A public agency applying next-generation science to aquatic ecosystems management - Since 1969 - Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia

Researchers are documenting how corrosive coastal ocean conditions and low dissolved oxygen levels threaten the health of marine food webs.

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Bioanalytical Cell Screening Assays

Researchers are investigating how to adapt cell bioassays as a cost-effective screening tool to improve monitoring of bioactive chemical contaminants in aquatic systems.

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Harmful Algal Blooms

SCCWRP and its research partners are examining how to mitigate the proliferation of ecologically disruptive blooms in aquatic systems that threaten the health of wildlife and humans.

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The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) is an aquatic sciences research institute that works to improve management of aquatic systems in Southern California and beyond. Since its founding as an intergovernmental public agency in 1969, SCCWRP has been developing strategies, tools and technologies that the region’s water-quality management community relies on to more effectively protect and enhance the ecological health of Southern California’s coastal ocean and watersheds that drain to it. As an R&D agency, SCCWRP’s reputation is built on conducting research and translating this science into actionable guidance and recommendations that inform management decision-making and policy development.

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SCCWRP Commission meeting -
SCCWRP Commission meeting -
SCCWRP Commission meeting -
SCCWRP Commission meeting -
SCCWRP Commission meeting -

McLellan, S.L., A. Chariton, A. Codello, J.S. McClary-Gutierrez, M.K. Schussman, E.M. Marzinelli, J.M. O’Neil, E.J. Schott, J.L. Bowen, J.H. Vineis, L. Maignien, C. Lemonnier, M. Perennou, K.S. Gibbs, G.J. Zhou, K.M.Y. Leung, M. Kirs, J.F. Griffith, J.A. Steele, S.E. Wearer, A.L. O’Brien, D. Song, S. Liang, J. Li, L. Airoldi, F.P. Mancuso, P.S. Salomon, A.W. Silva-Lima RC Pereira, A.B. Boehm, E.W.X. Lim, S. Wuertz, E. Fernandez, E. Teira, M.L. Liao, Y.W. Dong, P.D. Steinberg. 2024. Universal microbial indicators provide surveillance of sewage contamination in harbours worldwide. Nature Water DOI:10.1038/s44221-024-00315-5.

Busch, M.H., K.S. Boersma, S.C. Cook, C.N. Jones, C. Loflen, R.D. Mazor, R. Stancheva, A.N. Price, R. Stubbington, M.A. Zimmer, D.C. Allen. 2024. Macroinvertebrate, algal and diatom assemblages respond differently to both drying and wetting transitions in non-perennial streams. Freshwater Biology

Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, A.u.t.h.o.r.:. 2024. Assessing Wetland Recovery: Building Capacity to Understand and Support Regional Wetland Health and Resilience – Development of a Coastal Wetland Sentinel Site Network. Technical Report 1393.A. Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Costa Mesa, CA.

Fassman-Beck, E., E. Tiernan, D. Nguyen, R. Butler. 2024. Turf Replacement BMPs to Reduce Dry and Wet Weather Runoff. Technical Report 1391. Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Costa Mesa, CA.