Bringing Steinbeck & Ricketts into the MBON Era
By Rebecca Trinh
Over 85 years ago, author John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts set out for the Sea of Cortez as friends chasing curiosity, connection, and adventure. Their book Sea of Cortez became both a landmark biodiversity record and a meditation on humanity's relationship with nature. Today, as climate change and coastal development reshape the ocean, their tidepool observations offer a rare window into long-term ecological change—and their reflections on the human spirit feels more relevant than ever.
In 2025, our team of early-career scientists from the U.S. and Mexico was awarded seed-funding from the nonprofit Sea Education Association, to undertake our ambitious plan of retracing Steinbeck and Ricketts’ 1940 intertidal biodiversity expedition in the Sea of Cortez to understand how biodiversity has changed since they last set foot on the shores of Baja. We began planning for a 2026 expedition, formed the group Green Flash Conservation Science, and worked hard to establish connections with respected environmental science groups to enhance the impact of our Mareas en movimiento (Shifting Tides) Sea of Cortez resurvey. This included partnering with Blue Marble Space Institute of Science as our fiscal sponsor, and recently joining the MBON Pole-to-Pole initiative.
Joining the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Pole-to-Pole initiative transforms our Sea of Cortez scientific expedition into something bigger. Being part of MBON connects our small, grassroots expedition to a global network of scientists, communities, and observing systems working together to understand biodiversity change across the globe. That affiliation brings credibility and access to shared expertise, standardized methods, and a culture of open, collaborative science. Engaging with the MBON Pole-to-Pole network provides an opportunity to contribute observations and examine changes in the rocky shores of Sea of Cortez in the context of the broader region, from Canada through Patagonia.
For our 2026 Sea of Cortez expedition, we will be implementing MBON Pole-to-Pole’s rocky intertidal photo-quadrat protocols and environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches used across the Pole-to-Pole network, in conjunction with traditional intertidal species surveys, at 12 of Steinbeck and Ricketts’ original intertidal sites. We have worked with MBON Pole-to-Pole collaborators in Argentina to build our photo-quadrats using their schematic and protocol and with our collaborators at NOAA AOML Omics to implement their eDNA sample collection and processing protocols. This allows our Baja intertidal data to be directly comparable with observations from other regions, helping reveal large-scale patterns in coastal biodiversity, climate stress, and ecosystem change. The intertidal zone is more than a place of study—it is a mirror of the planet’s health—and it is an honor to join MBON Pole-to-Pole to better understand and safeguard these fragile, yet resilient habitats.
In many ways, MBON allows us to bring Steinbeck and Ricketts’ historic survey into the modern era and a new generation, linking their careful natural history with today’s molecular tools and long-term observing frameworks. Our 2026 biodiversity data will be compared directly to the data collected by Steinbeck and Ricketts to understand how the biodiversity of these important intertidal ecosystems have changed since 1940, and its impacts on local communities.
MBON also strengthens our work beyond data collection. The network’s commitment to education, inclusion, and community engagement aligns deeply with our project. We’re working with local Baja partners to build long-term monitoring sites, train students and community scientists, and share results through bilingual storytelling. By following Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data practices and contributing to accessible biodiversity repositories, our observations move quickly from field notebooks to shared knowledge that can inform research, management, and conservation.
Most of all, being part of MBON reminds us that we are not working in isolation. We are one node in a living, global effort to understand life in the ocean—and to make that knowledge useful for people and ecosystems alike. Bringing Baja’s intertidal diversity into the MBON network ensures that these tidepools, once described as “ferocious with life” by Steinbeck and Ricketts, are now part of a shared scientific story and network of global biodiversity science.