Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a marine biologist? I mean, really like?

Well, you’ve dropped in to a community of marine scientists who want to show you just that. Welcome to the blog for the Moss Landing Marine Labs (also known as MLML), located by beautiful Monterey Bay in California. Here you can find the inside scoop on the life of a marine scientist in all its wet, smelly, messy glory!

Yes, a marine scientist. Because just like marine biology is more than the study of dolphins and whales, studying the ocean is more than just marine biology. Chemistry, physics and geology are all tied together with biology in the field of study we call oceanography. We want to introduce you to the many diverse pieces and processes of the ocean that we are learning about, and show you how they all fit together.

And just who are we? The contributors to this blog are mostly graduate students currently studying at MLML. We’ve all finished our bachelor’s or undergraduate degrees (the four years or so people refer to as “going to college.”) Now we are working diligently enroute to a Master’s degree, which many people complete before getting their Ph. D., or to become more qualified for jobs.

In order to get that coveted Master’s degree, we are each required to complete a thesis, and that means conducting our own research. And that means getting our hands dirty! Doing research lets us have some pretty incredible experiences that we just have to share, so we’re going to take you along. We will bring you stories fresh from the field and live from the laboratory. We will take you out to sea on research boats and down to kelp forests beneath the waves. Ultimately, we want to feel that the ocean right at our doorstep is part of your life too, wherever you are.

So come drop on in and get to know all the cool features of our blog.  Click around all the nifty links stuffed into the sidebar on the right: Meet our blog editors and discover how we got started. Check out interviews with MLML alumni to find out what people actually do with their degrees in marine science. Explore the resources that have helped us along the way, and expand your science vocabulary. Read our first-hand stories and our tips for surviving graduate school, check out the photos featured in our posts, watch our videos.

And tell us what you want to learn! Our goal in creating this blog is to bring together resources and encouragement for future marine scientists and marine science enthusiasts. So whether you’re a high school student who wants to know what it takes to study marine life, a college student wondering if you should go to graduate school, or someone who just wants to learn more about the ocean, this blog is for you!

So get exploring, get excited and get inquisitive. At the end of the day, we hope you’ll share our enthusiasm for investigating how the world works, and appreciate the value of studying our ocean and its myriad inhabitants.