Research

Elkhorn Slough: A Review of the Geology, Geomorphology, Hydrodynamics, and Inlet Stability. Sea Engineering Incorporated, 5/31/2006 (pdf, 5.7MB)

The Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) is an integrated, long-term program that takes an ecosystem approach to identify and understand changes to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Also note the Estuaries Monitoring Projects, specifically: Hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in Elkhorn Slough: A report to the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation, Monismith et al., 12/2005.

Van Dyke, E. and K. Wasson. 2005. Historical Ecology of a Central California Estuary: 150 Years of Habitat Change. Estuaries 282: 173–189. (pdf file, 3MB)

Changes in a California Estuary: A Profile of Elkhorn Slough is a comprehensive summary of 80 years of scientific research on Elkhorn Slough.

The goal of the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR) Research Program is to investigate estuarine ecosystems and their associated watersheds. Also note the Bibliography of Research in Elkhorn Slough and Technical Report Series.

The aim of the Land/Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory in Elkhorn Slough (LOBO) project is to design and develop a real time aquatic sensor network that can measure chemical and physical parameters using in situ sensors to determine the biogeochemical fluxes into, within, and out of Elkhorn Slough.

The Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) provides marine science research and education through a consortium of seven California State University campuses. Also note the MLML/MBARI Research Library

The Seafloor Mapping Lab (SFML), within the Division of Science and Environmental Policy at California State University Monterey Bay, specializes in high-resolution acoustic remote sensing for coastal habitats. Also note the Tidal Scour in Elkhorn Slough: A Bathymetric Analysis (pdf file, 3.3MB).

Management Plan

Elkhorn Slough at the Crossroads: Natural Resources and Conservation Strategies for the Elkhorn Slough Watershed (2002) identifies key natural resources of Elkhorn Slough and recommends conservation strategies.

The Elkhorn Slough Watershed Conservation Plan (1999) serves as a guide for future conservation activities by identifying critical resources, the most significant threats (stresses and sources of stress) to those resources, and strategies to protect these resources over time.

The Elkhorn Slough Tidal Hydraulics Erosion Study (1992) (pdf file, 8.6MB) was prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by Philip Williams and Associates, Ltd. and Moffatt & Nichol Engineers. The purpose of the study was to determine if the Corps' Moss Landing Harbor Navigation Project has caused, or is causing, any erosion of the vegetated marshlands in Elkhorn Slough. The study also examined other possible causes that may have led to erosion and evaluated and recommended solutions to the erosion problems in Elkhorn
Slough.

The Elkhorn Slough Wetland Management Plan (1989) (pdf file, 24MB) was prepared for the Monterey County Planning Department and the California State Coastal Conservancy by ABA Consultants. The Plan summarizes erosion, sedimentation, water quality research, and the natural history of Elkhorn Slough, recommends wetland enhancement plans and implementation strategies, and identifies long-term management problems.