OCEAN CONNECTEDNESS, EXPERIENCES, AND STEWARDSHIP: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF AMERICAN ADULTS
O’Halloran, C. Frontiers Environmental Psychology (2025).
This qualitative study explores the various ways in which Americans experience the marine environment. To this end, thematic analysis was applied to analyze survey responses of a representative sample (N = 1,138) of U.S. adults, standardized for age, sex, and regional location. Two major vantage points for the analysis were what Americans think the ocean teaches them about life, as well as what they consider meaningful ocean experiences. The results revealed that important themes related to ocean connectedness include well-being, positive emotions, recreational activities, encounters with marine creatures, bonding with friends and family, as well as spiritual and cultural connections. These nuanced and rich insights can help to design impactful ocean conservation campaigns that, in turn, will foster deeper appreciation for the ocean’s life-sustaining role and may promote ocean stewardship.
ECO-ANXIETY AND OCEAN STEWARDSHIP: EVIDENCE FROM A U.S. NATIONAL SURVEY
O’Halloran, C. Frontiers Environmental Psychology (2025). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1680637
The present exploratory study investigates emotions, pro-environmental behaviors, and demographic predictors of ocean-related eco-anxiety. A nationally representative sample of 1,226 United States adults, standardized by age, gender, and geographic region, completed an online survey assessing psychological responses to ocean degradation, pro-environmental behaviors, and emotional connection to the marine environment. The results of regression analysis revealed that individuals experiencing ocean-related eco-anxiety were more likely to report decreased depression near the ocean, express high concern about ocean conservation, reduce their carbon footprint, take action to protect the ocean, as well as hold the belief that ocean protection is the sole responsibility of the government. Furthermore, those who reported that fear motivates them to take ocean conservation action were also more likely to report experiencing high levels of eco-anxiety, suggesting that negative emotions can act as powerful drivers of ocean conservation action. With regard to age, among all age groups, adults aged 30–44 years old were significantly less likely to report ocean-related eco-anxiety. Taken together, these findings highlight the complex role of eco-anxiety in motivating conservation behavior and underscore the need to integrate emotional dimensions into future ocean stewardship efforts. Addressing eco-anxiety through conservation messaging and mental health interventions may strengthen emotional resilience and foster long-term commitment to ocean conservation.
O’Halloran, C. FRONTIERS IN OCEAN SUSTAINABILITY (2025). HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.3389/FOCSU.2025.1518099
This study investigates the association between ocean connectedness, environmental identity, emotions, and experiences with the ocean, and individuals’ engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. The data from a total of 1,138 U.S. adults, standardized for age, sex, and regional location, were collected using an online survey. The results revealed ocean connectedness, environmental identity, positive emotions (happiness, gratitude, beauty, awe, joy), as well as select ocean activities (surfing and fishing) are strong predictors of individuals’ engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. These findings highlight that designing ocean conservation campaigns and educational programs that leverage emotional engagement and outdoor experiences could be a key strategy to promote ocean conservation and engagement in sustainable actions. Further research is needed to confirm these relationships across different populations and environments.
SMALL ACTIONS TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY.
O’Halloran, C. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE (2024) https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13272
In the context of recent anthropogenic climate change and the alarming loss of biodiversity, urgent action is required to safeguard our life-sustaining ecosystems and implement effective sustainable conservation behavior change strategies. To attend to this concern, the present study explores the efficacy of the evidence-based Tiny Habits® method in fostering behavior change for sustainability. To this end, a case–control pilot project was conducted with a small cohort of adults randomly divided into two groups: cases and controls. Both groups engaged in a 5-day online program, selecting and practicing three Tiny Habits recipes daily. The conservation Tiny Habits group focused on sustainable actions, while the control group engaged in non-conservation activities such as relaxation. The results revealed that practicing the Tiny Habits method resulted in an immediate and sustained increase in conservation actions, with lasting changes (up to 1 month) in the participants’ behavior. The mean scores for the intervention group at baseline significantly differed from those immediately and at 1 month after the intervention (p = .0092 and p = .0033). These findings suggest that the Tiny Habits method can be a viable opportunity to cultivate sustainable habits in the long term.
