Blogs

• Friday, July 11, 2014
  9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

• Sherman Island County Park
  West Sherman Island Road, 94571, CA

Full Meetup Link Here

From "Nerds-For-Nature" Meetup:
Fresh Sierra snowmelt and other runoff flowing down the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers meets the salty seawater of Suisun Bay near the Antioch Bridge. This tidally and seasonally shifting demarcation between the two major types of aquatic habitat is known as the Low Salinity Zone. The location of this freshwater boundary also determines how much water can be diverted to support agricultural production.

A near-king tide on Friday, July 11th (chart) in combination with the ongoing drought will bring the salt level closer to Sacramento than normal. To investigate this interesting situation we will join with the California Department of Water Resources, California King Tides Project, high school students, and citizen scientists to:

• Fly a small quadcopter that will land on the water to measure salinity, temperature, and flow gradients in this habitat transition zone.

• Use aerial cameras to image the area during high and low tides, which can then be processed into large highly-detailed orthomosaics as well as 3D-mesh photogrammetry models.  

• Bioblitz and otherwise observe and discuss the local flora and fauna to help understand the affected habitat.

• Try other fun apps and gadgets -- smartphone microscopes, electronic field guides, DIY water sensors -- bring it along and we'll try it out!

Join us for this historic gathering of students, environmental professionals, and nature nerds as we explore this rich and dynamic ecosystem!