Coastal Hydrology Lab

Our research and extension program focuses on using applied science to support water resilience in California’s coastal regions. Like much of the world, California faces intensifying, intersecting water quantity and quality challenges. This is particularly true along the Central Coast of the state, a region with limited imported water and exposure to diverse climate and local stressors.

Our lab studies the processes that shape water quantity and quality across a range of aquatic systems, including rivers, estuaries, wetlands, aquifers, and managed agricultural landscapes. We examine how local land use and global stressors, such as climate change, affect coastal water resources, and evaluate how land and water management strategies can help reduce those impacts. Extension, connecting science to the community it serves, is a core part of our work.