To explore a deeper understanding of pressing environmental issues, Loyola Marymount University’s Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering faculty and student researchers are investigating the impacts of climate change with a focus on intertidal mussels, measuring how rising ocean temperatures affect these crucial species.
Marine mussels are part of a $260-million shellfish industry on the West Coast alone, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “If we can find out the physiological responses of mussels to climate change, we can help inform the aquaculture industry about potential impacts,” said Maria Christina Vasquez, associate professor of biology and the project’s principal investigator. “Are mussels going to grow slower? Will they require more food? Will we see greater mortality of these mussels in the future?”
Vasquez cited the 2023 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which stated that the global surface temperatures have increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius in the past 10 years. She said as a marine biologist, that figure inspired her to look into the ocean’s changing temperatures for comparison.
“What we’ve seen here along the Pacific coast, due to global climate change, is actually warming along the Pacific Ocean that have increased temperatures for a prolonged period of time,” Vasquez said. “These are known as marine heat waves and are characterized by the fact that these are long periods of warming that exceed or reach 6 degrees Celsius in temperature.”
She emphasized that though that temperature change may not seem like a lot, it can be extremely impactful, calling them “massive warming events.” Pulling from a team of faculty and student researchers from different disciplines, the project seeks to understand the effects of climate change, specifically thermal exposure, on marine mussels’ physiological tolerance to predict the species’ future persistence.
Vasquez and student biologists collected intertidal mussel temperature data at Ballona Creek and Pacific Palisades, with additional tide pool heating data from Malibu. Over time, dynamic heating events were observed, driven by season and solar radiation during low tide. With that baseline, they were able to recreate in the lab the mussels’ experience in their natural habitats.
Bringing her expertise in the field of biology, Vasquez partnered with colleagues across Seaver College to bolster the project. The team’s co-investigators include Barbara Marino, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Andrew Forney, associate professor of computer science.
Marino led the development of a thermal ramping device using a titanium heat bar to simulate seawater temperature increases. The system includes an interface box for local control as well as integrating the computer science team’s web app. Thanks to student enthusiasm, the team also implemented a sensor to measure mussel shell gaping by detecting changes in the magnetic field.
Forney spearheaded the creation of an internet-based application that allowed the whole team to monitor and control those thermal heat ramps, accessible from any location. The application supported multiple users, and was designed with scalability in mind should the project grow.
Marino said that, despite the different methods of communication — sometimes even involving different languages like coding — their interdisciplinary team was fully committed to resolving any issues as a cohesive unit.
“The interdisciplinary component of this project was inspiring to watch,” said Vasquez. “One team member, a computer engineering student, learned some environmental science and biology concepts for the first time and applied that knowledge in the development of computer systems and monitoring tools that captured our research data.”
Forney said the project was made for student researchers and a rare opportunity to step outside coursework. “To come together with people who have different expertise, and also get a feel for what’s possible when you work in a team with complementary skills, I think those are really invaluable experiences for our students,” Forney said.
Student researcher Makari Green ’26, a computer engineering major, said it was fascinating to hear about what the biology side had been working on, sometimes learning things he would never have anticipated. Using this research, specifically his contribution to measuring the gaping in the mussels, Green was able to secure a summer internship at Boeing.
