Sam Clements and the Outrageously Adorable Baby Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) The come-back kids! From 1741 and 1911 the fur trade brought the sea otter population down to 2,000 from 300,000. Hunting otters is now banned internationally. Conservation and reintroduction efforts have brought the otter population closer to 200,000. Otters are superheroes of the ecosystem, they help maintain kelp forests, a habitat for many sea creatures. Sea urchins destroy kelp forests by devouring the stems holding the kelp in place. Thankfully, the sea otter’s constant appetite for urchins helps to prevent kelp forest depletion. Otters protect sea slugs by eating their predators, crabs. The slugs keep seagrass free of sun blocking algae. The seagrass provides a home to thousands of marine species. Seagrass phytoplankton and macro-algae produce more oxygen than all rainforests combined. Go team! Project Origins: Inspired by the world’s premier Ocean Sciences Meeting in February 2020, Seaport Village and The Port of San Diego have invited artist Jessica Ling Findley to produce a series of art experiences. She will help bring science to life through art at Seaport Village from December 2019 to February 2020. About the Model: Sam Clements is a staff scientist at Scripps Institute of Oceanography studying coral reef ecology in the tropics as well as local effects of global warming and ocean acidification in the nearshore environment. She has record-breaking high water temperatures which have led to coral bleaching in the tropics and changes in species range and distribution locally. She is optimistic about the innovations scientists are working on to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change in the future. The resilience demonstrated by these ecosystems and the people who rely on them gives her hope for the future. #GlamourMPA #oceanscience #jessicalingfindley (at Seaport Village) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6kK-qHHHec/?igshid=1uvarp3qc8t45
