Sea Temperature Rise

Maximum counts of female elephant seals (cows) and elephant seal pups on Point Reyes National Seashore beaches were similar to last year. And most weanlings this season are healthy and very fat! There was little pup mortality except during a storm around Christmas and during this year’s king tides.

Biologists completed the last count of the elephant seal breeding season at Point Reyes National Seashore on March 2. Forty-eight cows and 45 nursing pups remain and we're up to 988 weaned pups.

When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change.

As top ocean predators, and prey for even larger predators like orca whales, elephant seals are a key component of the marine ecosystem. Changes in their populations often reflect changes in marine conditions, so monitoring them gives us important insights into the state of our oceans. Point Reyes National Seashore is one of only about a dozen sites where northern elephant seals breed worldwide.

Northeast Ohio gets seven more inches of annual precipitation than it did in 1960, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. This often falls as rain during storms that have become more frequent and more intense. Temperatures are warming too. Climate change affects all aspects of life in the valley, across America, and globally. Learn more about how Cuyahoga Valley and other national parks are responding with a Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) approach.

Every spring, harbor seals gather in large groups throughout Marin County, CA, for the breeding season. During this time, a female harbor seal gives birth to a single pup. We see the highest number of pups around the end of April. In 2025, we counted approximately 853 pups at sites in Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

From March 1 through June 30, an annual closure of Drakes Estero and the westernmost end of Limantour Spit is implemented to protect harbor seals during their pupping season.

From March 1 through June 30, an annual closure of Drakes Estero is implemented to protect the harbor seals during this most sensitive time of year. The closure applies to water sport users around harbor seal colonies in the area. The National Park Service asks park visitors to avoid disturbing seals to ensure a successful pupping season.

Located just a short distance from most coastlines, coral reefs are often the victim of the “out of sight, out of mind” way of thinking, and the average beachgoer may not consider them in their vacation planning. From shore, when looking out at crystal clear blue waters, it is often difficult to consider what’s going on underneath. Thus, education is critical for their protection.

Climate change has the potential to profoundly alter national parks, affecting plants, animals, and cultural resources. During this time of unusually rapid change, proactive management—planning ahead—has a better chance of success than reacting to crises after they arise. This article compares historical climate patterns at Rocky Mountain National Park with future projected conditions to help park managers proactively plan for climate change.