PUBLIC AWARENESS OF RIP CURRENTS AMONG AMERICAN ADULTS
O’Halloran, C., Silver, M. Natural Hazards (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-024-06761-4
Rip current awareness is essential for safety of the beach-going American public. In this study, we investigated American adults’ awareness of ocean safety via an online survey. A total of 1226 respondents participated in the survey. The results revealed that only 44% of the participants were aware that rip currents are the major cause of drownings in the United States. Most participants (64%) reported that the best way to escape a rip current was by swimming parallel (sideways) to the shore, while 8% reported it to be floating and letting the current carry one; further 3% of the respondents mentioned screaming for help as a rescue measure. Interestingly, while most of the respondents reported they could swim (71%), the number of White participants among swimmers was four times higher than that of their Asian, Black, American Indian, and Latino counterparts. Furthermore, less than half of the respondents (44%) reported reading and following the posted beach signs with safety information, while around one-fourth (23%) reported swimming near lifeguards. We also found a strong association between the respondents’ knowledge about how to escape a rip current and reading beach ocean safety signs. The findings of this study contribute to previous research on rip currents and may assist in developing more effective ocean safety interventions for the diverse American public visiting various marine environments along the vast U.S. coastline.
OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH. OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH STEWARDSHIP, LITERACY, AND CITIZENSHIP.
Chapter 24 – Ocean stewardship. Chris O’Halloran, Pamela M. Buchan, Nicola L. Bridge, Lora E. Fleming, Bodhi Patil, Bruce Maycock. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95227-9.00004-X
How we respond to these growing threats to, as well as opportunities for, the ocean and human health increasingly falls within the purview of ocean governance and ocean stewardship, underpinned by ocean literacy and citizenship through the lens of both behavioral and societal change. In this Chapter, we will explore these areas as well as their origins, evidence, and changing definitions; we will begin to consider potential actions as individuals, communities, and at the societal and global levels to
address these challenges.
AWARENESS OF OCEAN LITERACY PRINCIPLES AND OCEAN CONSERVATION ENGAGEMENT AMONG AMERICAN ADULTS.
O’Halloran, C. AND Silver, M. (2022) FRONTIER’S IN MARINE SCIENCES. 9:976006. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.976006
Ocean literacy influences ocean conservation and might have an impact on sustainable development practices. We investigated the knowledge American adults possess concerning ocean literacy principles and ocean conservation behaviors by asking participants (N=1226) to complete an online survey on ocean literacy principles, health and well-being benefits of time spent in or by the ocean, emotions that result in behavioral change for conservation, and conservation actions. We used a representative sample of the US population by age, gender, and location. The majority of participants were aware of the ocean literacy principle, that the ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems (82%). Calmness, stress reduction, reduced depression, awe, connection with nature, greater life satisfaction, improved happiness, and a feeling of a spiritual connection or refuge were all associated with the ocean environment’s emotional health benefits. Monthly beach trips were associated with the physical health benefits of spending time near the ocean. Engagement in ocean conservation action was associated with multiple factors, including awareness of ocean literacy principles (the ocean is largely unexplored, ocean health and human health are connected, and the ocean regulates our climate and weather), monthly visits to the ocean, emotions of sadness and awe, feeling a connection to nature, living 10 miles or less to the ocean, and viewing nature documentaries and Instagram. Findings from this study may provide ideas how to engage the American public in understanding, valuing, and caring for our shared life sustaining ocean.
HEALTH RISKS AND BENEFITS AMONG SURFERS AFTER EXPOSURE TO SEAWATER IN MONTEREY BAY, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES.
O’Halloran, C. & Silver, M. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCES (2021) https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.714831
We investigated the health risks and benefits among surfers in Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz County, California, United States after seawater exposure. A total of 47 surfers enrolled and completed an online survey on the effect of the ocean environment on their well-being, physical and mental health, and provided their perspectives on ocean conservation. The majority of the surfers were white males, with a median age of 40 years, and a mean of 21 years surfing experience. Most of the participants spent over 5 h/week in the ocean. The most common health problems reported were adverse effects due to red tide exposure, surfer’s ear, back and neck problems, and allergies. A total of 41% reported upper respiratory symptoms, and 8% of the participants reported gastrointestinal symptoms. All participants reported that the ocean benefited their emotional health, and 45/47 (>96%) reported that the ocean increased their life satisfaction, happiness, and decreased their stress level. All participants reported being engaged in ocean stewardship. This study suggests surfers were significantly more likely to report upper respiratory symptoms when they had experienced adverse health effects while surfing during a “red tide” and during a bloom of the microscopic, single-celled phytoplankter, Akashiwo sanguinea.
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SURFING IN COASTAL WATER
O’Halloran C, Silver MW, Lahiff M, Colford J Jr. Ecohealth. 2017 Mar;14(1):40-47. Epub 2016 Nov 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1197-6
A pilot project was conducted to examine the health status and possible adverse health effects associated with seawater exposure (microbial water-quality indicators and phytoplankton abundance and their toxins) of surfers in Monterey Bay, Central California catricleoastal waters. Forty-eight surfers enrolled in the study and completed an initial health background survey and weekly health surveys online using Survey Monkey. Descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equation, a regression technique, were used to identify longitudinal and correlated results. The surfers were predominately Caucasian, male, and physically active. They surfed approximately 4 h a week. Their average age was 34 years. The data indicated that the surfers were generally “healthy,” with a low prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Their most common health problems were allergies and asthma. During the study, 10% of the surfers reported gastrointestinal symptoms and 29% reported upper respiratory symptoms. This study suggests surfers were significantly more likely to report upper respiratory symptoms when they had a history of allergies, housemates with upper respiratory symptoms, and/or a history of previous adverse health symptoms while surfing during a “red tide” (an event often associated with the presence of phytoplankton toxins). Additionally, female surfers reported upper respiratory symptoms more than males.
ACUTE STRESS SYMPTOMS AMONG US OCEAN LIFEGUARDS
O’Halloran, Chris L, Silver M.W., Colford J.M. Jr. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , 442 – 443. 2015 Sep;26(3):442-3. Epub 2015 Apr 15. 10.1016/j.wem.2015.02.010
We designed a survey to study ocean lifeguard responses after a lifesaving rescue. Respondents were generally “healthy,” physically active Caucasian men, most being from California. During their career, 48% of respondents reported acute stress symptoms after performing such a rescue, especially those with a history of anxiety or a history of asthma.
HETEROSIGMA AKASHIWO IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WATERS
Chris O’Halloran, Mary W. Silver, Theodore R. Holman, Christopher A. Scholin. Harmful Algae Volume 5, Issue 2:124-132 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2005.06.009
Heterosigma akashiwo (Hada) gives rise to red tides along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and is known to produce brevetoxins. This investigation establishes baseline information showing the presence of H. akashiwo along the central California coast based on water samples collected from the Santa Cruz pier in Monterey Bay (on the open coast) and the Berkeley pier in San Francisco Bay. Light and electron microscopy as well as two species-specific DNA probe methods based on cell homogenates preparations were employed to detect H. akashiwo during the 2001–2002 field study. The DNA probe methods consisted of a sandwich hybridization assay (SHA), which targets ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and an end-point polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, which targets internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of rRNA genes. The SHA was used to provide semi-quantitative data showing the intermittent presence of the species during a 13-month period in Monterey Bay. Samples that showed a variety of responses in the SHA (negative as well as the highest) were then subjected to the PCR assay in an attempt to confirm species identification using an independent DNA probe method that employs cell homogenates; samples included those from Monterey Bay and one from a red tide event in San Francisco Bay. SHA and PCR assays agreed on the presence or absence of H. akashiwo. Gene products from two field samples positive for H. akashiwo by PCR were cloned and sequenced and found to be identical to those of that species in GenBank. When the same samples were viewed by light microscopy, however, H. akashiwo cells were only seen in the sample with the highest abundance of that species, as evidenced by SHA. It was extremely difficult to recognize naturally occurring H. akashiwo using light microscopy in field samples that had been preserved with Lugol’s iodine, including samples that gave positive results by cell homogenate methods. Results of this study indicate that H. akashiwo is present along the open California coast and could easily be missed in routine phytoplankton surveys. Despite its presence, H. akashiwo does not appear to routinely bloom with sufficient densities to cause harmful outbreaks of the frequency and severity documented in some other coastal environments. Molecular identification techniques may be the preferred approach over light microscopy when there is a need to rapidly screen many samples for fragile, harmful species and those that are otherwise problematic to identify based on their gross morphology alone.