Ty Warner Sea Center
Encyclopedia
The Ty Warner Sea Center is a museum
located on Santa Barbara’s historic Stearns Wharf
, is owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
.
with waves rushing through it every 60 seconds.
In the ‘’BioLab’’, visitors explore the life cycle
of marine creatures, from eggs to larvae to juveniles and adults, as well as eggs and babies of shark
s.
The ‘’Wet Deck’’ opens to visitors the world of oceanography
. A ‘’Moon Pool’’ (an open well in the floor allowing access to the water below) brings up samples of seawater, ocean floor sediment, and plankton
. The ‘’Channel Theater’’ shows video introducing the environs of the Santa Barbara Channel
and the importance of this body of water for human communities. In the ‘’Submerged Science Lab’’, visitors further examine samples of seawater they have brought up from the ‘’Wet Deck’’ below, check it for its “vital signs.”
The ‘’Mammal Mezzanine’’ shows the diversity of 36 species of marine mammals found in Santa Barbara waters. At the ‘’Whale Karaoke’’ station, they can learn about the language marine mammals speak and record themselves as they try to learn that language.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
located on Santa Barbara’s historic Stearns Wharf
Stearns Wharf
Stearns Wharf is a pier in the harbor at Santa Barbara, California, USA. When completed In 1872, it became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Named for its builder, local lumberman John P...
, is owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is the oldest museum in Santa Barbara, California, founded in 1916. The museum is located in Mission Canyon, immediately behind the Santa Barbara Mission. Set in a traditional southern California environment, the museum campus occupies of oak woodland...
.
Exhibits
In the ‘’Living Beach’’ exhibit, visitors find an actual tide poolTide pool
Tide pools are rocky pools by oceans that are filled with seawater. Many of these pools exist as separate entities only at low tide.Tide pools are habitats of uniquely adaptable animals that have engaged the special attention of naturalists and marine biologists, as well as philosophical...
with waves rushing through it every 60 seconds.
In the ‘’BioLab’’, visitors explore the life cycle
Biological life cycle
A life cycle is a period involving all different generations of a species succeeding each other through means of reproduction, whether through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction...
of marine creatures, from eggs to larvae to juveniles and adults, as well as eggs and babies of shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s.
The ‘’Wet Deck’’ opens to visitors the world of oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
. A ‘’Moon Pool’’ (an open well in the floor allowing access to the water below) brings up samples of seawater, ocean floor sediment, and plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
. The ‘’Channel Theater’’ shows video introducing the environs of the Santa Barbara Channel
Santa Barbara Channel
The Santa Barbara Channel is a portion of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura....
and the importance of this body of water for human communities. In the ‘’Submerged Science Lab’’, visitors further examine samples of seawater they have brought up from the ‘’Wet Deck’’ below, check it for its “vital signs.”
The ‘’Mammal Mezzanine’’ shows the diversity of 36 species of marine mammals found in Santa Barbara waters. At the ‘’Whale Karaoke’’ station, they can learn about the language marine mammals speak and record themselves as they try to learn that language.