Undergraduate student Alex Barth publishes a study in Marine Ecology Progress Series entitled “Seasonal and interannual variability of phytoplankton abundance and community composition on the Central Coast of California“. This work may provide a glimpse into the future and a clue as to how the base of the food web and the prevalence of harmful algal blooms might respond to climate change-driven ocean warming. Funding provided by Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System as part of the California Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Alert Program.