{"id":11195,"date":"2026-04-28T20:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T20:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/?p=11195"},"modified":"2026-05-01T22:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:01:48","slug":"usc-sea-grant-announces-new-2026-2028-funded-research-projects-aimed-at-solving-problems-of-the-urban-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/2026\/04\/28\/usc-sea-grant-announces-new-2026-2028-funded-research-projects-aimed-at-solving-problems-of-the-urban-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"USC Sea Grant Announces New 2026-2028 Funded Research Projects Aimed at Solving Problems of the Urban Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2025\/09\/Catalina-pano-home-1920x1080-1-768x432.avif\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2025\/09\/Catalina-pano-home-1920x1080-1-1280x720.avif 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2025\/09\/Catalina-pano-home-1920x1080-1-768x432.avif 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>USC Sea Grant Announces New 2026-2028 Funded Research Projects Aimed at Solving Problems of the Urban Ocean<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n    \n          <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span>USC Sea Grant<\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">April 28, 2026<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The USC Sea Grant Program is excited to announce five newly funded research projects. Funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the projects will run for two years (2026-2028). USC Sea Grant\u2019s \u201cUrban Ocean\u201d research program supports projects directed at solving the particular problems associated with urbanization on and adjacent to the coastal zone. The program\u2019s overall aims are to foster the use of sound scientific information to advance our understanding of coastal and ocean resources, to examine the ways we conserve and use these resources, and to support tools for evaluating the issues and socio-economic trade-offs that comprise coastal decision-making. USC Sea Grant works closely with funded researchers to ensure research results have a broad reach across California constituencies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read more about our five 2026-2028 projects below.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11204 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Jenny-Jay-Bienniel-Project-300x254.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Jenny-Jay-Bienniel-Project-300x254.png 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Jenny-Jay-Bienniel-Project.png 736w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Fire to Water:<\/h2>\n<p data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen113035130_36=\"50\" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time113035130_36=\"100\" data-gtm-vis-has-fired113035130_36=\"1\"><strong>Using Satellites to Understand Coastal Water Quality Impacts Following Wildfire Events <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the past century, wildfire risk in California has surged due to a combination of urbanization, anthropogenic influence, and climate. In turn, ecosystems, including aquatic habitats, have been drastically impacted. While several studies have documented the impact of wildfires on streams and freshwater runoff in California, wildfires are understudied as major sources of land-based nutrient and other contamination to the ocean. Further, there is little research on oceanic impact and response to major fire-related inputs. USC Sea Grant has funded a study that will use satellite-derived remote sensing data to assess the impacts of wildfires on regional coastal water quality at high temporal and spatial scales. The project aims to monitor stormwater runoff and coastal waters in fire-impacted and reference areas, conduct analyses to reveal interactions between satellite imagery and the drivers of spatial water quality trends observed (in situ measurements), and perform course-based research on satellite detection of post-fire coastal water quality in local surface waters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This research will provide key insights into the short and long-term impacts of coastal and inland wildfires on coastal water quality by quantifying the resulting turbidity plume extent with respect to precipitation events following the wildfires. This project is especially timely given the need to understand the complex interactions among water quality parameters that have led to the worst Harmful Algal Blooms in recent history in Southern California. The workflow in this research can be applied to other coastal areas vulnerable to wildfires, and will be especially pivotal to communities with less resources for in situ monitoring. Additionally, results from this research can help advise future efforts and regulations around responses to water quality changes resulting from post-fire precipitation \u2013 for example, this work could help determine a reasonable time frame for avoiding ocean exposure to microbial contaminants after a rain event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Principal Investigator:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jennifer Jay, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11208 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Jaynes-Bienniel-Project-300x234.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Jaynes-Bienniel-Project-300x234.png 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Jaynes-Bienniel-Project.png 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> The Statistics of Stormwater:<\/h2>\n<p><strong>How Numbers Can Help Improve Coastal Water Quality Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Southern California watershed managers rely on watershed modeling to decide how and where to implement stormwater control measures to reduce pollution reaching the coastal ocean. Managers then use these models to make informed decisions about how to allocate their limited resources to achieve maximum water-quality improvement, including compliance with regulatory programs and informing multi-billion-dollar, multi-decade capital improvement programs. Unfortunately, the watershed modeling input used to make consequential management decisions is more than two decades out of date. Specifically, Southern California watershed models rely on a type of data input known as land use Event Mean Concentrations (EMCs). EMCs, originally generated by the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, are a fundamental metric in stormwater monitoring as they provide a practical way to quantify the levels and types of pollution that wash off various urban and non-urban land uses. These EMCs are currently in use throughout Southern California and were generated over 20 years ago, a major shortcoming given that land-use-specific EMCs have undoubtedly changed over the last 20 years due to changes in pollutant sources, building codes, and treatment options.