Field Trip 1 – North
Field Trip 1 — Desalination, 3D visualization, Surfing
Included: luxury coach, lunch, and surf lessons.
Stop 1. Largest ocean desalination facility in the western hemisphere. Tour the massive Carlsbad facility, a re-purposed power generation plant that provides 50,000 acre-feet per year of potable water for Southern California. https://www.carlsbaddesal.com
Stop 2. 3D visualization lab at the University of California San Diego supercomputer center. Experience not just seeing, but walking inside, the geology and groundwater of San Diego.
http://chei.ucsd.edu/toolbox/vr/starcave/
Stop 3. Surfing lessons, or a kayak trip. Visit La Jolla Shores, an iconic Southern California beach, where Surf Divas will provide you a wetsuit and surfboard, teach you how to surf, and guarantee you’ll ride a wave. Or do a kayak trip through coastal caves if you prefer.
Note: Space is limited. Itinerary subject to change.
Field Trip 2 – South
Field Trip 2 — Desalination, Transboundary issues, San Diego Zoo
Included: luxury coach, lunch, and zoo entrance.
Stop 1. Coastal groundwater desalination. Tour the Reynolds brackish groundwater desalination facility, which provides 6,000 acre-feet of potable water for the San Diego area. Visit the adjacent solar panels used to power the plant, and a 2000-foot-deep, multiple-depth, monitoring-well site used to manage seawater intrusion and land deformation.
https://www.sweetwater.org/249/Facilities
Stop 2. Transborder water issues between the USA and Mexico. Visit the Tijuana River estuary where transboundary water management involves rapid urbanization, uncontrolled runoff with sediment and trash, decreased salinity of the salt marsh, endangered species, and the 4th busiest border crossing in the world.
Stop 3. San Diego Zoo. Visit one of the most famous zoos in the world. View a huge variety of animals in state-of-the-art enclosures, and an even wider array of plants that are worth more than the animals. Listen to zoo officials describe how they use DNA to enhance the breeding program.
Note: Space is limited. Itinerary subject to change.