Laguna Watershed Knowledgebase

One of the largest environmental issues of our time is upon us and we are bewildered by what we should be monitoring and studying to inform land use decisions. As we move forward in developing a coordinated effort in climate change monitoring and its related effects, we recommend focusing on three areas: (1) geographic identity, (2) multidisciplinary collaborations, and (3) existing and new resources. Firstly, we need to begin with a thorough understanding not only of our local climate, but also how we compare to other areas on earth. Unique climatic features of Sonoma County include adjacency to one of the earth’s four most consistent upwelling sites, the narrowest coastal atmospheric boundary layer measured in the world, dramatic spatial variability in microclimate, flooding events driven by tropical atmospheric “rivers”, and a dry regional climate compared to other areas of California’s north coast range. Secondly, the study of climate change is inherently a multi-disciplinary process. We need to transcend historical constructs such as marine vs terrestrial, agricultural vs ecological, and especially physical vs biological. Thirdly, some notable technological areas to start focusing on are the establishment of long-term research sites, data quality and archival systems, new developments in citizen science programs, and emerging environmental technologies.