Science activity

This project advances the integration of high-frequency monitoring of flow, water quality (including chlorophyll and nutrients), suspended sediment, and biological responses at key locations throughout the Delta and Suisun Bay. Data collected by the fixed-station network provide critical information on the physical and chemical conditions that drive habitat quality and ecosystem responses targeted by management actions.

Enhanced monitoring of nutrients and phytoplankton at selected stations improves understanding of how hydrodynamics, water quality, and landscape features influence primary productivity and food-web dynamics. These measurements help identify factors affecting food quantity and quality, as well as conditions that may promote harmful algal blooms and toxin production.

Suspended-sediment monitoring supports assessments of sediment sources, sinks, transport pathways, and exchanges among regions, while improving understanding of turbidity variability across the study area. These data also provide information on sediment availability for existing tidal marshes and planned large-scale habitat restoration projects in the Delta.

This work is supported by several integrated teams:

• Hydrodynamics Team – Fixed-station network operation and maintenance; monitoring of flow, velocity, water level, and core water-quality parameters.

• Biogeochemistry Team – Fixed-station network operation and maintenance; monitoring of expanded water-quality parameters, nutrients, and phytoplankton dynamics.

• Bay Team – Fixed-station network operation and maintenance; monitoring of suspended sediment and water quality in San Francisco Bay.