Student Research Opportunities
Students have a variety of opportunities to conduct ocean science research for course credit. Additionally, through the California State University Council on Ocean Affairs, Science and Technology (COAST) Program, students can work with Cal Maritime faculty to apply for competitive research and travel grants to support their work as well as travel to scientific conferences to present research findings.
Coastal Water Quality Monitoring
Cal Maritime is working with San Francisco State University to monitor water quality in the San Francisco Bay. The Cal Maritime Pier is equipped with a conductivity (salinity), temperature and depth sensor package that also reports dissolved oxygen concentrations, water pH, and chlorophyll-a. These data are posted in real time to the web: http://coastalobservations.sfsu.edu/. Cal Maritime students are assisting with this monitoring effort by cleaning and calibrating and troubleshooting the instrument.
San Pablo Bay Water Quality Buoy
A collaboration between faculty and students in oceanography and mechanical engineering
has led to the design and construction of a water quality and weather buoy that will
be deployed in San Pablo Bay. The buoy will report wind speed and direction, wave
height, as well as temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a and
suspended sediment concentrations. 
Napa River Surveys
Starting in spring 2022, Cal Maritime began making regular transects of water quality conditions in the tidal Napa River. Spanning diverse landuse (wetlands, agricultural, municipal, industrial), the Napa River was characterized in terms of nutrient concentrations, suspended sediments and light penetration, and phytoplankton abundance.