Elkhorn Slough (ELK) NERR Site Water Quality Metadata Form (YSI Dataloggers) January-December, 1998 Latest Update: November 9, 2001

Water quality monitoring is conducted at 26 National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR)
at four locations within or adjacent to the reserve. The following parameters are collected at
least every 30 minutes: water temperature, specific conductivity, salinity, percent saturation,
dissolved oxygen concentration, water depth, pH and turbidity. All water quality data loggers
will be deployed from a known depth from the bottom at each site. Research objectives :
Non-point source pollution is among the highest research priorities within the Elkhorn Slough
watershed. Agriculture and specifically strawberry production, is a significant land use in the
watershed, with agricultural production making up one quarter of land use and strawberries
comprising about 8% of the Elkhorn Slough watershed. Agricultural runoff has led to high
concentrations of nutrients and some pesticides in the Slough. Several studies have shown that
agricultural practices have an impact on the species composition and ecological processes in
Elkhorn Slough. Two sites within the Slough water are being monitored. One site (SM) is in the
Reserve at the edge of the channel next to a Salicornia marsh that is surrounded by a mixture of
native and introduced grasses and shrubs in the uplands. This is a relatively pristine location
with minimal inputs of agricultural runoff. Azevedo Pond (AP), the second site, is surrounded by
strawberry fields with a very narrow (about 3 m) fringe of marsh. The farm surrounding the pond
is part of a project to develop best management practices and new growing techniques.
Measurements are taken every 30 minutes over a three to four week period at two sites in Elkhorn
Slough.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:
Associated researchers and projects The following are brief
descriptions of research projects in Elkhorn Slough as of June 1998. Elkhorn Slough National
Estuarine Research Reserve and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation have had an ongoing program to
monitor estuarine water quality in the central Monterey Bay region since 1988. Currently, 24
stations are monitored monthly for temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity,
nitrate, ammonium and dissolved inorganic phosphate concentrations. Two of these stations on the
Reserve are about 400 m from the SM site. Data collection began at these two stations in
September 1989. A monthly monitoring station is also located at Azevedo Pond within 10 m of the
YSI deployment. Monthly data from the Azevedo Pond are available from March 1992. The University
of California Santa Cruz Agroecology Program has an ongoing project to examine the effects of
agricultural production on an adjacent wetland. Matthew Werner, Marc Los Huertos, Felecia Rein,
Sean Swezey, Mark Silberstein, Andrew De Vogelaere, Ron Tjeerdema have been the principal
investigators. They have made a detailed baseline characterization of wetlands and an adjacent
field under chemically-intensive strawberry production. The Monterey Bay Regional Studies
Program at UCSC awarded graduate fellowships to Marc Los Huertos and Felecia Rein to study the
effects of native vegetation buffer zones on movement of sediment and agricultural run-off. The
overall goals of this program are to test alternative farming practices that can mitigate
negative effects on wetlands while providing a sustainable livelihood for farmers. This research
is occurring on the Azevedo Ranch in a pond and pocket marsh adjacent to the AP YSI deployment
site.Caitlin Bean. Small mammal abundance and distribution on the Elkhorn Slough NERR.
California Dept. of Fish and Game. Nicole Beck. Extreme fluctuations and redox cycles in a
flow-altered eutrophic pond. University of Santa Cruz. Matt Brennan and Stephen Monismith.
Sediment transport in shallow turbulent systems. Stanford University. Jeremy Bricker and Stephen
Monismith. Hydrodynamic modeling of Elkhorn Slough. Stanford University. A two dimensional
numeric model (TRIM 2D) developed for shallow estuaries is being adapted to run with Elkhorn
Slough bathymetry. This will allow the testing of the effect of different hydrodynamic
alterations, such as construction of a sill, on water circulation and retention time within the
Slough. James Byres. A mechanistic understanding of species invasion. University of Santa
Barbara. Competitive interactions between the native horned snail, Certhidea, and the introduced
snail, Batillaria. Jane Caffrey, Sue Shaw, Mark Silberstein, Kathy Thomasberg, Andrew De
Vogelaere, ESNRR docents. A water monitoring project for the Elkhorn Slough NERR. ESNERR.
Long-term monitoring, on a monthly sampling schedule of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen,
turbidity, pH and some nutrients (NO3-, NH4+ and ortho PO43-). Jane Caffrey, Steve Kimple,
Andrew De Vogelaere, ESNERR docents. Monitoring the great blue heron and great egret rookery at
Elkhorn Slough Reserve. ESNERR. What is the size of this rookery, (number of nesting pairs), is
it changing through time and what is the reproductive success of each species. Eileen Connors.
Shorebird microhabitat use of the intertidal zone at Elkhorn Slough. Moss Landing Marine Labs.
