August 2015 - Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

Archive for August, 2015

Multiple varieties of algal matter cover the rocky floor of the Santa Margarita River watershed near Temecula. The science plan that SCCWRP and its partners have written to support development of statewide nutrient objectives is intended to limit nutrient inputs that are triggering eutrophication in wadeable streams statewide

Expert panel evaluates SCCWRP nutrient science plan

in Bioassessment, Eutrophication, Top News Comments are Disabled

A four-member expert review panel tasked with reviewing a science plan supporting the State Water Board’s effort to develop nutrient objectives for California wadeable streams has concluded that SCCWRP’s approach … More

George Robertson of the Orange County Sanitation District, left, and Ashley Booth, center, and Erin Oderlin of the City of Los Angeles Sanitation calibrate and prepare an XPRIZE-developed ocean pH monitoring sensor for a test deployment in nearshore waters off Crystal Cove. All four of SCCWRP’s POTW member agencies participated in the training exercise in early August.

XPRIZE-developed pH sensors being tested as Bight profilers

in Climate Change, Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia, Regional Monitoring, Top News Comments are Disabled

SCCWRP and its four POTW member agencies have kicked off a year-long effort to evaluate whether ocean pH monitoring instruments developed through an international XPRIZE competition can be used effectively … More

SCCWRP to test suitcase-sized microbial detection device

in Microbial Source Tracking, Microbial Water Quality, Top News Comments are Disabled

A suitcase-sized instrument that could revolutionize the speed at which beach ocean water is tested for microbial contamination is being prepared for an initial round of testing and calibration at … More

Streams that experience dramatic shifts in their hydrologic flow patterns are prone to severe erosion, such as this creek in southern Orange County where the water table has dropped by several meters. Erosion exposes roots that become vulnerable to perishing, and also is associated with changing water chemistry that further impacts stream health. SCCWRP is working to understand how to better manage flow patterns to protect in-stream biological communities.

SCCWRP models flow patterns at 850 stream sites for ELOHA study

in Ecohydrology, Top News Comments are Disabled

SCCWRP in October finished modeling hydrological flow patterns for about 850 ungaged bioassessment stream sites across Southern California, a milestone in a three-year project that aims to use a scientific … More

Scientists to track El Niño’s physical impacts to coastal lagoons this winter

in Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, Top News Comments are Disabled

To better understand how sea level rise may impact Southern California’s vulnerable coastal lagoons, SCCWRP is launching a study this month to observe how predicted El Niño-fueled storm surges this … More

Eggs from the California least tern have been collected in San Diego Bay as part of a bioaccumulation study that seeks to understand how contaminants are transferred through the food web. Scientists plan to publish the study in summer 2016.

Massive 3-year sampling effort for San Diego Bay bioaccumulation study wraps up

in Regional Monitoring, Sediment Quality, Sediment Quality Assessment Frameworks, Top News Comments are Disabled

Scientists have finished collecting and analyzing more than 260 animal samples from San Diego Bay in one of the most comprehensive Southern California investigations ever conducted into how contamination is transferred … More

ELAP Expert Review Panel members, from left, Mitzi Miller, Jordan Adelson, David Speis, Stephen Arms and Lara Phelps discuss the status of California’s accreditation program for environmental laboratories during a meeting hosted by SCCWRP. The panel has recommended a series of reforms intended to improve the program.

Panel proposes reforms to ELAP following review

in Top News Comments are Disabled

A five-member advisory panel convened by SCCWRP to evaluate the state’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) has published a report outlining its Year 1 findings and recommendations, the culmination of … More

Members of the new CTAG Data Acquisition Users Group discuss their pilot effort to adapt field data entry forms for use on mobile platforms at their first meeting in May at SCCWRP. The group is an outgrowth of a day-long planning workshop between SCCWRP and CTAG staff about the future of information technology and visualization research.

CTAG user groups delve into next-gen tech projects at first meetings

in Bioassessment, Indices of Biotic Integrity Comments are Disabled

Two new CTAG user groups that will pool together resources and expertise from SCCWRP’s member agencies to tackle next-generation data acquisition and visualization technology projects met for the first time … More

The Los Cerritos Wetlands complex near the mouth of the San Gabriel River is an example of a wetlands area where researchers are interested in conducting condition assessments at specific sites. The sites of interest, identified in this aerial photo with yellow lines, are in the Steamshovel Slough zone.

Standard protocols for estuary assessments published in manual

in Bioassessment Comments are Disabled

The Santa Monica Bay Foundation and its partners, including SCCWRP, have completed a draft guidance document that establishes standard protocols for monitoring and assessing coastal lagoons and intertidal estuaries in … More

The San Diego River watershed offers an active, integrated monitoring program and geographical diversity, which makes it an ideal choice for a demonstration study testing the utility of ELOHA. The framework aims to help stream managers set flow targets that support in-stream biological health.

Case study for flow-ecology framework kicks off in San Diego

in Ecohydrology Comments are Disabled

SCCWRP and its partners kicked off a case study in May that aims to demonstrate the utility of using a scientific framework known as the Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration … More