Staff research associate Rob Grenzeback (right) and marine tech Greg Boyd operate a drone to help survey Los Penasquitos Lagoon for Sarah Giddings Lab on April 15, 2018. Photo by Erik Jepsen, UC San Diego publications.
Coastal oceanographer Sarah Giddings and PhD student Madeleine Harvey are overseeing research to measure the flow of water into and out of the lagoon as well as how the lagoon changes through erosion and accretion. Such estuarine research improves our understanding of how human activities and upstream development affect the nearby ocean and the health of the coastal environment that is home to people, plants, and animals. It can also inform decisions on the costs and benefits of dredging lagoons and artificially replenishing sand on area beaches.
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