2025 Research Grants

Blue Carbon Storage Changes in Southern Californiaís Largest Salt Marsh

PIs: Woodward Fischer and Theodore Present
Research Team: TBD
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
Climate Science Initiative and Ecology and Biosphere Engineering Initiative

We propose to reconstruct the sedimentary history and ecologic change in Mugu Lagoon to understand thedynamic consequences of sea level rise on salt marsh carbon storage.

Non-transgenic environmental curing of virulence plasmids from bacterial plant pathogens

PIs: Bruce Hay and Richard Murray
Research Team: Thomas Adamo Schmidt and John Marken
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering
Ecology and Biosphere Engineering Initiative

Increasing agricultural yields will be critical in meeting the food and commodity needs of a growing globalpopulation while minimizing the negative environmental impacts of agriculture. Successful application of ourresearch would decrease the prevalence and severity of bacterial plant diseases, thereby increasing yields andlowering the use of pesticides.

Connecting Scales of Coastal Seagrass Health and Extent with Imaging Spectroscopy

PI: Victoria Orphan
Research Team: John Magyar and James Mullahoo
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering
Climate Science Initiative

In order to reduce the uncertainties associated with carbon stocks and fluxes in blue carbon ecosystems, we willdevelop new methods to combine remote sensing and in situ measurements across multiple spatiotemporalscales.