The scientists on the Farallones live in the old lighthouse keepers’ houses, built in the late 1800’s.

The chill of the fog and wind cut through you, the kelp flies swarm, the overpoweringly acrid smell of years-worth of bird guano wafts through the air and loud, incessant cackle of hundreds, even thousands of sea gulls, could drive even the hardiest of souls away from this desolate outcropping of granite in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  The animals wouldn’t want it any other way.  And neither would the researchers and biologists stationed at the Farallones.

While only 27 miles off the coast of San Francisco, for the human inhabitants, life can also seem isolated and lonely.  They have a very small neighborhood.  Only two houses still stand on Southeast Farallon.  Today the old lighthouse keepers’ houses, originally built in the late 1800’s, house the small team of researchers from PRBO Conservation Science.  A bit of Victorian civilization in an otherwise completely wild world.

It is a rare privilege to be able to set foot on the Farallon Islands.  As rugged as this place may seem, it is a fragile and extremely sensitive environment.  As a National Wildlife Refuge, the area is strictly off limits to the public.  Each year only a few dozen people are allowed to be hoisted onto South Farallon Island, and most, if not all, are there specifically to conduct scientific research.  The humans there now tread lightly.  QUEST was invited out to the islands to get an inside look at this living laboratory and meet some of the people doing important scientific research on such wide ranging topics as global climate change to highly specific studies on sea bird breeding rates.

Each day on the Farallones might bring new surprises.  To get an idea what they witnessed on the islands this week, researchers sent back a number of reports.

“October 12th was a fantastic day for whales around the islands – biologists noted the 3 resident Gray Whales, an incredible 15 endangered Blue Whales and 93 Humpback Whales! Even more amazing were the 265 Risso’s Dolphins, 20 Pacific White-sided Dolphins, 12 Northern Right Whale Dolphins, and 5 Dall’s Porpoises –All these marine mammals are attracted to the Gulf of the Farallones to feed on its bountiful food sources, particularly this year’s abundant supply of krill.”

“October 5th – PRBO conducted a weekly island survey of the six species of pinniped on the Farallones. This entailed counting all the seals and sea lions from the lighthouse and walking around to the coves to find elephant seals and other species. This survey yielded 1,939 California Sea Lions, 40 Steller’s Sea Lions, 30 Harbor Seals, 81 Northern Fur Seals, and 116 Northern Elephant Seals. On 1-Oct, we conducted our first survey of at Indian Head Beach and counted 115 fur seal pups and over 160 adults and immature – this is a true success story for conservation on the Farallones!”

“October 3rd – Landbird migration day!  Dropping from the sky, an Evening Grosbeak flew down into the Lavaterra bushes.  Although this species is not super-rare on the coast, here on the Farallones, this was the first Evening Grosbeak seen on the island since 1979!  While observing the grosbeak, the biologists began spotting other birds such as a female Canada Warbler and an Ovenbird from the previous few days.”

To learn more about what it is like to live and work on the Farallones, check out our QUEST Science on the SPOT story, “Life on the Farallones.”  I also encourage you to explore the islands further via QUEST, where we have stories on the seals, birds and sharks – on, above and around the islands, as well as educational materials, an audio slide show, an interactive multimedia map, and historic timeline. Also, you can get more info from KQED's Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Adventures website.

Visit the Science on the SPOT: Life on the Farallones page or watch the video below:

QUEST on KQED Public Media.

In addition, this week a new film about the Farallon Islands opens at California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.  SANCTUARY IN THE SEA: A GULF OF THE FARALLONES EXPERIENCE debuts Saturday, October 16.  Discover the beauty, diversity and history of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, through the eyes of Ron Elliot, a former urchin diver turned wildlife videographer who has spent years in the underwater gardens  beneath the waves around the Farallones.

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A view of the “Devil’s Teeth.” The rocky Farallon Islands from the New Superfish, out on a shark diving expedition.

