Eden Landing Ecological Reserve

Eden Landing Ecological Reserve located in the San Francisco Bay Area is one of largest tidal wetland restoration projects in the United States totaling 2590 hectares. The site was originally industrial salt evaporation ponds operated from the late 19th century to the early 1970s. Restoration began in 2003 and tidal action was restored in 2008. Planting of marsh vegetation occurred in 2011. The restoration is on-going with marshes in the complex at different elevations and stages of vegetation community development. The main research site is in the Mount Eden Creek Marsh in the northern portion of the reserve where an eddy covariance tower has monitored ecosystem exchange of CO2 and CH4 since 2018. Hydrologic exchange of dissolved carbon is also being monitored in the tidal channel with over 2 years of data collected.

Characteristics

Habitat Types in Eden Landing Ecological Reserve

17%

Vegetated

83%

Mudflat

Challenges

  • High development pressure in the San Francisco Bay
  • Most of the tidal wetlands were lost previously due to urban development 

Main objectives

  1. 1

    To investigate the impact of algae on carbon fluxes in the mud flats of Mt. Eden Creek Marsh

  2. 2
    To use hyperspectral imagery to help resolve algal biomass and composition across the wetland and combine with ecosystem-scale greenhouse gas fluxes
  3. 3
    To look at historical imagery to determine how changes in algal and plant community across the wetlands influence greenhouse gas exchange over time

Key Opportunities

  • Carbon storage and sequestration,
  • Recreation,
  • Water quality improvement.

Current and future restoration actions

Contact Person

Main contact
Patty Oikawa