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Talking large scale field experiments and holding/searching for crabs—what a life.

Happy St Patricks Day ☘️!

Happy wetlands day! To all wetlands…old friends, new acquaintances, and the ones I hope to get to know.

New paper out! Fresh off the press! This 2-year study in Elkhorn Slough improves our understanding of panne dynamics in the marsh interior where Elkhorn Slough Reserve experiences much of its vegetated habitat loss. Turns out both physical and biological factors are important in driving recovery in the marsh interior.

Burrowing crabs and physical factors hasten marsh recovery at panne edges Salt marsh loss is projected to increase as sea-level rise accelerates with global climate change. Salt marsh loss occurs along both lateral creek and channel edges and in the marsh interior, when pannes expand and coalesce. Often, edge loss is attributed to erosive processes whereas dieback in the....

New paper out in titled “Burrowing crabs and physical factors hasten marsh recovery at panne edges” —this two-year study tracked in salt marshes. This research helped improved our understanding of West Coast salt panne dynamics, which have been named by others as the “Achilles heel of marsh resilience”. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0249330

New paper out in titled “Burrowing crabs and physical factors hasten marsh recovery at panne edges” —this two-year study tracked in salt marshes. This research helped improved our understanding of West Coast salt panne dynamics, which have been named by others as the “Achilles heel of marsh resilience”.

New publication out! Invited Photo Gallery Feature in ESA’s The Bulletin—this quick read walks through the main findings from two eelgrass restorations in Elkhorn Slough.

Big news!!!! I am thrilled to share that, effective January 1, 2022, I will be joining as an Assistant Researcher in the Marine Science Institute working with the incredible team running the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Mitigation Monitoring Program. My time will be split between both and mitigation projects—my dream job, I can’t wait to get started! 😆

One last thing! I couldn’t be more appreciative to and for this past year. My experience as a California Sea Grant State Fellow at OPC helped propel me forward into this next phase of my career, and for that (and many other reasons) I am forever grateful.

TUNE IN! Starting in 5 minutes!
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The public is invited to join Secretary Wade Crowfoot tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 30 from 12:30-1:45 p.m. for a Secretary Speaker Series, The Ocean is Moving In: Building Resilience to Sea Level Rise. ⁠
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REGISTER AT LINK IN BIO!⁠
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Sea level rise threatens California’s beloved beaches, wetlands, and tide pools, and more broadly, our coastal communities and state economy. Climate change is accelerating, which means now is the time to prepare, adapt, and mitigate this complex threat. But how do we adjust to sea level rise and what does that mean for our policies and investments? Join us for a science update from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and to hear how California’s Tribal, state, and local governments are coming together to build resilience for our world-renowned coast.⁠
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New York Times article today—“Another Thanksgiving. Another Crab Season Delay” made me think of this photo from a dive about a month ago (photo 1) and the photo from last week of a Dungeness carapace washed on shore at Stinson Beach that I took last week (photo 2).

with
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"Nothing to see here! Just making Swiss cheese 🧀 of this salt marsh" --Lined Shore Crab 🦀

This little crustacean, native to Pacific coastlines, may look unassuming...but like the wizard behind the curtain in Oz, he (and ZILLIONS of his kin) are actually running the show in West Coast salt marshes! 💪

A recent study from CA's Elkhorn Slough found that between pockmarking the salt marsh with their burrows 🕳️🕳️🕳️ and munching on the roots of salt marsh plants, these little crabs have BIG effects on the vegetation and soil. More crabs ➡️ fewer plants and less solid, more porous substrate 🧽

Why does this matter? Think about this: How well do you think a thinly-vegetated marsh growing on sponge-y soil will fare under climate change? 🌊🌱

Check out the study here: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.3703

📸 by Kathryn Beheshti ()

Post Pandemic hiatus check out dive ✅