Applied science for shared waters
We advance practical, science based methods to restore aquatic ecosystems and protect the people who live alongside them.
Our mission
To advance applied scientific research on ecosystems, primarily aquatic, for the benefit of humanity.
Rivers, lakes, and coastlines carry the health of everything around them. When they decline, the effects reach drinking water, air quality, wildlife, and the daily life of nearby communities.
Center for Applied Aquatic Research works at that meeting point of water science and community wellbeing. We study real problems in the field, test methods that can work at a meaningful scale, and share what we learn with the agencies, researchers, and residents who need it.
Our approach is grounded, measured, and practical. We favor solutions that are low impact and built on evidence.
What we work on
Reducing the nutrients and pollutants that degrade rivers and lakes, ideally before they spread through a larger body of water.
Helping exposed lakebed hold together as water lines recede, so less dust lifts into the air of surrounding communities.
Supporting beneficial aquatic life and limiting the harmful blooms that can threaten wildlife and public health.
Where we are starting
The Salton Sea sits at the low point of a watershed shared by California and Mexico. Years of nutrient rich inflows, a shrinking shoreline, and recurring harmful blooms have made it one of the most pressing environmental and public health challenges in the region.
Our early field work focuses on the south end of the Sea, where the New River enters. It is a place where water quality, air quality, and community health all meet.
We are developing nature based, low disturbance methods that work with the water rather than against it. The goal is straightforward and measurable.
Better water quality reaching the Sea. Healthier aquatic life in place of harmful blooms. Less dust drifting toward the communities nearby.
This work is carried out in partnership with regional agencies, universities, tribes, and community organizations.
How we work
We start from field data and let evidence, not assumption, shape what comes next.
The people closest to a problem are partners in the work, especially in border communities that carry the heaviest burden.
We favor methods that are gentle on the landscape and can be undone or adjusted as we learn.
A method only matters if it can grow beyond a single site. We design with that future in mind.
About us
A research organization built around water and the communities it sustains.
Center for Applied Aquatic Research is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. We connect field research, water science, and community partnership to restore aquatic ecosystems and protect the people who depend on them.
Our work is informed by advisors with backgrounds in oceanography, water quality, and ecosystem science, and by close collaboration with public agencies and academic institutions.
We are a young organization with a long horizon. The waters we work on took decades to reach their current state, and restoring them is patient work. We are committed to it.
Who we are
Biological oceanographer. Leads the organization's research direction and field program.
Guides planning, partnerships, and day to day operations.
Carries out field and laboratory research.
Get in touch
If you work on water quality, ecosystem restoration, or community health in the region, we would like to hear from you.
Center for Applied Aquatic Research
1341 Distribution Way, Suite 11
Vista, California 92081