With the help of Dr Serena Lee, a research fellow, an interdisciplinary team of engineering students installed a radar water level (tide) gauge on the Los Osos Creek bridge on Tuesday, January 30th. The frame was designed and constructed at Cal Poly, while the gauge was procured through a partnership with the Morro Bay National Estuary Program. This impressive accomplishment is a commendable manifestation of the “learn by doing” ethos.

The installed water level gauge is poised to comprehensively monitor tidal patterns, sea levels, and creek flow, offering multifaceted applications such as determining Morro Bay’s ‘tidal prism’ or quantifying water volume ingress during each tide.

Our appreciation is extended to Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering students August Northrup and Luke Wierl and Cal Poly Civil and Environmental Engineering student Owen Emerson, whose involvement was pivotal to successfully realizing this impactful research project. 

View images below taken by Water Resources Engineering Professor Stefan Talke and read more about this research project through the latest article posted on CENG Connection here.