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USC Sea Grant is funding this project to take advantage of the latest advanced statistical techniques to generate updated EMCs for use in Southern California watershed modeling. These EMCs will be immediately transferred to the end-user stormwater management community through the Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition, a collaborative research organization made up of the region\u2019s 18 largest stormwater management agencies spanning the regulated and regulatory sectors. The Coalition\u2019s member agencies have already committed to immediately using the updated EMCs to update their watershed models. The updated modeling, in turn, will enable managers to abandon their investments in stormwater control measures that are not necessary or useful \u2013 an anticipated realignment of resources that could save potentially billions of dollars in ineffective capital improvement projects and hasten other effective pollutant reduction measures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Principal Investigators:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jessica Jaynes, Ph.D., California State University, Fullerton<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ken Schiff, Deputy Director, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11209 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Vibrio_public-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Vibrio_public-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Vibrio_public-768x600.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Vibrio_public.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Understanding Vibrio:<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Monitoring Emerging Pathogens in Our Urban Ocean<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pathogenic strains of endemic, environmental <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> species are a growing concern in bays and coastal oceans. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a bacterial genus known for the specific species, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio cholerae<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which has caused several global pandemics. While the incidence of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">V. cholerae<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is low in the United States due to effective drinking water sanitation, pathogens from other Vibrio species are emerging as threats to human health, fisheries, and coastal ecosystems in Southern California. These non-cholerae <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> species can cause vibriosis, a life-threatening tissue infection transmitted by contact of open wounds with seawater or from consuming raw or undercooked fish or shellfish. In recent years, infections have spread from the Gulf Coast up the Eastern Seaboard, reaching as far north as New Jersey and starting to negatively impact recreation in these waters. Cases of vibriosis are also on the rise in Southern California.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USC Sea Grant is funding this project to isolate and characterize <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">species from Newport Bay Estuary, creating a valuable resource for understanding their variety and pathogenic potential. Preliminary data support the hypothesis that seasonal warming of surface ocean temperatures is correlated with a shift towards species of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">known to be adapted to warm water. The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">populations in estuaries such as Newport Bay are often shaped by environmental gradients that distinguish them from offshore populations, so the project plans to compare estuary data with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">populations at the San Pedro Ocean Timeseries site 10 miles off the coast. By layering high- resolution molecular approaches onto existing environmental monitoring programs, this project can enhance understanding of the distribution, variety, and risk profile of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrio <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">populations in Southern California estuaries. By developing a robust monitoring program for pathogenic Vibrio, the project aims to equip environmental managers with timely decision-support tools to ensure safe fisheries and recreational areas in Southern California.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Principal Investigators:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Julia Schwartzman, Ph.D., University of Southern California<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ryan Guillemette, Ph.D., Southern California Coastal Water Research Program<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11210 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Semmens-Bienniel-Project-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Semmens-Bienniel-Project-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Semmens-Bienniel-Project-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Semmens-Bienniel-Project-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Semmens-Bienniel-Project-320x320.png 320w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/Semmens-Bienniel-Project.png 912w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Searching for Sand Bass:<\/h2>\n<p><strong>A Collaborative Approach to Tracking the Origins and Movements of Barred Sand Bass in Southern California<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The saltwater basses comprise an extremely popular recreational fishery in Southern California. Barred sand bass are a prime target, and pursuit of their summer spawning aggregations is a popular pastime, particularly on chartered and private vessels out of urban ports in Los Angeles and San Diego. Recreational anglers also widely target the species from shore with rod and reel. Unfortunately, species that form spawning aggregations tend to be vulnerable to overfishing, which can lead to critically low population size. Despite more restrictive