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  • Title

    Delta Wetland Resilience and Blue Carbon

    Lead San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
    Description This project estimates carbon storage for the past, present and future Delta, as well as GHG fluxes and elevation change based on chosen restoration and rice farming scenarios in the future Delta using the Delta Landscape Scenario Planning Tool. The project also investigates how well the current organic matter parameterizations and inorganic sediment parameterization in the Marsh Equilibrium Model (MEM) represent Delta marsh accretion processes. Knowledge of marsh accretion and migration will be used to develop a spatial conceptual model of marsh resilience in the Delta.
    Science topics Carbon, Greenhouse gas GHG, Resilience, Sea level rise, Subsidence, Wetlands
    Updated June 14, 2024
  • Title

    Delta Landscapes Primary Production Project

    Lead San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
    Description This project compares first-order estimates of primary production among five major groups of primary producers, historically and today, to better identify the potential food production of different habitat types, and inform restoration actions that could increase food availability for wildlife.
    Science topics Primary production, Phytoplankton, Emergent macrophytes, Epiphytic algae, SAV/FAV
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Reevaluating ecosystem functioning and carbon storage potential of a coastal wetland through integration of lateral and vertical carbon flux estimates

    Lead University of Washington [UW]
    Description This study aims to produce an integrated, net ecosystem carbon budget for Suisun Marsh, a representative ecosystem in the delta. This project combines diverse measurements on land and in the adjacent marine environment to produce the first directly measured, complete carbon budget for a coastal wetland habitat. This work has generated a more complete picture of the potential of wetland preservation for greenhouse gas reduction, as well as the processes that shape wetland accretion and resilience to sea-level rise. The project will provide vital information for understanding the ecosystem services, food webs, and carbon storage potential of the region’s wetlands, as well as provide new methodology that could be used by researchers around the world.
    Science topics Atmosphere, Carbon, Carbon storage, Evaporation / evapotranspiration, Non-forested vegetation, Sea level rise, Sediments, Surface water / flow, Wetlands
    Updated November 17, 2022
  • Title

    Do light, nutrient, and salinity interactions drive the “bad Suisun” phenomenon? A physiological assessment of biological hotspots in the San Francisco Bay-Delta

    Lead University of California - Santa Cruz [UCSC]
    Description This project assessed the physiological basis for reduced phytoplankton growth in Suisun Bay, prior to the major upgrade at the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP), which is responsible for 90% of the nitrogen released into the bay. The work involved analyzing almost three decades of historical eld data from the bay-delta and using it to build a model to evaluate environmental drivers of phytoplankton biomass. Discoveries from the eld data were then tested through laboratory culturing experiments. By illuminating the interacting e ects of bottom- up drivers (light, nutrients, salinity) on phytoplankton, this research helps provide a fundamental understanding of this complex ecosystem.
    Science topics Ammonia, Flushing rates, Light, Open water, Pelagic fish, Phytoplankton, Salinity, Wastewater discharge, Water temperature
    Updated November 17, 2022
  • Title

    Simulating methylmercury production and transport at the sediment-water interface to improve the water quality in the Delta

    Lead University of California - Merced [UC Merced]
    Description The aim of this project was to improve basic knowledge of mercury cycling and aid management of net methylmercury production in the delta by developing a kinetic-thermodynamic reaction model that describes and quantifies mercury cycling in delta sediments. The model was used to assess uncertainties and estimate methylation and demethylation rates — the processes by which methylmercury is produced and breaks down. In addition, the project examined coupling of mercury cycling with cycling of iron, sulfur, and manganese.
    Science topics Bioaccumulation, Chemistry, Hg and methyl mercury
    Updated November 17, 2022
  • Title

    Operation Baseline Project 1: Conceptual Framework

    Lead Delta Stewardship Council
    Description A multidisciplinary team will develop a thorough conceptual model that will describe current conditions and consider changes from the WWTP upgrade. The model will be used to identify the highest priority science questions and investigations to pursue before, during, and after the plant upgrade.
    Science topics Algae, Floating aquatic vegetation, Food webs, Nitrogen / ammonia, Open water, Other discharge contaminants, Phytoplankton, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Wastewater discharge, Water operations / exports, Wetlands, Zooplankton
    Updated December 14, 2022
  • Title

    The effects of early hypersaline acclimation due to climate change on the toxicity of pyrethroid, an insecticide, in salmonids.

