Turbid Bay: Sediment in Motion

USGS scientists from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center explore how sediment moves across San Francisco Bay tidal flats.  The research team deploys a suite of large instrumented tripods to record sediment movements over a six-week period in early 2011.  Answers from this work will help determine whether deposition of sediment at high tide is occurring quickly enough to preserve marshes in the face of sea-level rise.  



The program also highlights the value and function of the USGS Mendenhall Fellowship Program.   The Mendenhall Program at the USGS provides recent PhD graduates an opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research on pressing scientific questions with the guidance and mentoring of established scientists.