Disclaimer

First, I would like to say that this web site is very much a work-in-progress. Currently, I have written detailed monthly texts for the months of January through May, but only have bullet points listed for the rest of the months. It all takes time...

The information in this web site has been gleaned from books, scientific papers, discussions with researchers and ocean experts, as well as my personal field observations. Most of the outside sources are listed on the References page. In any case, I am solely responsible for the contents of the site. Ideally I would like to update this site as new information becomes available. Please forward any comments, suggestions, and corrections to comments@seasonsinthesea.com

This web site is built around generalizations. However, the real world is full of exceptions. It is quite likely that, if you spend enough time around the ocean, you will see things that are not consistent with the contents of this web site. Here are a few reasons why:

Interannual variability

This web site describes seasonal events and changes that might occur during a "typical" year on the Central California Coast. But there is actually no such thing as a typical year. Every year is different. In fact, sometimes the changes from one year to the next are greater than the changes that occur within a single year.

Despite this variation, many marine organisms rely on certain seasonal events for survival. Over the long run, such events must occur with reasonable consistency or these animals would not have survived. These are the types of events that I focus on in this web site.

Short-term variability

As anyone who has spent any time around the ocean knows, physical conditions can change rapidly, over days, hours, or even minutes. Marine life adapts to these changes as best it can.

Sometimes you can generalize that not one, but two possible conditions are "typical" for a given time of year. For example, you can say that clear, windy days are typical of May on the Central Coast. But so are gray, foggy, calm days.

Geographic variability

Whether it be diatoms in the ocean or mussels in the tidepools, living things tend to clump together, forming patches. Patchiness is the norm, at all scales, in the ocean.

For example, microscopic algae such as diatoms are often concentrated in distinct layers, which may be only a few meters thick. They also form large horizontal patches or be concentrated in eddies, or at the boundaries between different water masses. Patchiness within patchiness creates a fractal pattern, and leads to greater diversity in life forms.

At a larger scale, there are huge variations along different parts of the Central California coast with respect to waves, winds, currents, and the physical properties of the sea water. These affect the types of plants and animals that live in different areas at different times of year. Even within a single rocky cove, micro-habitats are crucial to the survival of many smaller plants and animals, whether they are trying to survive the battering of storm waves or escape predation by larger animals. Finding just the right conditions is everything.

Our profound lack of knowledge

Even though the Central Coast is one of the most heavily studied coastal regions in the world, we don't know all that much about what's going on beneath the sea surface. We are still discovering or naming new species, particularly in the deeper waters. Marine biologists are still trying to figure out the complete life cycles of many animals and algae, particularly during the time they spend as drifting larvae or spores.

Ideally I would like to keep this web site up to date as new discoveries are made. However, scientists publish literally hundreds of new research papers that are relevant to this site every year. Thus I cannot guarantee that all of the information is current. This is most obviously true for species names, which are being revised frequently these days in response new DNA analyses.

Climate change and long-term cycles

What has been "typical" for the last 30 years (when most of the trends in this web site were documented) may or may not be typical three decades from now. This is in part due to long-term cycles in the atmosphere and the ocean. Some of these cycles, such as El Ninos, last just a few years. Others last decades or generations.

Combined with these long-term cycles is a long-term warming trend in both air and water caused the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Such warming can have profound changes in the seasonality of many activities, including migration, reproduction, etc.

On land, especially in temperate and sub-polar regions, it is well documented that this long-term warming trend is already causing phenological changes, such as flowers blooming earlier in spring and birds delaying their migration in fall. Although it is much more difficult to document such changes in the ocean, it is very likely that the seasonal activities of many ocean organisms are also beginning to shift in response to global warming.

Already biologists have found evidence that populations of intertidal animals in Central California are changing, with more warm water species and fewer cold-water animals. Similarly, fisheries biologists have shown that some open-ocean fish are spawning two to six weeks earlier in spring than they did in the 1950s.

Final disclaimer: This is not an authoritative source for decision-making

For all the reasons stated above, this web site is full of generalizations. It was also created by a single, completely fallible human being. Thus, the contents of this web site should not be used as a basis for decision-making, permitting, or other activities that have a significant impact on the coastal environment. Similarly, the information should not be used as a sole basis for planning activities in which the participant may be endangered by marine organisms or ocean conditions. The author is not responsible for the any damage or injury relating to use of the material in this web site.