Padilla Bay Research Assistant

Focuses on the characteristics of climate change on the two eelgrass species in the bay: Zostera Marina (Native eelgrass) and Zostera Japonica (non-native eelgrass). This was done by creating distribution models of the two species, with the data being created from multiple measurements. I assisted Jacqui with collecting these data and measurements for 2-3 days during low tide during each month. These data included imagery captured by Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones, and in-situ elevation measurements of the sediment along with vegetative landcover surveys. The study area (an area already defined by Padilla Bay’s Research Reserve) was divided into three “transects” that ran lengthwise, with five zones being divided among them. Along each transect was rows of pvc pipes that ran the entire length of the study area, which were placed by Padilla Bay’s research tea