In San Francisco the chilly summer fog is being replaced by the warm sunshine of the autumn season.  And seemingly with the return of the sun, come a group of wayward San Francisco natives from their annual vacation in the great Pacific.  The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is a gathering spot for whales, sea birds, seals, sea lions, and other marine life. 

Located just 27 miles off the coast, The Farallon Islands are also the wildest part of the City of San Francisco. The most famous residents of this area are the magnificent great white sharks. And each fall they return from their wanderings to these islands so rich with life.

On Saturday, September 18th 2010, the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park will debut a new Farallones display within the Altered State: Climate Change in California exhibit.  The new exhibit will feature specimens, audio stations, and a live webcam from the Farallon Islands, providing an intimate look at this wildlife sanctuary beyond the Golden Gate.

So to celebrate the return of the great white sharks and the opening of the new Farallones exhibit at Cal Academy, QUEST presents “The Great White Shark Song: Live at the Farallones!” by Andy Brandy Casagrande IV.

We were fortunate to meet Andy on our last trip out to the islands and he was kind enough to share his song.  Andy is a wildlife cameraman for National Geographic TV and has a lot of experience with great white sharks.  His original music video for this song has gained a certain amount of notoriety as he jumped into the water with his guitar and serenaded a group of inquisitive white sharks off the coast of South Africa.  I forgot to mention, he was not in a shark cage.  As you can see, Andy is a special kind of crazy.

His “Live at the Farallones!” version is a salute to the great white sharks in the green waters around the Farallon Islands, and features underwater shark footage taken (with permit) by white shark expert Scot Anderson and the Tagging Pacific Predators Program.

Over the years QUEST has been fortunate to produce many unique stories on Farallon Islands from land, sea and air.  Our comprehensive coverage includes an educator guide and multiple stories on television, radio, and interactive.

As you can probably tell, we think the Farallones rock!

QUEST on KQED Public Media.

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Producer Chris Bauer filming over the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary in NOAA's Twin Sea Otter plane.

Much of the ocean waters off the coast of California, from Bodega Head to Cambria, have been set aside as national marine sanctuaries. The primary objective of the sanctuaries is to protect our delicate ocean resources while allowing people to use the areas in a sustainable way. While most recreation, commercial fishing, and shipping are still allowed within sanctuary waters, some activities are now strictly regulated or prohibited.

But how do you manage such an enormous area? And how do you keep tabs on what is going on out there? QUEST producers Lauren Sommer, Jenny Oh and I hitched a ride to find out.

On the windswept tarmac of the Sonoma County Airport, a team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration takes to the skies to patrol large portions of the Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries.

The mission of our Twin Otter flight crew, pilots Bradley Fritzler and Jason Mansour from NOAA Corps, along with sanctuary observers Sage Tezak and Michael Carver, is to conduct abundance surveys of users in the sanctuaries, counting boats and recording what they are doing and where.

We start out crossing Bodega Bay, flying multiple transects, back and forth, across the rolling seas of Cordell Bank. The engine noise is deafening in the unpressurized cabin. We scan the whitecaps from a mere 1000 feet, going only about 90 knots. The rugged aircraft bucks in the turbulent wind coming off the water. Flying this low and slow would give some pilots the jitters but for the Twin Otter flight crew it’s just a walk in the park. As we reach the Farallon Islands, I pop the back window to get a better camera angle of the “Devil’s Teeth,” and in the process pray our camera doesn’t get sucked out into the abyss. From the Farallones we bank south and head to Ana Nuevo Island. From there we’ll circle back up the coast, past Half Moon Bay and San Francisco, over Pt Reyes National Seashore and return to Sonoma County. Total flight time: 3 hours. In addition to surveying boat use in the sanctuaries, the observers and flight crew will document any other sightings, such as whales and keep a look out for maritime violations.

