildlife and natural beauty.

As reflected in the creation of these sanctuaries, this region is highly cherished, not only by many coastal residents, but by the millions of visitors who flock here from all over the world.

This web site is intended as a public resource for residents and visitors alike--a free source of information about the sea off Central California. A glimpse into a world that we rarely see, but is intimately linked with our daily lives. I hope that it inspires wonder and curiosity and a desire to preserve the diverse marine life of this region.

I initially started research on this topic for a book in about 2004. However, after five years of work, it became apparent that the large volume of material and is lack of "linearity" might be better presented in the form of a web site. Thus, within seasonsinthesea.com I can include many different ways of approaching the same information, as well as hyperlinks to side topics, color graphics, the ability to search the entire text, and many other features that would be difficult or extremely expensive to provide in a book.

That said, I hope some day to create a set of paper field guides or an electronic book based on this web site.

In the meantime, this web site is very much a work-in-progress. So far, I have written monthly sections for January through May. For the remaining months of the year I have created short summaries, which I hope to flesh out over time.

For the most part*, this web site is the work of one person--me (Kim Fulton-Bennett). All of the text is original and is copyright Kim Fulton-Bennett. Many of the images are mine as well. Those that are from other sources are credited in the captions.

*I would like to thank Marilyn Orris for diligently copyediting many of the pages on this web site. Her suggestions have made this site much more readible.

If you have comments about the web site, would like to become a collaborator in this work, would like to offer other support, or would like to receive updates on the progress of the site, please send an email to: comments@seasonsinthesea.com. It may take me a few weeks to get back to you.

Thank you for reading!

---Kim Fulton-Bennett