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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

    Landscape Visioning Pilot Application for Staten Island

    Lead San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
    Description A demonstration project to define possible future land use scenarios for Staten island (“visions”) and leverage existing tools/resources to analyze and compare these scenarios.
    Science topics Habitat restoration, Carbon storage
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Soil type as a driver of agricultural climate change response in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

    Lead University of California - Berkeley [UC Berkeley]
    Description This research project aims to increase understanding of how iron-rich peatland soils cycle carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the delta and establish how carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas emissions vary with management practices and crop type. It also explores how a drier future climate will influence biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas emissions in iron-rich soils and how to best adapt land management practices. The goal of this research is to identify agricultural practices that can generate a portfolio of climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies for delta farmers. The greenhouse gas data collected as part of this research also helped to generate increasingly accurate emission offset credits for potential wetland restoration projects in California’s Cap-and-Trade program.
    Science topics Agriculture, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Soil
    Updated November 17, 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 and evapotranspiration, Non forested vegetation, Sea level rise, Sediments, Surface water flow, Wetlands
    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

    Next Generation Multi-Hazard Levee Risk Assessment

    Lead University of California - Los Angeles [UCLA]
    Description In June 2004, a 350-foot levee section gave way west of Stockton, flooding crops and more than a dozen homes, and challenging state officials to protect the state's water supply. What is the risk of that happening again somewhere in the Delta? In light of agricultural fields sinking, the sea level rising, more frequent and severe floods occurring, and earthquakes looming, improvements are estimated to cost $3.8 - $4.3 billion over the next few decades. This study combines 3-D representations with information on the levee’s structure to analyze how different levees respond to floods, sea level rise, and earthquakes. State officials released the last Delta Risk Management Strategy a decade ago. Since then, scientists have collected significant amounts of data and have developed new procedures to compute the risk of failure. This work will produce new Delta-wide data sets important for characterizing the hazards coming from floods and earthquakes. It will also develop the best method to conduct levee hazard assessments. Applying this new method will ensure wise investments and effective threat mitigation Delta-wide.
    Science topics None specified
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Recreational Hunting as an Ecosystem Service of Restoration in the Bay-Delta Watershed

    Lead Santa Clara University
    Description Ecological restoration in the Bay-Delta watershed provides increased access to hunting opportunities for recreational hunters in the region in addition to benefitting native flora and fauna. While increased hunting is not always considered an economic benefit, it is a dividend from investments in habitat restoration. This research will quantify in dollars the economic impact of restoring sites and opening them for hunting. The study will survey members of the public at restored sites in the Bay-Delta and Sacramento River regions that have resulted in new and/or improved hunting access. In addition to the economic analysis, the survey will shed light on two other issues: 1) whether there is a tradeoff among recreational usage, carbon storage, and habitat quality for restored sites, and 2) whether current users perceive an unmet need for recreational access in the region. These analyses will be useful in explaining multi-benefit restoration projects to stakeholders and policymakers, and informative to future decision-making.
    Science topics Hunting
    Updated December 7, 2022
  • Title

    Integrated Science and Management of Nutrient, Salt, and Mercury Export from San Joaquin River Wetland Tributaries to the Delta

    Lead University of California - Merced [UC Merced]
    Description Mercury, salinity, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are major contaminants of concern and are an understudied source of water quality impairment to the Delta. This study will (1) examine seasonal variation and transfer of salt, nutrients, and mercury out of managed wetlands;(2) establish and verify whether other routinely monitored water components can serve as reliable alternatives (proxies) for detecting mercury and nutrients;(3) integrate monitoring data and proxy relationships to estimate levels of contaminants;and (4) develop science-based strategies for adaptive co-management of salt, nutrients, and mercury from seasonal wetlands to improve water quality in the Delta. Outcomes from this study will provide improved best practices and guidelines for management of salt, nutrients, and mercury in wetlands. Results will also address key knowledge gaps identified in the Delta Nutrient Research Plan and provide support for the Delta Mercury Control Plan.
    Science topics Nutrients, Salinity, Hg and methyl mercury
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • 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 and transition zones, Invasive and non native species, Predation, Salmon migration, Steelhead Trout, Striped bass
    Updated April 30, 2025
  • Title

    Suisun Landscapes: historical ecology, functional metrics, and community priorities for landscape planning

    Lead San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
    Description

    To support management planning in Suisun Marsh, this project is developing a body of science and tools to understand past, present, and potential future changes to the Marsh’s ecological patterns, processes, and functions. This project builds on SFEI’s prior work in the Delta, extending historical ecology mapping, landscape change studies, and the Landscape Scenario Planning Tool to cover Suisun's historical and present-day landscapes. Through spatially explicit representations of the historical function and condition of the marsh and analyses of landscape metrics, this project is evaluating changes over time in landscape support for ecosystem functions and services in Suisun. In order to incorporate diverse perspectives into planning resources, project activities include engagement with local tribes and community members to understand community interests, priorities, and uses of the Marsh. Findings will be shared through a report and article for both technical and general audiences, and spatial analyses and data layers will be made available through the Landscape Scenario Planning Tool.

     
    Science topics None specified
    Updated October 10, 2024
  • Title

    Addressing CyanoHABs as a Threat to Water and Air Quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta

    Lead University of California - Santa Cruz [UCSC]
    Description

    The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) faces a serious threat from the recent proliferation of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs), particularly due to the production of high levels of cyanobacterial toxins. These blooms jeopardize water quality and pose a significant risk to air quality when toxins are released as particles in a process known as aerosolization. When people inhale these aerosols, it can trigger an inflammatory response, yet the specific form in which toxins are aerosolized remains unknown. Thus, an improved understanding of cyanobacterial toxin aerosolization mechanisms has significant human health implications. To assess the public health risks associated with airborne cyanobacterial toxins, the project examined the size distribution of cyanoHAB aerosols and the factors influencing their aerosolization. They also investigated the role of nutrient enrichment in cyanoHAB growth, cyanobacterial toxin production, and cyanotoxin aerosolization through a combination of laboratory and field experiments.

    Project Objectives

    1. Investigate and quantify the production of primary spray aerosols during cyanoHABs

    2. Assess the linkage of nutrient enrichment, phytoplankton community composition, toxin production, and cyanoHAB aerosol formation

    This project addresses a pressing environmental and public health concern. The data can be used to protect vulnerable communities living near affected bodies of water and inform ways to mitigate the adverse impacts of cyanoHABs on the Delta’s environmental and public health.

    This research improves Delta-specific human exposure guidelines to cyanoHAB aerosols by providing data essential for implementing effective public health measures, including recommendations on mask usage and understanding the expected way aerosols travel through the air from the shoreline. Their investigation into the relationship between nutrient availability, cyanoHABs growth dynamics, toxin production, and aerosol formation will offer valuable insights for management efforts aimed at regulating algal blooms to improve both water and air quality outcomes. Ultimately, this research will strengthen state agency responses to human illness associated with cyanoHABs and toxin exposure.
    Science topics Harmful algal blooms HAB
    Updated July 24, 2025