This project, which takes place in UCI’s marsh reserve,  provides a local opportunity to learn, develop, and test techniques while investigating why marshes are among the most productive ecosystems. The marsh is a long rectangle, about 1000 by 300 m that is aligned long axis into the predictable sea breeze.  The rectangle is divided in half at the 500-m mark, and our research has focused near the downwind edge of the back pond.  The ongoing measurements include the energy and CO2 fluxes measured by eddy covariance on a 6-m tripod on a floating dock.  We have worked at the site for six , and expect to continue work for several years.  

The marsh project is important to our research program for three reasons.  First, the science is interesting, and the ongoing measurements can be maintained with modest effort. In the longer term, the layout of the marsh, with several ponds separated by dikes, opens the possibility of controlled, paired experiments, comparing treatments such as water quality or water table. Second, the proximity of the marsh to our lab, and the security of the site, allows efficient testing of equipment prior to deployment at remote sites.  We operated prototype systems destined for Canada and Brazil at the marsh for a month each in 1999, a step that certainly contributed to the success we are having with these remote projects.  Third, the installation provides an excellent teaching resource for both undergraduate and graduate courses.

Link to UC Water Resources proposal
More marsh info at Adrian's website
Marsh photos and reflections on life at Ed's page