Along the Transect Line

Duration:

10 minutes, 40 seconds

Scientists use transect lines to study plant and animal community changes in an area over time. In this video, we join Education Rangers Jess and Kathy to prepare for your fire succession field experience or just to learn how we can use transect lines and their procedures.

 

October 10, 2017 Posted by: Alex Warneke

Cabrillo biologists have laid their transect lines down throughout the park’s protected ecosystems for over thirty years. These tools have provided a uniform frame in which we quantify and assess the thriving biodiversity of this sacred place. From the small mammals that hunt through the dense Coastal Sage to the abundant and flower-like anemones that bloom throughout the rocky intertidal – our scientists are the diligent guardians of Cabrillo’s natural pulse. 

Over the years we have experienced the full spectrum of success and loss. Ecosystems fluctuate like the changing tide - some change of which we can manage for and some we cannot. Now more than ever, we know this to be true: we are at a critical intersection. The fate of these interconnected webs of life relies on all of us and the choices we make today. We look to carry out our noble mission of preservation and protection by blending art and scientific data in order to connect you to what we see Along the Transect Line. 

NPS Photo/Audrey Carver

In collaboration with supporting artist Audrey Carver and our partners at the Climate Science Alliance, we are excited to host a new installation that explores the beauty of art and data. "Along the Transect Line" highlights each of the major scientific inventories at Cabrillo- from the rocky intertidal ecosystem to the menagerie of birds that call the park home. 

"Along the Transect Line" will be displayed from October-December 2017.

Cabrillo National Monument appreciates the ongoing support of our community and looks forward to bringing you this new exploration. 

Art, Science, Data