Analyses of Rotary Screw Trap Sampling of Migrating Juvenile Chinook Salmon in the Stanislaus River, 1996-2005

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | August 1st, 2006

Annual Report of Activities October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014, American River Group (ARG)

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | September 30th, 2014

Annual Report of Activities October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014, Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon (DOSS) Technical Working Group

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | October 31st, 2014

Annual Report of Activities, October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014, Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG)

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | September 30th, 2014

Anthropogenic carbon and ocean pH: Oceanography

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | September 25th, 2003

Most carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the burning of fossil fuels will eventually be absorbed by the ocean1, with potentially adverse co

Most carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the burning of fossil fuels will eventually be absorbed by the ocean1, with potentially adverse consequences for marine biota. Here we quantify the changes in ocean pH that may result from this continued release of CO2 and compare these with pH changes estimated from geological and historical records. We find that oceanic absorption of CO2 from fossil fuels may result in larger pH changes over the next several centuries than any inferred from the geological record of the past 300 million years, with the possible exception of those resulting from rare, extreme events such as bolide impacts or catastrophic methane hydrate degassing.

Applied Aquatic Science: A Business Plan for EcoAtlas

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | March 7th, 2017

The EcoAtlas suite of tools represents a significant investment of time, energy, thought, scientific testing, technical innovation, and capital from a number of state and

The EcoAtlas suite of tools represents a significant investment of time, energy, thought, scientific testing, technical innovation, and capital from a number of state and federal public agencies, grant programs, and NGOs over the course of its 17-year existence. The toolset embodies the scientific and programmatic investments of the California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup (CWMW), its many related state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private consultants, as well as the goals of the growing set of stakeholders who have expanded the circle of interested parties over the years. It is known by many names -- “WRAMP” being most common -- but in its essence it comprises the following tools:  ● EcoAtlas map viewer ● Project Tracker ● The California Aquatic Resources Inventory (CARI) map and editor tool ● The California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) ● The Riparian Zone Estimator Tool (RipZET) Now highly capable, the toolset represents more than science and technology alone, but a distillation of both, customized to meet specific goals associated with the landscape-scale tracking and characterization of California’s aquatic resources. The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), for instance, has supported the toolset through multiple development grants so that the collected tools might be complementary to a still-nascent, statewide wetland protection program. Meanwhile, the state’s Coastal and Delta Conservancies require the use of the tool, and regional water boards -- including SF Bay, Lahontan, and North Coast -- regularly employ the tool for mitigation and restoration project tracking. Essentially, EcoAtlas has proven critical to a variety of programs and represents a successful product of broad-based collaboration. However, it currently stands at a crossroads, and its stakeholders must direct the toolset’s future. The following plan is intended to ensure the continued vitality of the toolset. The plan’s success will depend upon the continued collaboration of the public agencies that have supported the toolset thus far, but it must also integrate principles of resilience as it accounts for the tensions that arise as organizations move in different strategic directions. 

Aquatic Ecosystem Stressors in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | May 5th, 2012

This report presents results from an analysis of the institutional and legal options for more effective ecosystem management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It is pa

This report presents results from an analysis of the institutional and legal options for more effective ecosystem management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It is part of a wide-ranging study on the management of multiple ecosystem stressors in the Delta. .

Aquatic Life Study Final Report

San Joaquin Valley Drainage Authority | January 6th, 2016

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long Term Sustainability (CV‐SALTS) is developing a comprehensive regulatory and programmatic approach to the management of sa

Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long Term Sustainability (CV‐SALTS) is developing a comprehensive regulatory and programmatic approach to the management of salt and nitrate in the Central Valley that is consistent with the State Recycled Water Policy (SRWP). This work is being carried out collaboratively with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board), the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), the Central Valley Salinity Coalition and Stakeholders. As stated in the CV‐SALTS Strategy and Framework document, the strategy to fulfill the requirements of the SRWP is to adopt a Central Valley Salt and Nitrate Management Plan (SNMP) and revise the Basin Plans applicable to the Central Valley to facilitate implementation of the SNMP. This effort includes a technical review of the state of science with regards to the establishment of appropriate water quality objectives (WQO) to protect surface water beneficial uses. This Aquatic Life Study was undertaken to evaluate the technical basis for the establishment of salinity‐related WQOs to protect aquatic life in the Central Valley. The findings of this analysis will be considered by CV‐SALTS during development and adoption of the SNMP.

Assessing the Impact of Periodic Dredging on Macroinvertebrate Prey Availability for Benthic Foraging Fishes

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2017

Due to its importance for special status fish, the San Francisco Bay (SFB) estuary has been designated as Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Due to its importance for special status fish, the San Francisco Bay (SFB) estuary has been designated as Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act ([MSA; 16 U.S.C. 18559b)]. Within this estuary, benthic macroinvertebrate communities provide important prey resources for many economically significant fish species that rely on EFH. Periodic maintenance dredging can impact these infaunal communities; however, there is a lack of scientific information specific to SFB on the degree of benthic community disruption caused by dredging. In addition, rates of benthic community recolonization and recovery following dredging and subsequent effects on foraging fish are unknown. For this reason, it is difficult for regulatory and resource agencies to determine the impacts of maintenance dredging. Thus, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the consortium of agencies (US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFRWQCB), and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)) comprising the San Francisco Bay Long Term Management Strategy for Dredging (LTMS) effort identified a study of dredging impacts on SFB fish foraging habitat as one of their highest priorities in their 2011 Programmatic EFH Agreement. 

Assessment of Nutrient Status and Trends in the Delta in 2001–2016: Effects of drought on ambient concentrations and trends

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | March 1st, 2018

Nutrients and the effects of nutrients on water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a priority focus area for the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta RMP)

Nutrients and the effects of nutrients on water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a priority focus area for the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta RMP). The Program’s first assessment question regarding nutrients is: “How do concentrations of nutrients (and nutrient-associated parameters) vary spatially and temporally?” In this analysis, we confirmed previously reported declining trends in the San Joaquin River for nutrient concentrations at Vernalis and chlorophyll-a concentrations at Buckley Cove and Disappointment Slough. A slight increasing trend for dissolved oxygen at Buckley Cove was also detected which could be confirmation that management actions for the San Joaquin River Dissolved Control Program are having the desired effect. Finally, at stations in Suisun Bay, the Confluence region, and Franks Tract, chlorophyll-a showed modest increasing trends, which were not evident in previous analyses. The new analyses presented in this report and the findings from earlier reports constitute encouraging early progress toward answering the Delta RMP’s assessment questions. Specifically, due to the existence of long-term data sets and synthesis efforts, spatial and temporal trends in the concentrations of nutrients and nutrient-related parameters are reasonably well understood and so are the magnitudes of the most important sources of nutrients from outside the Delta. However, additional synthesis work could be done to understand the factors behind these trends. Large knowledge gaps remain about nutrient sinks, sources, and processes within the Delta. The mechanistic, water quality-hydrodynamic models being developed for the Delta may be able to address these questions in the future.