Patterns of seasonal distribution of shorebirds and habitat utilization within the intertidal
zone. Andrew De Vogelaere, Mark Silberstein, Jane Caffrey. Species list of Elkhorn Slough.
ESNERR. What species are found in the various environments in Elkhorn Slough. Beverly Dixon.
Using an innovative technique to assess fecal contamination in estuarine waters and shellfish.
CSU Hayward. The goal is to develop an alternative indicator of human fecal contamination in
estuarine waters. Karyn Gear. Development of GIS Resources for the Elkhorn Slough Watershed.
SFSU. Ted Grosholz. Distribution and impacts of the introduced green crab, Carcinus maenas.
University of New Hampshire. Neil Harrington. The effect of carbamate pesticides on
nitrification and bacterial activity in Elkhorn Slough. University of Santa Cruz. James Harvey
and students. Seasonal abundance, movements, and food habits of harbor seals in Elkhorn Slough.
Moss Landing Marine Labs. Jon Kao. Shark feeding, movement age and growth in Elkhorn Slough.
Moss Landing Marine Labs. Linda Kuhnz. Abundance and life history of the green crab, Carcinus
maenas. MLML. Rikk Kviteck and Mathew Gardner. Tide flat resource restoration and management:
implementation of a novel recovery program in Elkhorn Slough. MLML. Marc Loss Huertos, Gelecia
Rein, Mathew Werner. Developing alternative management approaches to agriculture in sensitive
estuarine watershed, Elkhorn Slough. University of California Santa Cruz. Detailed baseline
characterization of wetlands and adjacent field under chemically-sensitive strawberry
production; the effects of native vegetation buffer zones on movement of sediment and
agricultural residue run-off; testing alternative farming practices that can mitigate negative
effects on wetlands while providing a sustainable livelihood for farmers. Tricia Low. Marsh loss
in the upper Elkhorn Slough: patterns, potential mechanisms, and impact on shorebird use. MLML.
Harry Pest, David Casper and Betina Shost. Organochlorine contaminant study in Elasmobranchs.
Long Marine Laboratory, University of Santa Cruz. Pesticide distribution and metabolism in
pelagic and estuarine shark species. Dawn Reis. Distribution of California Red Legged Frogs in
Elkhorn Slough. San Jose State University. California Red-Legged Frogs are under consideration
as a threatened species. Adults are abundant in freshwater ponds and guzzlers on the Reserve.
Part of this study will determine whether frogs in guzzlers are affected by the Mosquito Fish
which are used to control mosquito populations. Mark Silberstein, Steve Kimple, Andrew De
Vogelaere, Jane Caffrey. Aerial photography monitoring of Elkhorn Slough and adjacent wetlands.
Elkhorn Slough Foundation. Monitoring long term changes in habitat and land use with aerial
photographic slides twice per year and stereo pair infrared photographs every four years. Paul
Spitzer. Loon migration and winter use of estuaries, bays and inlets. Oxford Cooperative
Laboratory. Adult and juvenile Common Loons and Pacific Loons have very different winter life
histories. Adults undergo wing-molt and flightless centered on February and should be striving
for peak weight and condition, while much lighter juveniles remain flighted throughout, allowing
for learning and selecting winter habitat. Mark Stephenson. The mussel watch program. California
Department of Fish and Game. Andrew D. Thompson. Lifetime reproductive success in a monogamous
songbird. College of Depage. How does sexual selection operate in monogamous birds? The function
purpose is to identify those features of males and/or their territories that influence female
choice and seasonal reproductive success. Bess Ward and Jane Caffrey. Community structure and
species composition of nitrifying bacteria in aquatic environments. University of California
Santa Cruz. Seasonal and spatial variation in nitrifying bacteria will be examined in sediments
from Elkhorn Slough wand water from Monterey Bay. Species composition will be determined using
molecular probes and activity of the nitrifying community will be determined using 15N isotope
techniques. John Warriner. Population biology of the Snowy Plover in the Monterey Bay. The
Nature Conservancy. Derstin Wasson and Chela Zabin Introduced Species of Elkhorn Slough. UCSC.
Compile a database of introduced species and profile 6 charismatic introduced species, including
abundance, distribution and impact on the community. Ron White. Habitat change in Elkhorn Slough
Watershed. MLML. Andrea Woolfolk. The effects of human and cattle trampling on Salicornia
virginica in Elkhorn Slough. MLML. Other remarks/notes

CURRENTNESS REFERENCE:
Observed

SPATIAL DATA ORGANIZATION INFORMATION:
Indirect Spatial Reference: Site location and character Elkhorn
Slough is located on the West Coast of the United States in Central California. It connects with
the Pacific Ocean in central Monterey Bay near Moss Landing, California. There are two sampling
sites. SM (South Marsh) 36 49N, 121 44W is in a side channel of the
slough and is relatively unimpacted by anthropogenic influences. The YSI is located on the side
of a bank in one of the secondary slough channels. AP (Azevedo Pond) 36? 50N, 121?
45W is in a pond which receives fertilizer and pesticide runoff from a strawberry
field in year-round production. The YSI is located about 10m from a culvert connecting the pond
to the slough.