California has recently established new marine protected areas along the coast. These MPAs will have strict restrictions and some will essentially be closed off to all major use, including fishing. While the State is in charge of enforcing the new regulations, coordination between government agencies may provide additional help with an eye in the sky.

As much as the folks at NOAA might chafe at this description, it’s easy to think of these Twin Otter Survey Flights over the marine sanctuaries as a kind of “cop on the beat.” They’re not out there actively tracking down bad guys as much as they are a presence, keeping an eye on things and making sure everybody is on the up and up. And in that role, they don’t need to be flying everyday combing the ocean, monitoring everyone and every thing, every minute of every day. They may only survey the sanctuaries once every couple weeks. But knowing that today might be the day they are flying over, may help keep users of the marine sanctuaries in line. “Nothing to see here, move along.”

We’ve crossed these waters many times before for QUEST, but always traveling out into the deep blue on small, sea-sick inducing boats. I can tell you for certain, flying over the rough seas and into the wild blue, is a lot more pleasant and efficient. And seeing the Farallones from the birds eye view was clearly inspiring.

Watch the Marine Sanctuary Patrol Flight television story online.

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"Anti-shark cage? You go inside the cage? Cage goes in the water, you go in the water? Shark's in the water. Our shark." (from the film JAWS)

Like any good fishing trip, the day started before the sun came up. Our boat, the New Superfish out of the Berkeley Marina, had been specially outfitted with a shark cage and hot-tub, what they called the "TRU" or "Thermal Recovery Unit." The under-caffeinated passengers stowed their gear, the crew cast off and we began our trek to the Farallon Islands in hopes of encountering great white sharks.

We would cross under the Golden Gate Bridge just as the sun was rising over the East Bay Hills– a beautiful sight on a clear crisp morning. From there it was fairly smooth sailing out to the Farallones. We had been trying to make this trip for years. Weather and rough seas always seemed to keep us cooling our heels on land. Even on a good day this is generally not a trip for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. But now we were finally on our way.

Like many people, I'm fascinated with sharks. I can’t remember a time when they did not interest me. Growing up we had a collection of National Geographic magazines that my brother and I would page through. The one that I'd return to again and again was a well worn copy from 1968. On the cover was a shark and inside there was an article titled "Sharks: Wolves of the Sea." I was equal parts frightened and captivated and it sparked my curiosity to check out every book I could find about sharks at the library. Then when I was in 4th grade, I did an incredibly in-depth presentation on Great White Sharks. I considered myself the class expert. This was a couple years before a famous movie came out that made the great white an infamous villain. I think Jaws was the first R-rated movie I ever saw. I don't know if it was the result of one of my friend’s parents being lax or if my buddies and I managed to sneak in, regardless, I saw that movie at a far too young and impressionable age. And it permanently colored my perceptions of being in the ocean. That was when my interest in sharks tipped from mainly curiosity to just being terrified.

I think most surfers in California always have the thought of white sharks somewhere in the back of their minds. But when I surfed it was always in the front and center of my thoughts, "I am bait." As great a day on the waves might have been, it was always partnered with my ever-present fear, irrational as I knew it was…makes for a fun time. I was looking forward to meeting the bully of my imagination head on and hopefully getting past this.

Prior to our trip I had the great honor of meeting one of my all-time heroes, Dr. John McCosker at the California Academy of Sciences, to talk sharks. Dr. McCosker is one of the world's foremost experts on the great white shark. It's not hyperbole to say his work has set the foundation of nearly all white shark research over the last 30 years. He has also been particularly instrumental in of our understanding of why white sharks occasionally attack humans. Since 1950 there have been around 100 shark attacks that have occurred along the entire California Coast. Most of these were not fatal. Needless to say, I know the numbers but always thought, "But with my luck…" When I expressed my goofed up fears, Dr. McCosker put it into perspective for me. "What's so remarkable that if the numerator is 99, (Amount of shark attacks) the denominator is in the billions. How many human beings or human being-hours have been spent in the water over the past 60 years? The sharks are clearly not hunting us. So why are we so afraid? I guess because we are terrestrial animals that are accustomed to things on land that we understand, and when we put our foot in the ocean, we are out of our element and no longer in charge. So we're afraid of white sharks because of the exaggeration and what we've created with our own imaginations. And there's no reason we should be. We should be more afraid of the disappearance of white sharks, because an ocean without white sharks is a very unsafe place for every human being."