    Lead University of California - Riverside [UC Riverside]
    Description Sea level rise and drought are expected to result in hypersaline waterways in the Delta. Endangered Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout go through smoltification to be able to live and mature in saline environments. However, with salinities and temperatures increasing in historically freshwater areas, these fish may be facing new stressors. Pesticide runoff into the Delta is common due to the urbanization and agriculture of many regions and can adversely affect fish. Additionally, previous research has shown that salinity exposure increases the toxicity of contaminants in anadromous fish, and it is had been demonstrated that bifenthrin, a common insecticide in the Bay, can have endocrine disrupting effects on juvenile salmonids. This project will examine the impacts of hypersaline conditions, various temperatures, and exposure to bifenthrin on the development and survival of juvenile Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout. Specifically, it will: Test the impacts of premature hypersaline acclimation and temperature on the survivial and smoltification process of a range of juvenile salmonids; Test the combined impacts of premature hypersaline acclimation, temperature, and bifenthrin exposure on smoltification, survival and behavior;and Predict the population level effects of drought and pesticide runoff on the health of endangered salmonids Additionally, this research will provide information to CA Department of Pesticide Regulation for potential pesticide management in the Delta, as well as to the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife for conservation practices of endangered juvenile salmonids in the Delta.
    Science topics Salinity
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Tidal Wetland Restoration in the Bay-Delta Region: Developing Tools to Measure Carbon Sequestration, Subsidence Reversal, and Climate Resiliance 2021

    Lead California State University [CSU]
    Description Tidal marshes are important ecosystems in the San Francisco-Bay Delta. They remove carbon from the atmosphere, build up soils that buffer our communities from sea level rise, mitigate excessive nutrients (like nitrogen), and provide critical habitat and food resources for a diversity of species. It is difficult to predict how tidal marshes change naturally over time versus as a response to climate change, restoration and water quality changes. This project provides the first ever multi-year dataset of the complete carbon budget of a tidal marsh. This dataset will be used to predict seasonal and annual carbon budgets in tidal marshes over a range of salinities. The model will assess the sustainability of existing and potential restored tidal wetland benefits over the next 100 years using remote sensing data. The model will be an open-source tool designed for use by wetland managers and decision makers in the Bay-Delta region. This project supports ongoing initiatives to restore tidal wetlands in the Delta and our ability to manage them in a changing world.
    Science topics None specified
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Evaluating Juvenile Salmonid Behavioral Responses to Hydrodynamic Conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

    Lead State Water Contractors [SWC]
    Description This study combines detailed model predictions with salmonid tracking data to inform how river flows affect steelhead movement through the Delta. This project leverages an existing 6-year data set to support analysis of salmonid behavioral responses across a broad range of water years. The study will evaluate behavior relative to flow under existing regulatory requirements (Old and Middle River Flow and the Inflow to Export ratio), evaluate five new potential water management metrics identified by the Collaborative Adaptive Management Team Salmonid Scoping Team, and improve the understanding of what conditions affect survival.
    Science topics None specified
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    An Evaluation of Sublethal and Latent Pyrethroid Toxicity Across a Salinity Gradient in Two Delta Fish Species

    Lead Oregon State University
    Description Pyrethroids are a type of insecticide frequently detected in the San Francisco Bay and Delta (SFBD). They are highly toxic to fishes and may contribute to their decline. The Central Valley Water Resources Control Board has adopted regulations for many pyrethroids. These concentration goals for Delta surface waters are quite stringent. However, they do not take into account non-lethal effects in fishes, particularly during the early life stages and at the salinity conditions we see in the SFBD. Understanding non-lethal effects in fish is vital to influencing population health. This study investigates pyrethroid toxicity on Delta smelt and Inland Silverside embryos, while accounting for changing SFBD salinity and other factors such as sediment. Results will inform the development of pesticide regulation criteria and control efforts, furthering the protection of SFBD fishes.
    Science topics None specified
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Consequences of Phragmites invasion for community function in Suisun Marsh

    Lead University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
    Description This project aims to quantify the impacts of common reed (Phragmites) invasion on community structure and ecosystem function during early stages of tidal restoration in wetlands. The study will focus on the Tule Red Tidal Restoration site in Suisun Marsh. The research aims to produce a conceptual model that will describe habitat structure, invertebrate communities, and predator use of wetlands affected by Phragmites invasion. The conceptual model resulting from this study will guide future predictions of wetland response to invasion and to develop mitigation strategies. Data collected will also support food web models and the understanding of invasive plants as stressors, as well as foster translational science to the management community.
    Science topics Invasive / non native species
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Wetland carbon sequestration and impacts of climate change

    Lead California State University [CSU]
    Description This project aims to improve understanding of atmospheric and hydrologic carbon fluxes in a restored tidal salt marsh in the South San Francisco Bay. I will use soil chambers to measure how much carbon dioxide and methane is taken in and emitted from the marsh. The project will also examine how spatial variability in marsh surface cover impact these exchanges. Shahan will use the data collected in this study to create a biogeochemical model that estimates the carbon budgets of wetlands in the Bay-Delta. A complete carbon budget will illuminate relationships between carbon fluxes and environmental variables. This information can support more informed management of wetlands, as well as allow researchers and decision makers to more effectively plan wetland restoration to be effective in managing carbon fluxes in the face of possible impacts due to climate change.
    Science topics Wetlands
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Environmental geochemistry and tidal wetland support of pelagic food webs

    Lead University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
    Description This project aims to characterize and quantify where detrital material (decaying plant matter) originates within wetlands, the composition of that material, and how export of detrital particles occurs. This project will combine powerful characterization tools and techniques that scale from molecules to ecosystems to assess spatial and temporal trends in particle sources, species and composition. Because restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will fundamentally alter particle distribution and food availability for aquatic organisms, this study will inform habitat restoration efforts and the revival of native fish populations. The tools developed and adapted for this project may inform management response during extreme conditions and climate events by helping to identify areas that may act as refugia for species.
    Science topics Wetlands
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Using existing datasets to understand multi-scale changes in and controls on biogeochemistry in the SF Bay-Delta

    Lead University of California - Santa Cruz [UCSC]
    Description In collaboration with the United States Geological Survey, this research will explore temporal and spatial variability of carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry across the San Francisco Bay-Delta. This science synthesis will capitalize on existing multi-year isotope datasets to gain new insights useful for understanding future changes in the system. The results generated from this two-year data synthesis project will be useful for improving our current understanding of factors driving changes in SF Bay-Delta biogeochemical processes. Results will also be informative for understanding the imminent changes coming to the from the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade.
    Science topics Nitrogen
    Updated November 17, 2022
  • Title

    Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey

    Lead Point Blue Conservation Science
    Description PFSS is a coordinated multi-partner monitoring program led by Point Blue Conservation Science designed to guide the management and conservation of wintering shorebirds in the Pacific Flyway. The PFSS contributes data to the Migratory Shorebird Project, the largest coordinated survey of wintering shorebirds on the Pacific Coast of the Americas spanning 10 countries from Canada to Peru.
    Science topics Hunting, Flood, Mudflats, Intertidal / transition zones, Above-highwater refugia, Sloughs, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non-forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Shorebirds, Saltwater / freshwater marshes, Habitat, Non-resident / overwintering birds
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    California Partners In Flight [CalPIF]

    Lead Point Blue Conservation Science
    Description The CalPIF mission is to promote the conservation of resident and migratory landbirds and their habitats in California through research, monitoring, education, and collaboration among public and private landowners and managers, government agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals and other bird conservation efforts. The California chapter of Partners in Flight (CalPIF) was established in 1992. The California Partners in Flight program has completed eight habitat and bioregion based Bird Conservation Plans (BCP's) for Riparian, Oak Woodlands, Coastal Scrub and Chaparral, Grasslands, Coniferous Forests, Sagebrush, Desert, and the Sierra Nevada Bioregion. These BCPs are for every land manager and researcher interested in improving habitat for landbirds. These plans are dynamic documents that will follow a continous process of developing and updating conservation recommendations for California's habitats based on the latest scientific monitoring and research data.
    Science topics Mudflats, Intertidal / transition zones, Above-highwater refugia, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non-forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Non-resident / overwintering birds
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Central Valley Enhanced Acoustic Tagging Project

    Lead National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]
    Description There is a well documented need for improved detection and associated modeling of salmon migration and survival in the Central Valley. We propose to address this need through an expanded acoustic receiver network and associated real-time and retrospective modeling of the data. The proposed work includes (1) the deployment of real-time receivers that will provide timely information on migrating salmon smolt location and timing, (2) expansion of the existing autonomous acoustic array to increase the coverage and detection efficiency;(3) development of new metrics for the real-time data for key management relevant questions such as entrainment estimates at critical junctions (Georgiana Slough and Delta Cross Channel);and (4) a retrospective analyses directly geared toward improving the quality and robustness of an existing forecasting model - the NMFS enhanced particle tracking model.
    Science topics Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Contra Costa Water District Source Water Monitoring

    Lead Contra Costa Water District [CCWD]
    Description CCWD source water monitoring provides information on Delta water prior to intake and treatment for water supply. Conduct monitoring at several water supply sites located near the intakes of (or inside) the California and North Bay aqueducts and Contra Costa Canal. Water supply programs monitor general water quality and a wide range of constituents of concern relevant to drinking water, including nutrients, OC, bromide, pathogens, and pesticides.
    Science topics Nitrogen / ammonia, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Salinity, pH, Turbidity, Lead, Copper, Other discharge contaminants, Conductivity, Fecal coliform / E. coli
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Water Quality Exchange [WQX]

    Lead U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA]
    Description The Water Quality Exchange (WQX) is the mechanism for data partners to submit water monitoring data to EPA. The Water Quality Exchange (WQX) is a framework that allows states, tribes and other data partners to submit and share water quality monitoring data via the web to the Water Quality Portal. WQX uses the technology, standards and protocols of the National Environmental Information Exchange Network, or Exchange Network, to provide a means for data partners to share water quality monitoring data to the Water Quality Portal. WQX is not a distributed database, but rather a standard set of data elements that all data partners map to in order to share data. States, tribes and others who store water quality data in a personal database and have the ability to generate XML files, can now submit data directly to the publicly-accessible Water Quality Portal using the WQX framework. In response to the need for common access to standardized water quality data for the nation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council developed the Water Quality Portal (WQP), the largest standardized water quality data access tool available at the time of this writing.
    Science topics Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Hg and methyl mercury, Polychlorinated biphenyl PCB, Hydrocarbons / polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAH, Flame retardants, Endocrine disruptors, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Microplastics, Nitrogen / ammonia, Other discharge contaminants, Conductivity, Fecal coliform / E. coli
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Groundwater Monitoring

    Lead U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
    Description The SJRRP has installed 211 groundwater monitoring wells with 48 locations measuring groundwater temperature. Most monitoring wells are manually measured weekly and results from fourteen key monitoring wells are available online. Groundwater levels in many of these wells will be measured electronically at a high frequency (hourly) and manual measurements will be made periodically to assure the quality of data recorded by the instruments. Generally weekly/monthly manual groundwater level measurements will be made, with more frequent weekly measurements made in priority wells. Several key wells will be telemetered, transmitted real-time to a central database, and posted on CDEC, with links from the SJRRP website (restoresjr.net).
    Science topics Water storage, Water conveyance / infrastructure, Levees, Groundwater, Water temperature, Conductivity, Water use / demand
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Aquatic Invasive Species [AIS] Program

    Lead U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]
    Description The overarching AIS goal is that "Risks of aquatic invasive species invasions are substantially reduced, and their economic, ecological, and human health impacts are minimized.” This goal is addressed through a series of performance and workload measures. The AIS Program provides funding for Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinators for each Region within the Service and their respective aquatic nuisance species activities. These coordinators work closely with the public and private sector to develop and implement invasive species projects. One of the primary initiatives of the program is the prevention of invasive species via boats through the "100th Meridian Initiative" (overseen by individual AIS regional coordinators). This initiative aims to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species by boats personal watercraft and other pathways. Through boat inspections and boaters assessments along the 100th meridian, partners can learn how to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other AIS via transport of boats and personal watercraft.
    Science topics Mudflats, Intertidal / transition zones, Above-highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Striped bass, Corbicula/Potamocorbula, Nutria, Water hyacinth, Brazilian waterweed, Spongeplant, Giant reed, Yellow star thistle, Saltwater / freshwater marshes, Fish, Mammals, Amphibians and reptiles, Invasive / non native species
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    California Rice Commission [CA Rice] Groundwater Monitoring

    Lead California Rice Commission
    Description In 1997, 28 rice wells were installed by the USGS. Since then, several of the wells have been destroyed or replaced and new wells have been installed to complement the original wells. Currently, 24 wells are active and used for water level monitoring and groundwater quality sampling. After two full network sampling events, the USGS used five network wells for trend monitoring as part of the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Cycle II groundwater monitoring activities (from 2004 to 2014). Under the current monitoring program, now in Cycle III (2014 to 2024), water level monitoring is conducted bi-annually. In 2017, water quality monitoring will include the full network of active wells
    Science topics Agriculture, Groundwater, Nitrogen / ammonia, Suspended sediment, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Seasonally flooded, Non-forested vegetation, Conductivity
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program [GAMA]

    Lead U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
    Description The Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program is California's comprehensive groundwater quality monitoring program that was created by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) in 2000. It was later expanded by Assembly Bill 599 - the Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001. AB 599 required the State Water Board, in coordination with an Interagency Task Force (ITF) and Public Advisory Committee (PAC) to integrate existing monitoring programs and design new program elements as necessary, resulting in a publicly accepted plan to monitor and assess groundwater quality in basins that account for 95% of the state's groundwater use. The GAMA Program is based on interagency collaboration with the State and Regional Water Boards, Department of Water Resources, Department of Pesticide Regulations, U.S. Geological Survey, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and cooperation with local water agencies and well owners.
    Science topics Groundwater, Salinity, Hg and methyl mercury, Hydrocarbons / polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAH, Flame retardants, Endocrine disruptors, Lead, Arsenic, Selenium, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Nitrogen / ammonia, Other discharge contaminants, Conductivity, Habitat, Fecal coliform / E. coli
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Smelt Larva Survey

    Lead California State Water Resources Control Board [SWRCB]
    Description The Smelt Larva Survey provides near real-time distribution data for longfin smelt larvae in the Delta, Suisun Bay and Suisun Marsh. Sampling takes place within the first two weeks in January and repeats every other week through the second week in March. Each 4-day survey consists of a single 10-minute oblique tow conducted at each of the 35 survey locations (see map) using an egg and larva net. The 505-micron mesh net is hung on a rigid frame shaped like an inverted-U, which in turn is attached to skis to prevent it from digging into the bottom when deployed. The net mouth area measures 0.37 m2. The conical net tapers back from the frame 3.35 m to a 1-liter cod-end jar, which collects and concentrates the sample. Immediately after each tow, juvenile fishes are removed, identified, measured and returned to the water immediately, and the remaining larvae are preserved in 10% formalin for later identification in the Lab in Stockton.
    Science topics Stage, Salinity, Water temperature, Turbidity, Main channels, Sloughs, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Conductivity
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Spring Kodiak Trawl Survey

    Lead California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
    Description The Spring Kodiak Trawl Survey (SKT) has sampled annually since its inception in 2002. The SKT determines the relative abundance and distribution of spawning delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus). The SKT samples 40 stations each month from January to May. These 40 stations range from San Pablo Bay upstream to Stockton on the San Joaquin River, Walnut Grove on the Sacramento River, and the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel. Each 'Delta-wide' survey takes approximately 4 - 5 days per month to complete. Historically, 'Delta-wide' surveys were followed by a 'Supplemental' survey two weeks later to intensively sample areas of highest delta smelt concentration to estimate the proportion of male and female delta smelt that were in pre-spawning, spawning and spent maturation stages. Beginning in 2008, in an effort to minimize take of spawning adults, routine 'Supplemental' surveys were discontinued and are now only conducted under the recommendation of the Smelt Working Group and the approval of managers.
    Science topics Stage, Salinity, Water temperature, Turbidity, Main channels, Sloughs, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Conductivity, Other species
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    California Aquatic Resource Inventory [CARI]

    Lead San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
    Description The California Aquatic Resource Inventory is a standardized statewide map of surface waters and related habitat types, including wetlands, rivers, streams, lakes, and their riparian areas. The CARI v0 dataset includes: the National Wetland Inventory (NWI, last updated in 2010) of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD, high resolution dataset at 1:2400 scale, last updated in 1999) of the US Geological Survey, three regional datasets developed by SFEI's GIS team using CARI's standardized, and more detailed, mapping protocols and used to demonstrate the WRAMP framework. Links to more information about these mapping efforts are listed below under "Subprojects" (below). San Francisco Bay Area Aquatic Resources Inventory (BAARI)- 2011 Lake Tahoe Basin (TARIv2.1) - 2016 Laguna de Santa Rosa Plain (near Santa Rosa ,CA. NCARI) - 2013, and Six County Aquatic Resources Inventory (including Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Yuba, and Sutter Counties, California) developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (Sacramento District) through federal funding - 2010. For more information contact ecoatlas@sfei.org
    Science topics Mudflats, Intertidal / transition zones, Above-highwater refugia, Saltwater / freshwater marshes
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Multibeam Delta Bathymetry Surveys

    Lead California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
    Description The California Department of Water Resources (CA-DWR), North Central Region Office (NCRO), Bathymetry and Technical Support Section has conducted bathymetry surveys in the Delta since 2011 (according to the Bathymetry Catalog). Data have been used to support planning for the installation of behavioural fish barriers, to assess the river’s channel capacity and ability to convey flows, to assess water quality dynamics, to better understand the area’s risk of flooding and to improve the quality of flood hazard data and maps available to local communities (under the DWR’s FloodSAFE California Initiative), to improve knowledge of sediment presence and movement, to provide high-resolution bathymetry data for hydraulic models, to assess the placement of a drought barrier, to determine how the channel bottom is evolving due to the installation of an emergency drought barrier, and to determine the effects of fish passage projects.
    Science topics Flood, Land elevation, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Sacramento District Water Control Data System [WCDS]

    Lead U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE]
    Description The Sacramento District's Water Control Data System (WCDS) collects data necessary for the management of Corps Reservoirs and Flood Control Space in Non-Corps Reservoirs (i.e.,"Section 7" projects)
    Science topics Water operations / exports, Water storage, Water conveyance / infrastructure, Wastewater discharge, Surface water / flow, Stage, Flood, Air temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Main channels, Sloughs, Environmental drivers, Snowpack / snow water equivalent SWE, Water use / demand
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Invasive Species Program

    Lead California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
    Description The mission of the Invasive Species Program is to reduce the negative effects of non-native invasive species on the wildlands and waterways of California. We are involved in efforts to prevent the introduction of these species into the state, detect and respond to introductions when they occur, and prevent the spread of invasive species that have become established. The Quagga/Zebra program particularly relies heavily on water quality data, as the species will not establish in waters with low calcium. Therefore they rely substantially on water quality data collected and housed by others (primarily DWR). A large part of their effort is in training other state or private recreational agencies to recognize and report the species, and therefore also reported by others.
    Science topics Mudflats, Intertidal / transition zones, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Open water, Managed ponds, Waterfowl, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Corbicula/Potamocorbula, Nutria, Water hyacinth, Brazilian waterweed, Spongeplant, Giant reed, Yellow star thistle, Saltwater / freshwater marshes, Other species, Mammals, Amphibians and reptiles, Invasive / non native species
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Water Tracker

    Lead Point Blue Conservation Science
    Description The Water Tracker is an automated system that provides up-to-date and accurate data on surface water distributions in the Central Valley. This information is useful for water and wetland managers when making decisions about water management.
    Science topics Surface water / flow, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Surface Water Protection Program

    Lead California Department of Pesticide Regulation [DPR]
    Description CA Department of Pesticide Regulation is the lead agency for regulating the registration, sales and use of pesticides in California. It is required by law to protect the environment, including surface waters, from environmentally harmful pesticides by prohibiting, regulating, or controlling the uses of such pesticides. The Surface Water Protection Program addresses both agricultural and nonagricultural sources of pesticide residues in surface waters. It has preventive and response components that reduce the presence of pesticides in surface waters. The preventive component includes local outreach to promote management practices that reduce pesticide runoff. Prevention also relies on DPR's registration process in which potential adverse effects to surface water quality, particularly those in high-risk situations are evaluated. The response component includes mitigation options to meet water quality goals, recognizing the value of self-regulating efforts to reduce pesticides in surface water as well as regulatory authorities of DPR, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB).
    Science topics Surface water / flow, Groundwater, Toxicity, Endocrine disruptors, Copper, Constituent of emerging concern CEC, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Non-forested vegetation, Habitat
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Regional Geologic Mapping Program [RGMP]

    Lead California Department of Conservation [DOC]
    Description The Geologic Mapping Program was established to prepare and maintain a baseline source of the most current information on the framework geology of California. CGS geologists map and compile geologic maps of the state and its offshore continental margin at various scales. These efforts are partly supported by the U.S. Geological Survey through the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program The Geologic Mapping Program works in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through STATEMAP and SCAMP. Geologic mapping priorities are established under the direction of the State Geologist and the California Geologic Mapping Advisory Committee. The RGMP has also produced Statewide Geologic Maps at various scales, and Regional Geologic Maps at 1:250,000 scale. Currently the 2010 State Geologic Map of California (Geologic Data Map No. 2) at 1:750,000 scale (1 inch = approximately 12 miles) is the most detailed statewide map. A simplified geologic map at 1:2,250,000 scale is also available. The more detailed Regional Geologic Maps at 1:250,000 scale are available for the entire state a​s part of the Geologic Atlas of California series or the Regional Geologic Map series. As mentioned above, more recent maps in the Regional Geologic Map series are being prepared at 1:100,000 scale. These are available from CGS Publications and our Preliminary Geologic Maps web page​. Many CGS geologic maps can also be found through the CGS Information Warehouse.
    Science topics Land elevation, Subsidence, Sea level rise, Seismicity, Suspended sediment, Bedload, Deposition, Erosion, Chemistry, Forests, Non-forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Seismic Hazards Program

    Lead California Department of Conservation [DOC]
    Description The Seismic Hazards Program delineates areas prone to ground failure and other earthquake-related hazards including soil liquefaction (the failure of water-saturated soil), earthquake-induced landslides, surface fault rupture, and tsunami inundation. Cities and counties are required to use these maps in their land-use planning and building permit processes so that these hazards are identified and mitigated for development projects prior to the next major earthquake. Additionally, the program reviews and provides comments on geologic and seismic hazards that apply directly to the design and construction of essential and critical facilities around the state. These facilities include schools, hospitals, nuclear power plants, hazardous waste repositories, and others, typically under contract to other state agencies. The program compiles information about past earthquakes, the potential for earthquakes on major faults, and rates of deformation across California to estimate the potential for future earthquakes. The Seismic Hazards Program works closely with the U.S. Geological Survey to produce earthquake shaking maps that are used in development of building codes and in earthquake damage and loss estimates.
    Science topics Agriculture, Urban development, Land elevation, Subsidence, Sea level rise, Seismicity, Suspended sediment, Bedload, Deposition, Erosion, Chemistry, Forests, Non-forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Mineral Resources Program

    Lead California Department of Conservation [DOC]
    Description Mineral Resources Program provides data about California's varied non-fuel mineral resources (such as metals and industrial minerals), naturally occurring mineral hazards (such as asbestos, radon, and mercury), and information about active and historic mining activities throughout the state. Program reports and maps are shared with governmental agencies, universities, repository libraries and are available for purchase from CGS. Older reports are available in paper;some newer reports are available in paper and digital formats compatible with commonly used Geographic Information System (GIS) software. The program is divided into two projects: the Mineral Resources Project and the Mineral Hazards Project;The "Mineral Hazards Project" provides maps, technical information and advice, and monitors activities about minerals-related environmental and public health issues such as naturally occurring heavy metals, asbestos, mercury and radon;The "Mineral Resources Project" provides objective geologic expertise and information about California's diverse non-fuel mineral resources. Non-fuel mineral resources fall into three categories: metals, industrial minerals and construction aggregate.
    Science topics Suspended sediment, Deposition, Erosion, Chemistry, Toxicity, Hg and methyl mercury, Forests, Non-forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Environmental drivers, Energy and mines
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Central Valley Joint Venture [CVJV]

    Lead U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]
    Description The Central Valley Joint Venture (CVJV) is a self-directed coalition consisting of 21 State and Federal agencies, private conservation organizations and one corporation. This partnership directs their efforts toward the common goal of providing for the habitat needs of migrating and resident birds in the Central Valley of California. The CVJV was established in 1988 as a regional partnership focused on the conservation of waterfowl and wetlands under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. It has since broadened its focus to the conservation of habitats for other birds, consistent with major national and international bird conservation plans and the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. The Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture was formally organized in 1988 and was one of the original six priority joint ventures formed under the NAWMP. Renamed the Central Valley Joint Venture in 2004, the Management Board now consists of nineteen public and private members. The CVJV is currently administered through a coordination office within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is guided by a Management Board that receives input and recommendations from a variety of working committees.
    Science topics Hunting, Agriculture, Urban development, Recreation & tourism, Mudflats, Intertidal / transition zones, Above-highwater refugia, Seasonally flooded, Riparian wildlife, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, Habitat, Non-resident / overwintering birds
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    SAIL [Coordinated Enhanced Acoustic Telemetry Program]

    Lead U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
    Description These monitoring efforts can provide critical information on juvenile salmonid distribution and survival, which inform biologists and managers interpretations of the exposure and intensity of CVP and SWP water operation risks on tagged populations in Central Valley rivers and the Bay- Delta. Understanding salmon survival and migration dynamics in the Delta and its tributaries is critical to the recovery of ESA-listed species, and sport and commercial fisheries management. For example, estimating the population size of endangered Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook (SRWRC) as they enter and exit the Delta is considered critical for informing Delta water management actions (Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) SAG 2013). “The use of realtime acoustic receivers that immediately transmit acoustic tagged (AT) fish detections needs to be included in the expanded network” (Johnson et al., in press). Tracking the fate of individual tagged fish will be accomplished with AT and used to develop estimates of survival and movement for other non-AT fish also part of that group. Population level sampling programs will use survival estimates generated by AT and applied to other mass marked (coded wire tagging) groups to develop improved capture efficiency for these sampling programs. Objectives: • Deploy and service field monitoring acoustic telemetry stations at locations important to fish and water management. • Implant, transport, and release acoustically tagged juvenile ESA-listed wild and hatchery juvenile salmonids. • Analysis and synthesis to support production and development of new metrics for understanding the survival, distribution, and entrainment of juvenile salmonid along the Sacramento River and its floodways, as well as, the Bay-Delta. Six-Year Steelhead Study Continuation Reclamation’s Proposed Action for ROC on LTO Section 4.10.5.12.3 Additional Measures includes a San Joaquin Basin Steelhead Telemetry Study -- Continuation of the 6-Year Steelhead telemetry study for the migration and survival of San Joaquin Origin Central Valley Steelhead. This investigation involves undertaking experiments utilizing acoustically-tagged salmonids to confirm proportional causes of mortality due to flows, exports, and other project and non-project adverse effects on steelhead smelt out-migrating from the San Joaquin Basin and through the southern Delta. This study is to coincide with different periods of operations and focus on clipped hatchery steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The period of interest is between February 15 and June 15, which coincides with a majority of O. mykiss outmigration from the Stanislaus River and recoveries of steelhead smolts in the Mossdale fish monitoring efforts. This period is to include changes in CVP/SWP operations that include reductions in exports, reductions in reverse flows in Old and Middle rivers (OMR), and San Joaquin River pulse flows to assess the influence of flow and exports on juvenile steelhead survival. This study is designed to evaluate juvenile steelhead route selection at channel divergences in the south Delta and along the mainstem San Joaquin River, and how these behaviors influence survival in specific reaches and through the Delta to Chipps Island.
    Science topics None specified
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Restoring tidal marsh foodwebs: assessing restoration effects on trophic interactions and energy flows in the San Francisco Bay-Delta

    Lead University of California - Berkeley [UC Berkeley]
    Description The objective of this research on tidal marsh food webs is to examine whether and how restoration (via breaching dikes) may translate into recovery of diverse energy pathways and trophic interactions between basal resources, primary consumers, and predators. By comparing food webs at several tidal marshes, I will answer the following questions: (1) How does food web structure vary between reference and restored tidal marshes over time (seasons and years) and across a salinity gradient? (2)What mechanisms explain variation in food web structure within and between reference and restored tidal marshes–are they related to energy flows (food quantity, quality, transfer efficiency), community composition, or both? (3) What role do non-native species play in potentially shifting food web structure–e.g., changing community membership, sequestering energy from natives? This project builds on a large breadth of research that has used stable isotopes to characterize tidal marsh food webs in the Bay-Delta and other regions.
    Science topics Food webs, Wetlands
    Updated May 8, 2024
  • Title

    Standard Operating Procedure for Diagnosing and Addressing Predator Detections in Salmon Telemetry Data

    Lead University of Washington [UW]
    Description Tag predation is a complicating factor in juvenile salmon telemetry studies that can bias results, delay timely reporting, and prevent effective data synthesis. This project addresses the problem by (1) characterizing predatory fish movement patterns from existing telemetry data in the Delta; (2) developing a standard operating procedure for diagnosing and handling detections of predated tags in salmon telemetry studies; and (3) implementing the recommendations in a software package in Program R that includes code, a “library” of expected predator behaviors, and example vignettes. The R package will be freely available for download at www.cbr.washington.edu.
    Science topics Chinook Salmon, Endangered species, Fish, Intertidal / transition zones, Invasive / non native species, Predation, Salmon migration, Steelhead Trout, Striped bass
    Updated December 26, 2023
  • Title

    Impacts of predation and habitat on Central Valley Chinook smolt survival

    Lead University of Vermont, USGS Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
    Description The Sacramento River in California’s Central Valley has been highly modified over the past 150 years due to mining, urbanization, and impoundment/diversion of river flow to provide water for municipal, industrial, and agricultural needs. Land use changes combined with high levels of harvest have been accompanied by drastic declines in native salmon populations, including the once abundant Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Further, the region has been subject to the introduction and widespread establishment of non-native fish species, some of which are predators of juvenile salmon. Of the four historic ecotypes of Chinook salmon (fall, late-fall, winter, and spring runs), winter- and spring-runs have been most impacted and are currently listed as endangered and threatened respectively under the US Endangered Species act. Past research has illustrated how smoltification of juvenile salmon and outmigration from freshwater to the ocean is a time of increased mortality, and reduced survival at this life stage can impact the number of reproducing adults returning to the system in subsequent years. While these studies have provided valuable information on how habitat and environmental conditions experienced by migrating Chinook salmon smolts can affect survival, they have primarily focused on individual ecotypes during the portion of the year where downstream migrations occur. However, variation in smolt size and migration timing among ecotypes can expose migrating fish to differing environmental conditions and levels of exposure to predation, which can present distinct risks for outmigration survival. To identify the areas and environmental conditions which have the greatest relative impact on juvenile survival for each ecotype, this project will use over ten years of data (2012-2022) from acoustically tagged smolts representing all four Chinook salmon ecotypes in the Sacramento River/Central Valley. Combining these data will increase sample size relative to previous studies, the range of environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, flow, and predator abundance) modeled, the range of fish sizes, and thus, the statistical power of our analyses. We hypothesize that each ecotype will have different factors that will be the primary drivers of mortality experienced during outmigration. To test our hypotheses, we will implement Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) mark-recapture models to estimate both the probability of survival through reaches of the Sacramento River delineated by acoustic receivers, and the detection probability in each reach. Survival will be modeled as a function of individual, release group, reach-specific, and time-varying covariates. Further, to examine the relative impact of predation on smolt survival, we will include an additional covariate representing predator-prey encounter rates using the Mean Free-path Length model. Finally, model selection will be applied to a series of CJS models to assess the relative impact of each covariate on smolt survival for each of the four Chinook ecotypes.
    Science topics Chinook Salmon, Environmental drivers, Fish, Flows, Habitat, Predation, Salmon migration, Water temperature
    Updated February 2, 2024
  • Title

    Source characterization and biogeochemical consequences of wastewater and agricultural C, N, and P inputs to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region.

    Lead University of California - Santa Cruz [UCSC]
    Description This project aimed to characterize the sources of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur compounds from wastewater treatment plant and agricultural discharge in the region. Stable isotope measurement provides elemental signatures that can be used to trace compounds to their sources. Use of this methodology requires that researchers first characterize the stable isotope composition of sources—or fingerprint the suspects. By determining the stable isotope composition of various compounds in wastewater and agricultural drainage sources, this project aimed to build a better understanding of how these compounds are affected by different wastewater treatment agricultural land use practices. In addition, the project has provided a base of knowledge to better understand how these compounds are transported and taken up in the delta environment.
    Science topics Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Wastewater discharge
    Updated February 26, 2024