Science activities

Reset filters

Text search

Management theme

Science theme

Type

Delta region

Status

Science function

Management actions

Science topics

Science action area

Start year

End year

Lead implementing organization

Partner implementing organizations

Primary funding organizations

Funding programs

Funding Sources

Records

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	October 13, 2023

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 / evapotranspiration, Non-forested vegetation, Sea level rise, Sediments, Surface water / flow, Wetlands
Updated	November 17, 2022

Title	Surface Water Quality Monitoring
Lead	California State Water Resources Control Board [SWRCB]
Description	Within the ILRP, growers can opt to acquire one of 2 types of permit coverage: Coalition coverage and Individual coverage. If the coalition option is chosen, a grower is allowed to share the cost of compliance, monitoring and reporting with other members of the coalition and reduces/eliminates grower interactions with the Central Valley Water Board (CVWB). The CVWB will then undertake the water quality monitoring. Ambient water and sediment quality monitoring for agricultural discharge will occur using three types of monitoring: Core Monitoring, Assessment Monitoring, and Management Plan Monitoring. Combined, these three levels of monitoring are designed to characterize the discharge from irrigated agriculture as a result of irrigation and storm water runoff.
Science topics	Agriculture, Surface water / flow, Nitrogen / ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Chemistry, Toxicity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, Insecticides, Rodenticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Other discharge contaminants, Conductivity, Fecal coliform / E. coli
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	AmeriFlux Network
Lead	U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Biological and Environmental Research [DOE-BER]
Description	AmeriFlux is a network of PI-managed sites measuring ecosystem CO2, water, and energy fluxes in North, Central and South America. AmeriFlux is now one of the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Researchâ€™s (BER) best-known and most highly regarded brands in climate and ecological research. AmeriFlux datasets, and the understanding derived from them, provide crucial linkages between terrestrial ecosystem processes and climate-relevant responses at landscape, regional, and continental scales. Scientific Questions What are the magnitudes of carbon storage and the exchanges of energy, CO2 and water vapor in terrestrial systems? What is the spatial and temporal variability? How is this variability influenced by vegetation type, phenology, changes in land use, management, and disturbance history, and what is the relative effect of these factors? What is the causal link between climate and the exchanges of energy, CO2 and water vapor for major vegetation types, and how does seasonal and inter-annual climate variability and anomalies influence fluxes? What is the spatial and temporal variation of boundary layer CO2 concentrations, and how does this vary with topography, climatic zone and vegetation?
Science topics	Agriculture, Air temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Solar irradiance, Carbon, Forests, Non-forested vegetation, Delta islands, Environmental drivers, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Water Quality in the Nation's Stream and Rivers
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	In 1991, Congress established the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project to address where, when, why, and how the Nation's water quality has changed, or is likely to change in the future, in response to human activities and natural factors. A prominent feature of NAWQA is the development of long-term consistent and comparable information on streams, rivers, ground water, and aquatic systems. The NAWQA Project is designed to answer these questions: 1. What is the current condition of our Nation's streams, rivers, and groundwater? 2. How are these conditions changing over time? 3. How do natural features and human activities affect these conditions, and where are those effects most pronounced? Under the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project, there are several surface water and ecology studies, including the Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RQSA) (a baseline assessment of streams), and current conditions and long-term trends monitoring.
Science topics	Wastewater discharge, Nitrogen / ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Chlorophyll A / B, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Suspended sediment, Chemistry, Toxicity, 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, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Benthos, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Fish, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Sacramento Watershed Coordinated Monitoring Program [SWCMP]
Lead	Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board [Central Valley RWQCB]
Description	SWCMP is a coordinated monitoring effort between DWR and Central Valley RWQCB. This program monitors ambient water quality at locations in the Sacramento River starting upstream of Lake Shasta and going south to Verona, and at the lower end of all large streams tributary to the Sacramento River. It is funded jointly by DWR Northern District Water Quality Section and the Central Valley RWQCB SWAMP. The SWCMP is designed to meet the monitoring needs of the Regional Boardâ€™s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and the DWR Northern Districtâ€™s Water Quality and Biology section. Coordination allows both agencies to maximize the use of their limited resources.
Science topics	Nitrogen / ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Suspended sediment, Toxicity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Benthos, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Conductivity, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Environmental Monitoring Program [EMP]: Discrete Water Quality Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	There are 24 fixed discrete stations within the San Francisco Estuary that are monitored at high water slack tide. The stations are primarily accessed by the Research Vessel Sentinel, or vehicle transport. Discrete sampling is completed once a month due to the intensity of collecting a wide collection of physical parameters (e.g. water temperature) and grab samples for laboratory analysis (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorous). The data from the discrete sampling is helpful to document long-term changes within the estuary.
Science topics	Tides, Wind, Nitrogen / ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Main channels, Sloughs, Conductivity
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Municipal Water Quality Investigation Program [MWQI]
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	DWR's municipal water quality monitoring program studies the effect the Delta has on quality, treatability, and reliability of source waters for municipal use. Discrete water quality samples are collected monthly and biweekly throughout the Delta. The Real Time Data and Forecasting-Comprehensive Program (RTDF-CP) collects continuous data at 5 key locations in the Delta, State Water Project and Central Valley Project, coalesces the data into graphs, and provides model-based water quality forecasts. Together, these resources are essential tools for drinking water purveyors in efficiently managing water treatment operations. MWQI monitoring data are used in drinking water supply studies, to identify long-term trends in drinking water quality, and to help DWR and other agencies research and mitigate drinking water issues in Delta waters and the SWP. Additionally, in collaboration with the BDO, O&M EAB, and OCO, monitoring data are used to further develop the "early warning" system that provides advance notice to Delta water users of possible drinking water quality problems. Monitoring data are collected by two different monitoring strategies;1) discrete grab samples, and 2) continuous real-time monitoring via remotely located instrumentation. Municipal water quality monitoring parameters include: Organic carbon, Anions, Cations, Salinity, Nutrients, Chlorophyll, Metals, and Total dissolved solids
Science topics	Water conveyance / infrastructure, Agriculture, Nitrogen / ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Chlorophyll A / B, Detritus, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Phytoplankton, Other zooplankton, 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, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Sloughs, Fecal coliform / E. coli
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is SFEI's largest program. It provides the information that regulators and decision-makers need to manage the Bay effectively. The RMP is an innovative collaborative effort between SFEI, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the regulated discharger community.
Science topics	Stage, Solar irradiance, Nitrogen / ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Chlorophyll A / B, Suspended sediment, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, Turbidity, Hg and methyl mercury, Copper, Selenium, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels, Conductivity, Habitat
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Fish Restoration Program Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The Fish Restoration Program (FRP), an inter-agency agreement between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), will restore at least 8,000 acres of tidal wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) and Suisun Marsh pursuant to requirements in federal Biological Opinions and the California Incidental Take Permit for operation of the State Water Project and Central Valley Project. The rationale for restoration is that state or federally listed fish species, Delta Smelt Hypomesus transpacificus, spring-run and winter-run Central Valley Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and Longfin Smelt Spirinchus thaleichthys will benefit from increased availability of habitat and food web resources. The CDFW FRP Monitoring Team is responsible for monitoring the biological effectiveness of individual FRP tidal wetland restoration projects. Fish catch, invertebrate catch, and water quality data have been collected as baseline monitoring data and to determine the most efficient methods for monitoring wetland restoration efforts.
Science topics	Nitrogen / ammonia, Phosphorous, Carbon, Chlorophyll A / B, Phytoplankton, Other zooplankton, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Invertebrates
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Using high frequency flux measurements to constrain dissolved inorganic carbon in a tidal wetland carbon budget
Lead	California State University - East Bay
Description	The main purpose of this project is to determine how much carbon (C) is annually sequestered and exported laterally in a tidal wetland environment through the calculation of a net ecosystem C budget. C hydrologic export, mainly in the form of dissolved inorganic C (DIC), is poorly constrained and can pose a significant component of a wetland C budget that is often overlooked. This project intends to reduce that uncertainty by providing a better understanding of the biogeochemical drivers of C cycling and give further insight into wetland management decision-making.
Science topics	Carbon, Restoration, Tidal wetlands
Updated	November 30, 2022