I also asked Dr. McCosker what the chances were that we'd see white sharks at the Farallones. He said that no doubt the sharks would be there but he couldn't place odds on us seeing them. Shark dive operators in the Marine Sanctuary are not allowed to bait or chum around the Farallones. The sharks know that the boats don't have much to offer in the way of food or sport. But Dr. McCosker then said, "You might not see them but no doubt they'll know you're there."

We reached the Farallon Islands and the cage was dropped into the bitter cold water. Divers pulled on their wetsuits and fitted their masks. I would be in the first group getting into the cage. We tested our regulators, hooked up to a hookah unit pumping air down to us from the surface, and heavy weights were strapped to our ankles. I clambered out over the rolling cage and slipped into the frigid water. From the start I had a hard time controlling my breathing and thought I might hyperventilate. Was it the burst of cold water entering my wet suit or the adrenaline hit from me thinking I'd be breaking the surface and entering the opening jaws of a great white? As I calmed down I scanned the murky green depths. The rays of sunlight draped down from the surface. Jellyfish pumped by in a leisurely fashion. The cage pitched up and down with the rolling waves and my leg slipped between the bars behind me. I immediately spun around and reeled it back in with the thought that it was about to be snapped off by a waiting monster. I frantically scanned the green shadows below and around. In a short time my breathing normalized. I was in their world but I suddenly found a peaceful calmness take over.

We did not see sharks on our dive. It was disappointing but not unexpected. But in many ways I saw much more. I saw their realm for what it really is: a fragile and beautiful place where white sharks are the masters but not monsters. In order to complete our story I would rely on the footage taken by white shark researchers such as Scot Anderson out at the Farallones and other footage taken by the folks at Great White Adventures during past dives in the clear blue waters of Mexico. In any case I would not trade my experience. Knowing that I was sharing the water with these amazing animals, unseen but out there, has given me something back. No more irrational fear, all wonder.

Watch The Great White Shark: Meet the Man in the Gray Suit TV story online.

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productive marine food webs on the planet and hosts the largest seabird breeding colony in the continental United States. QUEST ventures out for a rare visit to learn what life is like on the islands and meet the scientists who call this incredibly wild place home.

The Galapagos of California: The Farallon Islands.

Every so often the fog retreats from my neighborhood in San Francisco, moves out to sea and we are blessed with a world-class sunset. Adding to the oranges and reds, yellows and spiraling indigos of the evening sky, it also gives us a special chance to see the silhouette of the strange jagged fist of rock breaking up the crisp line of the horizon. I have gazed out upon the Farallon Islands for years. The archipelago is clearly the wildest part of The City-seemingly always just out of reach. (Many people don’t realize that these little islands are actually part of the City of San Francisco.) Since they are a federally protected wildlife refuge, they’re completely closed to the public. So to get a chance to actually set foot on South Farallon Island was an absolute honor.

We’ve tried to share the experience in as many ways as we can. I encourage everyone to really explore the islands through Quest. In addition to the television story, we have a radio presentation with reporter’s notes, a web exploration with video and stills, a unique audio slideshow, an interactive history timeline (also embedded below) and a Flickr set. We’ll also be adding another web-only video story and education guide. The only things we couldn’t bring you are the smell and chill of the wind. But we’ll get on that.

Farallon Islands History: Interactive Timeline

Watch the The Farallon Islands – "California's Galapagos" television story online.

