Download - Connecting Land Use to the Distribution of Marine Algae ( Ulva spp.)Along the California Coast
Lisa FongUP206A Winter 2011
UCLAFebruary 7, 2011
Marine.gov
Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) Sampling
Spring and Fall, 1981-present
5 replicate photoplots per site
Each plot scored into 100 squares to estimate percent cover
Skill: Inset mapSources: MARINe Database, ESRI
Marine.gov
Ulva spp. (Sea Lettuce)
pt-lobos.comwww.elkhornslough.org www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org
Cosmopolitan ephemeral algaeEarly successional species; indicator of recent disturbanceLifespan 0-3 monthsAlgae species and populations have optimal growing
temperatures (e.g. de Casabianca et al. 2002)Has been seen in abundance in a Southern Californian
eutrophic environment (Murray and Littler 1978)
Questions AddressedCan a temporal difference in Ulva distribution be
seen in survey data?What is the spatial relationship between the
presence of Ulva and certain types of land use in Southern California?
Potential Policy ApplicationsWater discharge regulationLand use permitting for
agriculture or development
Photo by Carlos Robles
Spring Ulva Presence: 1998 and 2003
Is there a markeddifference in Ulvadistribution between1998 and 2003?
El Niño 1997-1998 La Niña 1998-2000
Ulva Density Index Value (UDIV) = [∑(%cover)/n]/5
Skills: graph, graduated symbolsSource: MARINe Database, ESRI
Impervious Land Cover and Spring 2003 Ulva Density
Produced by Lisa Fong
Impervious Land Cover
Hydromodification due to urbanization leads to loss of ecological water quality improvement and rapid flow of untreated urban runoff to the ocean during large rain events. Skills: graduated symbols
Sources: MARINe Database, ESRI, National Atlas, USGS
Southern California Vineyard and Winery Locations and Spring 2003 Ulva Density
The U.S. Environmental Protection agency (2005) found agriculture to be the leading source of impairment to surveyed rivers and lakes
Runoff flowing over agricultural land picks up sediment, nutrients (P, N, K), pathogens, salts, pesticides, metals
Skills: graduated symbols, geoprocessing (merged county hydrology shapefiles), geocoding (vineyard addresses), attribute subselection (2003aboveZ[ero] was derived by Querying 2003Spring for ULV_ADJ_SP03 > 0 and exporting data to a new layer)Sources: Simply Maps, ESRI, National Atlas, MARINe Database
Southern California Vineyard and Winery Locations and Spring 2003 Ulva Density: Central Coast Watersheds
Skills: inset map, graduated symbols, geoprocessing, geocoding, attribute subselectionSources: Simply Maps, ESRI, National Atlas, MARINe Database
Future PlansExplore pattern of distribution over a
continuous period of years (1996-2006) Compare Ulva presence data to yearly rainfall
amountsInvestigate spatial relationships between Ulva
presence and sewage outfalls, public access locations, population densities, grazing land
Photo by Colin Bates