Title	Carbon Biogeochemical Cycling in Tidal Wetlands: Exploring Lateral Carbon Exchange and Sequestration Potential
Lead	University of California - Berkeley [UC Berkeley]
Description	Tidal wetlands, at the interface of land and ocean, play a critical role in carbon biogeochemical cycling and have the potential to provide major feedback to the Earth system through greenhouse gas exchange and long-term carbon sequestration. However, the efficiency of carbon sequestration in tidal systems relies on both vertical carbon exchange with the atmosphere and lateral tidal exchange with adjacent water bodies. Unfortunately, the importance of hydrologic carbon fluxes has been largely overlooked, leaving a crucial aspect of coastal wetland net carbon balance unaddressed. We employed an integrated approach to quantify vertical and lateral carbon exchange and studied their dynamics, combining eddy covariance flux measurements with on-site water quality and tidal discharge measurements, as well as manual 24h surface water samplings. Our measurements were conducted in a recently restored tidal freshwater marsh in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, CA, that stands out in global networks like FLUXNET and Ameriflux owing to its impressive net ecosystem exchange of -850 g C m-2 yr-1. Using wavelet decomposition, we examined the variability of carbon exchange (CO2 and CH4) across different timescales. Through information theory and mutual information analysis, we assessed the factors influencing both vertical and lateral exchanges. Our preliminary findings suggest that variability in carbon exchange is largest at the diel scale, with plant gross primary productivity and tidal fluctuations in depth having the most significant interactions with CO2 and CH4 fluxes, respectively. Furthermore, our tidal cycle samplings revealed that dissolved inorganic carbon dominates the fraction of lateral carbon loss, accounting for approximately 80% of the export. Remarkably, similarities existed between the values for net lateral carbon export and ecosystem respiration, signifying that the dissolved, terrestrial-to-ocean carbon flux could represent one of the primary fates of the fixed carbon in this tidal ecosystem. These large dissolved inorganic carbon fluxes and their chemical speciation, are important to consider when estimating the climate mitigation potential of restored tidal wetlands.
Science topics	Carbon, Carbon storage, Greenhouse gas GHG
Updated	January 30, 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

Science activities

14 records

Advanced

Organizations and funding programs

Records