Steelhead habitat quality studies

Phan et al 2016: We investigated the levels of fine sediment at two locations in Sonoma Creek, to assess habitat suitability for salmon and trout spawning. Since we wanted to test the average amount of fine sediment at different elevations, we chose sites that represented the widest range of elevation.

Clifford et al 2017: We evaluated the pebble count in Copeland Creek on the SSU campus, and compared our findings to previous data, allowing us to see how much the sediment had changed over a period of a year. 

Isidro et al 2017: We surveyed Lagunitas Creek and Dutch Bill Creek by looking for specific characteristic traits that are essential for coho salmon spawning

Cardenas et al 2018: To investigate the effects of discharging reclaimed water on salmonids, we tested dissolved oxygen and turbidity in the Russian River, Laguna De Santa Rosa and Santa Rosa Creek.

Spencer et al 2019: Endangered Pacific salmonid fishes require specific temperature regimes, generally within a range of 11.8ºC-14.6ºC, in order to survive, grow, and reproduce. Various factors that may influence stream temperature dynamics include water velocity, water depth, and degree of canopy coverage. In order to investigate which of these factors control diurnal stream temperature fluctuations, we placed Thermochron iButton temperatures sensors in 8 locations along Copeland Creek at Sonoma State University. We selected areas that varied in velocity, depth, and canopy cover.  These findings will help determine if Copeland Creek could potentially be a suitable habitat for salmonid fishes.

Howell et al 2019: Our project focused on the respiration of soil microbes and roots within the riparian zone. The respiration of these organisms causes CO₂ gas flux (the flow of carbon dioxide gas) through and out of the soil. This subject is important to study because soil CO₂ emission is a significant contributor to the global carbon cycle. We took data along Copeland Creek at multiple points. Along transects perpendicular to the creek, we measured the CO₂ gas emitted from soil to investigate soil gas flux with respect to distance from the creek. Preliminary data shows that there is no significant relationship between distance from the creek and soil flux.

Wagner et al 2019: To investigate how light exposure affects the prevalence of biofilm on rocks located in streams at the Fairfield Osborn Preserve, we sampled along a small intermittent stream on the Preserve. We found a greater presence of biofilm on rocks in areas more exposed to sunlight than in more shaded areas. 

Mazzoni and Zhuravskaya 2019: To test whether there is a correlation between streamflow and size of particulates across the stream bed, we set up 5 Transects across a distance of ~1,000m, and measured elevation and cobble size at each location.

Project Results

Title	Format	Download	Students
"The Average Fine Sediment Levels at Different Elevations in Sonoma Creek"	presentation	Phan et al 2016a Phan et al 2016a	Roma Nawy, Baelei Wiesner, Lexi Phan, Kerry Krohn
"The Average Fine Sediment Levels at Different Elevations in Sonoma Creek"	report	Phan et al 2016b Phan et al 2016b	Roma Nawy, Baelei Wiesner, Lexi Phan, Kerry Krohn
"Pebble Count 2016 vs. 2017 in Copeland Creek"	poster	Clifford et al 2017 Clifford et al 2017	Cerena Clifford, Grant Morley, Jordan Deramo-de Silva, Jasmin Perdue, Serena Vesia
"How could coho salmon habitat in Dutch Bill Creek be improved?"	poster	Isidro et al 2017 Isidro et al 2017	Yesenia Ibanez Isidro, Juana Parra, Peyton Waterman
"Is the level of dissolved oxygen in the Russian River suitable for keystone species like Coho Salmon?"	poster	Cardenas et al 2018 Cardenas et al 2018	Roy Nicolas Sta Maria Asi, Fernando Cardenas
"How do Different Riparian Factors Affect the Stream Temperature in Copeland Creek?"	poster	Spencer et al 2019 Spencer et al 2019	Sophia Demetriou, Carly Spencer; Ruby Wagner
"Carbon Dioxide Gas Soil Flux in the Riparian Zone"	poster	Howell et al 2019 Howell et al 2019	Jackson James, Andrew Howell, Luis Luna, Jack Sigismondo
"Canopy Cover and Biofilm Prevalence at Fairfield Osborn Preserve"	presentation	Wagner et al 2019 Wagner et al 2019	Ruby Wagner, Carly Spencer, William Deal, Jack Sigismondo
"Measuring Stream Flow and Deposition Along Copeland Creek"	presentation	Mazzoni and Zhuravskaya 2019 Mazzoni and Zhuravskaya 2019	Matt Mazzoni and Irina Zhurasvskaya
Cobble size data	data	mazzoni_creek_data_biol314_2019.xlsx mazzoni_creek_data_biol314_2019.xlsx	Matt Mazzoni and Irina Zhurasvskaya