The diversity of coastal ecosystems is shaped by local physical processes, yet predicting where juvenile species will settle into adult habitats remains challenging due to the complexity of physical flows, biological behaviors, and their interactions. Using high-resolution, three- dimensional temperature and velocity data from an extensive mooring array, this dissertation identifies mechanisms of successful onshore larval transport across the inner shelf. It focuses on the dynamic physical processes driving episodic transport and recruitment of meroplanktonic larvae in coastal environments, with an emphasis on across-shore and alongshore flows influenced by winds, internal tides, and topographic features.Chapter 1 introduces the Inner Shelf Dynamics Experiment and the three-dimensional mooring array deployed offshore of Pt. Sal, California. Novel methods were developed to reconstruct the flow field, advect representative larvae using Lagrangian particle tracking, re- solve depth-dependent transport pathways, and investigate the physical mechanisms driving larval settlement. Findings reveal that episodic larval settlement occurs at various depths, with internal tides facilitating shallow water onshore transport during wind relaxations. Surprisingly, upwelling-favorable winds, typically expected to drive offshore surface flows, also generated onshore currents in the nearshore and facilitated shallow-water larval settlement. Chapter 2 examines surface-layer heating events along the northern coast of Pt. Sal during wind-driven upwelling. Warm-water plumes originating from the north, shaped by across-shore and alongshore advection, enhanced larval retention and onshore transport along the coastline. These findings underscore the role of warm-water plumes extending from upwelling shadows in larval retention and settlement, emphasizing the importance of coastal topography and depth-positioning for the successful settlement of benthic species. Chapter 3 explores the complexities of northward-propagating warm-water plumes around Pt. Sal during wind relaxation periods. The topography surrounding Pt. Sal critically influences the extent and dynamics of these plumes, modifying across-shore and alongshore heat advection and their effects on larval transport. This chapter highlights the interplay between seasonal upwelling, wind relaxation, and warm-water plumes, demonstrating how headlands influence heat advection, larval retention, and episodic recruitment. These processes have significant im- plications for understanding larval transport and population connectivity in coastal environments during wind relaxations and reversals. Overall, this dissertation advances our understanding of the mechanisms driving onshore larval transport, emphasizing the critical role of physical mechanisms and coastal topography in shaping recruitment and population dynamics in coastal benthic ecosystems.