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The noise of all these nesting and breeding birds is almost overwhelming (check out the slideshow below for a firsthand look), but these birds speak for a lot more than themselves. Our guides, PRBO Conservation Science, have been studying these birds for 40 years. As Biologist Russell Bradley explained, these seabirds are environmental samplers. In order to raise their chicks, they depend on the food web that blooms in the spring when coastal upwelling brings nutrient-rich water to the surface. If that is disrupted or delayed, the first place scientists will see it is in these bird populations, who will either have poor or non-existent breeding seasons.

Those changes in the upwelling patterns can be due to natural variability in the system. But increasing, scientists are asking whether the changes are due to climate change. That's not an easy question to answer. There are a lot of different factors in the mix.

I spoke with Zack Powell, a professor at UC Berkeley who studies climate and upwelling, and he said it all comes down to the timing of natural cycles. First, there's El Nino – where warm water spreads across the equator and heads up the California coast. That can happen every two to seven years and when it does, it acts a barrier to upwelling, interfering with the marine food web. Scientists recently confirmed that El Nino will return this year.

Looking at changes on a longer time frame, there's the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. It's a pattern of ocean warming and cooling that can last 30 years. Powell says it can also have an effect on marine life and fisheries.

And finally, there's climate change, which comparably may cause changes on the longest time frame. Powell says there's about 100 years of historical data about the ocean conditions off the California coast and it's not much when looking at such long-lived patterns. Powell and others work on climate modeling to help answer these questions. Some of the models show that the seasonal winds may become stronger, meaning upwelling patterns could be altered. And ocean temperatures could rise significantly, changing the way warmer surface water and nutrient-rich deep water mix.

Powell says right now his focus is the granularity of the climate models. They simply can't predict changes on a small geographic scale. "For most models, the smallest footprint is about 100km and all the upwelling takes place closer to shore than that." But he's hoping there will be drastic improvements over the next few years. And if extreme changes do take place, for whatever reason, the birds will certainly tell us.

Listen to the Journey to the Farallones radio report online, and check out our Farallon Islands Interactive Map for the sights and sounds of the island. Or watch the audio slideshow below for a first-hand look.

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The Farallones consist of a group of rocky islands that are 28 miles North of San Francisco Bay.

The Northern Farallones were originally granted protection by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1909. However, these islands were not always protected. Human consumption decimated many populations, some never to return. The demand for fur, oil and meat devastated the elephant and fur seal population. By 1900, the robust Common Murre population dwindled down to a few thousand because of the demand for Murre eggs.

Today, the Islands are further protected under the Marine Life Protection Act and the Farallones are also deemed a state marine conservation area. The majority of visitors of the human persuasion are not allowed access to the islands as they would upset the balance of the largest seabird breeding colony in the United States. Those humans that do frequent the island include wildlife biologists and land managers who are conducting wildlife research.

PRBO Conversation Science has been a local on the island day and night conducting research and monitoring the natives. The webcam helps their cause by collecting scientific data from a remote location. The camera enables biologists to observe without disturbing wildlife or incurring adverse environmental impact.

The water surrounding the islands makes this an ideal stomping ground for marine life and seabirds alike. Coastal upwelling takes place in the spring around the islands. The Coriolis Effect along the coast drives surface waters away from the coast; this water is then replaced with the denser waters from below. Within the deeper waters is a wealth of nutrients that are photosynthesized into dense blooms of plant plankton when exposed to the sun. This energizes the marine food chain as the plant plankton is eaten by krill. Krill is then made available to eat for fish, birds, and marine mammals. It does not only feed surrounding wildlife but growing human populations as well. The most productive fisheries in the world are supported by coastal upwelling. Given the location and the diversity of wildlife, the Farallones is well worth protecting.

The webcam not only aids research; it assuages curiosity. Anyone can pilot the camera. A panoramic view of the island is set up for the user to navigate and explore. Field guides and information on the project are also given on the site to reference observations.

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