Temporal Investigations of Marsh Ecosystems (TIME)

Why this Project?

The Tijuana Estuary is one of the largest intact coastal wetlands in Southern California, and a model case study from which to strengthen our collective understanding of wetland management using information from the past, present, and future.

The TIME project is a collaborative project that brings together the perspectives of scientists and managers to address key needs identified by Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project (SCWRP) and the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team (TRVRT) by developing a decision-making framework. TIME embodies a collaborative approach that, from the project outset, engages stakeholders to ensure development of locally relevant products.

TIME informational flyer

Curious about Project status? Check out the stakeholder update webinar that partners hosted in May 2015. For webinar summary click here.

Using information from the past, present, and future

Numerous studies have been conducted to better understand and restore coastal wetlands in Southern California. The TIME project seeks to explore several essential elements to support effective wetland recovery at the Tijuana Estuary, with an eye on scaling up to the region:

1. Understand stakeholder needs through an issues assessment and communicate lessons learned from synthesizing information from the past, present, and future at the Tijuana Estuary that can inform wetland restoration under changing and uncertain conditions;

2. Characterize ecosystem services provided by coastal wetlands in southern California and how they may change over time;

3. Incorporate information gained from historical ecology studies; and

4. Create visualizations to assess historical and future potential characteristics of the Tijuana River Estuary.

The Team

The TIME project is designed and carried out by a diverse team of collaborators that include applied science and collaboration professionals, and the specified end-users of TIME’s products. Collaborators work together to iteratively incorporate stakeholder feedback into the development of each project phase.

Collaborators:

Sacramento State Center for Collaborative Policy (CCP)

Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP)

California State Coastal Conservancy

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI)