Searching for sea stars in San Pedro
Marine scientist Steven Lee lays tape to mark the area where he and his colleagues will search for sea stars in the Cabrillo Beach intertidal pools. Lee is part of UCLA professor Rich Ambrose’s group that has been surveying Southern California tide pools for two decades. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Lisa Gilbane, right, measures area of rock covered with tiny limpets. On a recent Thursday, the team found lots of animal life in the tide pools, but no sea stars. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
The team found a few brittle stars in the pools. The brittle star is not affected by the wasting disease that has decimated sea star populations up and down the Pacific coast. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Lee photographs an area, marked by a plastic frame, to count tiny limpet shells as he and others in UCLA professor Rich Ambrose’s group survey Cabrillo Beach’s intertidal pools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Deborah Netburn covers faith, spirituality and joy for the Los Angeles Times. She started at The Times in 2006 and has worked across a wide range of sections including entertainment, home and garden, national news, technology and science.