Investigating Tidal Effects on Longitudinal Dispersion in a California Estuary Using Satellite Remote Sensing

Elkhorn Slough, a vital tidal estuary located along California's central coast, is an ecologically sensitive area and one of the last coastal wetlands in the state. However, the Slough faces significant environmental challenges, including sedimentation and tidal erosion, due to human interventions and climate change. These stressors threaten its biodiversity and the surrounding wetlands, which are critical habitats for numerous bird species and marine life. While numerical models have long been used to study ocean and estuarine water mixing at fine spatial scales, obtaining observational data at these scales remains challenging due to the limitations of traditional in situ sampling and the coarse resolution of many remote sensing platforms. In contrast, PlanetScope imagery, with its unprecedented spatial (3-meter) resolution and daily revisit times, offers a novel and powerful approach for studying the dynamic mixing of riverine and oceanic waters. This project utilizes observational PlanetScope satellite data to calculate dispersion of water mass mixing and to monitor turbidity throughout different tidal phases. By leveraging this high-frequency imagery, I aim to inform management strategies, assess ecosystem resilience, and predict the impacts of climate change on water quality in the Slough at scales that mirror numerical models. This approach represents a cost-effective, state-of-the-art alternative to traditional in situ monitoring, opening new pathways for long-term environmental monitoring. 

Presentation Preference: Poster

Primary Presenter: Dana Myers, University of California, Santa Barbara (drmyers@ucsb.edu)

Authors:

Dana Myers, University of California, Santa Barbara  (drmyers@ucsb.edu)

Nick Nidzieko, University of California, Santa Barbara  (nidzieko@ucsb.edu)