regulations implemented in 2013, barred sand bass aggregations disappeared for a 10-year period, and the population has only recently shown signs of incipient recovery. Uncertainty surrounding the full extent of barred sand bass movements presents significant challenges for effective fishery management. If long-distance migrations or population linkages between Southern California and Baja California exist, current management strategies\u2014 designed around local or regional stock assessments\u2014may fail to account for broader population connectivity and risk another barred sand bass fishery collapse. Addressing these uncertainties is essential for developing spatially and temporally adaptive management measures that align with the species&#8217; true dynamics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USC Sea Grant is funding this project, which will use the new methodology of \u201cnatural tagging\u201d approaches as powerful alternatives for reconstructing movement histories. Previous work has shown that these methods can reliably differentiate individuals originating from different regions. As part of the Marine Life Management Act, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is required to promote the sustainability and health of fisheries and to engage stakeholders in the management process. As part of this mandate, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is convening a barred sand bass advisory\/working group composed of members of the commercial sportfishing and recreational fishing industry, research scientists, and non-governmental organizations. Among other outreach efforts, this project will engage with the barred sand bass working group to discuss the project, refine hypotheses, interpret outcomes, and identify next steps for research and management. Answering the question of whether barred sand bass conduct spawning migrations between Mexican and California waters, and engaging user groups early, has the potential to generate greater buy-in around management decision-making for the fishery. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Principal Investigators:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Brice Semmens, Ph.D.,<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> University of California, San Diego<br \/>\n<\/span>Dr. Erica Jarvis Mason<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Research Fish Biologist, NOAA Fisheries<br \/>\n<\/span>Dr. Allison Dedrick<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Senior Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife<br \/>\n<\/span>Dr. Helen Killeen<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Senior Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife<br \/>\n<\/span>Dr. Rasmus Swalethorp, <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Associate Project Scientist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-8749 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/04\/Research_Dugan_SMDunes-300x203.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/04\/Research_Dugan_SMDunes-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/04\/Research_Dugan_SMDunes-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/04\/Research_Dugan_SMDunes-768x518.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/04\/Research_Dugan_SMDunes-1536x1037.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/04\/Research_Dugan_SMDunes.jpg 1539w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>Doing Dunes Right:<\/h2>\n<p><strong>A Nature-Based Solution to Build Resilient Urban Beaches<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, the impacts of El Ni\u00f1o events and winter storms on beaches across the state have amplified concerns about how to manage the impacts of longer-term changes to the coast. Approximately 60% of coastal dunes have been lost due to coastal development and land-use change since the 1800s. An additional 24-75% of California\u2019s beaches could disappear under future sea level rise scenarios. The use of coastal dunes has emerged as a popular Nature-based Solution to improve the protection and resilience of beaches and infrastructure, while also improving ecosystem services. However, science on the design and performance of dune restoration as a Nature-based Solution is limited, and best practices do not exist. A review of coastal adaptation plans in California indicates that many coastal communities want to incorporate dune restoration as an adaptation strategy, but are held back by the lack of information and guidelines for effective design, siting, and implementation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USC Sea Grant is funding this project to enhance empirical understanding of dune restoration trajectories and responses to disturbance through detailed surveys of pilot sites, and to co-design site suitability and performance assessment frameworks for evaluating dune restoration projects on urban beaches with community partners and end users. This project has direct management and policy applications for urban beaches in California, the Pacific coast, and beyond, developing site-suitability and performance-assessment frameworks for dune restoration projects that can be used by researchers, managers, conservationists, restoration practitioners, state and federal agencies, and coastal communities. Data from pilot site surveys will provide new opportunities to refine and extend coastal vulnerability models (e.g., CoSMoS) and assess the lifespan of existing or restored dunes on urbanized coasts under varying sea level rise scenarios. Notably, the dune restoration site suitability framework and the dune restoration performance assessment framework will be the first of their kind, providing new scientifically-informed tools for practitioners and researchers alike. These products will be workshopped with potential users and made publicly available.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Principal Investigator:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ian Walker, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":10446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USC Sea Grant Announces New 2026-2028 Funded Research Projects Aimed at Solving Problems of the Urban Ocean<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/2026\/04\/28\/usc-sea-grant-announces-new-2026-2028-funded-research-projects-aimed-at-solving-problems-of-the-urban-ocean\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USC Sea Grant Announces New 2026-2028 Funded Research Projects Aimed at Solving Problems of the Urban Ocean - 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