Dr Fred Watson

Program

Wetlands /
Water quality /
Pesticides /
Nutrients /
Pathogens

General: Measuring the effectiveness of a treatment wetland in reducing water pollution due to fertilizers, pesticides, pathogens.

Complete:

• Initial capstone study on nutrient and pesticide removal completed Spring 2007.
• Initial capstone study on denitrification completed Fall 2007.

In progress:

• Masters on on pathogen removal.

Opportunities:

• Funding is likely to be available in 2009-10 for a pesticide study at the wetland to a well-qualified CWSP Masters Applicant
   
• Other studies could address determinants of variation in denitrification activity
  .

General: The fires of 2008 burned much of the Ventana Wilderness. The impacts on terrestrial, stream, and possibly marine habitat are likely to be significant. Several protected species are at stake.

Current project: Masters on post-fire impacts on stream habitat.

Idea for future projects - steelhead stream habitat survey:
In 2002, we measured sedimentation of pool habitat. In 2008, a capstone student is repeating some of those measurements post-fire, but pre-winter. We need a capstone or masters student to repeat the measurements post-winter - which will likely lead to a very interesting scientific story.

Idea for future project - remote sensing of fire impacts:
A number of student and class projects are looking at the impacts of the 2008 fires. All thes projects need good maps of the intensity of and consequences of the fires. There are many opportunities for remote sensing projects to provide these maps.
 

General: Fort Ord is managed for multiple uses by numerous agencies. Data are needed on patterns of use by humans and wildlife.

Idea: A local agency wants to characterize patterns of illegal dumping. This is a good opportuity for a capstone (or masters) project involving field work with remote cameras, some GIS mapping, and some statistical analysis of use patterns.

General: Animated visualizations are effective tools for communicating key scientific ideas to decision makes and the general public. Our lab has created many such visualizations - see http://ecoviz.csumb.edu.

Idea: A good capstone project would be to create a single visualization like the existing ones. This would involve learning the software, acquiring data, meeting with science experts, storyboarding, production, editing, and ideally, some evaluation of product effectiveness.
 

General: Understanding hydrology and ecology of lagoons as rearing habitat for steelhead trout.

Complete: Numerous studies, see here and here, including recent capstone study on Corophium population dynamics completed Fall 2007.

In progress: Masters study on relation between steelhead usage and physical characteristics of Central Coast lagoons.

Ideas for future:
1. What habitat do Corophium prefer? What determines their spatial variability?
2. Use of sonar to monitor lagoon steelhead populations.
.