Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Paul H. Hutton, Sujoy B. Roy
Summary: This study evaluates the applicability of PSS-78 in measuring salinity across the San Francisco Estuary, where salinity is influenced by a mixture of seawater, riverine inflows, and agricultural return flows. The study finds that PSS-78 is valid in waters dominated by seawater intrusion and the Sacramento River, but underestimates salinity in waters influenced by the San Joaquin River and agricultural return flows. Therefore, the study suggests appropriate corrections to PSS-78 for accurate salinity estimation in these drainage-influenced waters.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark Lubell, Mark Stacey, Michelle A. Hummel
Summary: This paper translates Ostrom's diagnostic approach to identifying collective action problems and core governance barriers for sea-level rise adaptation in the San Francisco Bay Area. The diagnostic approach considers variables related to the resource system, the resource units, the users, and the governance system. Coupled ecological-infrastructure models and qualitative social science case study methods identify key structural governance and behavioral barriers to cooperation to address vulnerability and adaptation interdependencies.
Article
Urban Studies
Kaitlin F. Strange, Hug March, Mar Satorras
Summary: This study investigates the case of San Francisco as a forerunner in climate action and a city experiencing inequality. It found that San Francisco's focus in climate planning has shifted from technology and science to addressing justice concerns and resident needs. Although efforts have been made to develop climate justice plans, further research is needed to fully integrate climate justice into implementation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul H. Hutton, Sujoy B. Roy
Summary: This paper presents a new approach to estimate major ion concentrations in estuaries based on known specific conductance. By assuming two-source conservative mixing at steady state, the authors propose an extension of the Practical Salinity Scale 1978 to estimate concentrations of major ions and total dissolved solids using the conductivity ratio. The validity and limitations of this approach are demonstrated using salinity data from the San Francisco estuary, with adjustments made for less saline conditions and evidence of seasonal bias in model residuals.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Peggy W. Lehman, Tomofumi Kurobe, Khiet Huynh, Sarah Lesmeister, Swee J. Teh
Summary: The study collected field data over five years in the upper San Francisco Estuary to investigate the impact of Microcystis blooms on plankton communities. The results showed correlations between Microcystis abundance and various members of the plankton community, indicating Microcystis influences ecosystem production through bottom-up control during blooms. Additionally, the abundance of Microcystis and other plankton members varied with wet and dry conditions, suggesting climate plays a significant role in driving trophic structure during blooms.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Samuel M. Bashevkin, Brian Mahardja
Summary: Water temperature and inflow are important factors in aquatic systems, and their relationship shows variability in complex managed systems such as estuaries. Understanding this relationship is important for managing estuarine ecosystems.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Haochen Yu, Jiu Huang, Chuning Ji, Zi'ao Li
Summary: The study focused on the Ningdong Energy and Chemical Industrial Base and used ecological network construction to improve landscape connectivity and provide ideas for ecological restoration. Results showed improved vegetation coverage, numerous ecological corridors and nodes, but poor connectivity between the east and west.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Rebecca N. Gustine, Christine M. Lee, Gregory H. Halverson, Shawn C. Acuna, Kerry A. Cawse-Nicholson, Glynn C. Hulley, Erin L. Hestir
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between surface and subsurface conditions in the Bay Delta using spaceborne thermal measurements and in situ sensor data. The results show a strong correlation between surface temperature measurements from ECOSTRESS and Landsat-8 with bulk water temperatures. A simple harmonic regression model can effectively capture the diurnal variability and predict bulk water temperature.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Denise D. Colombano, Thomas B. Handley, Teejay A. O'Rear, John R. Durand, Peter B. Moyle
Summary: Research in the San Francisco Estuary, CA, USA, has shown that factors such as channel depth, microhabitat, and tides influence fish abundance, while different feeding guilds overlap in space and time. During tidal flooding, fish are predicted to have high gut fullness in subtidal channels, after which they intensively feed throughout the marsh ecosystem.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Peggy Lehman
Summary: This study analyzed the carbon content of phytoplankton communities in the upper San Francisco Bay estuary, and found significant changes over the past 43 years. The relative change in phytoplankton community composition is related to food quality index and the size structure of phytoplankton food resource. The change in phytoplankton community carbon is closely related to environmental conditions.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Samuel M. Bashevkin, Brian Mahardja, Larry R. Brown
Summary: Temperature is a crucial factor that affects ecosystems at various scales. The rise in global temperatures is expected to have significant impacts, particularly in valuable systems like estuaries. In the upper San Francisco Estuary, which is an important water source and home to economically and ecologically valuable fish species, water temperatures have increased by an average of 0.017 degrees C per year over the past 50 years. The increase in temperature has been most significant in the late-fall to winter and mid-spring seasons, which coincide with important life stages of Chinook salmon and the endangered delta smelt. The study also found that warming was fastest in northern regions, which are crucial for fish migration and have important wetland habitats. However, no long-term temperature trends were observed in October, and only some regions showed trends in May, July, and August.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Brian Mahardja, Vanessa Tobias, Shruti Khanna, Lara Mitchell, Peggy Lehman, Ted Sommer, Larry Brown, Steve Culberson, J. Louise Conrad
Summary: The study found that pelagic fishes in the San Francisco Estuary consistently decline during droughts, but exhibit a considerable amount of resilience in the subsequent wet years; however, not all wet years result in full recovery, leading to permanently lower baseline numbers for some pelagic fishes. In contrast, littoral fishes seem to be more resistant to drought and may even increase in occurrence during dry years.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dylan K. Stompe, Peter B. Moyle, Kiva L. Oken, James A. Hobbs, John R. Durand
Summary: The San Francisco Estuary has undergone significant changes due to human activities, resulting in declines in native and introduced fish species. To track fish abundance, various monitoring programs have conducted fish surveys since the late 1950s. To compensate for survey limitations, researchers integrated data from multiple programs to model the distribution of pelagic fish species. Their modeling approach revealed spatially driven declines in striped bass, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, threadfin shad, and American shad in the estuary.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Javier Velazquez, Derya Gulcin, Peter Vogt, Victor Rincon, Ana Hernando, Javier Gutierrez, Ali Ugur Ozcan, Kerim Cicek
Summary: Habitats undergo changes due to environmental processes and human impact, resulting in fragmentation and connectivity loss. To maintain ecological connectivity, it is important to identify elements that improve habitat connectivity. This study conducted in the Castilla y Leon region of Spain aims to determine optimal pathways and enhance the connectivity of protected areas.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lars A. Brudvig, Nash E. Turley, Savannah L. Bartel, Lukas Bell-Dereske, Sabrie Breland, Ellen I. Damschen, Sarah E. Evans, Jason Gibbs, Philip G. Hahn, Rufus Isaacs, Joe A. Ledvina, John L. Orrock, Quinn M. Sorenson, John D. Stuhler
Summary: Ecological restoration is a global priority, but the legacies of past land-use activities can have long-lasting effects on restoration outcomes. This study found that restoration effects were greater than legacy effects, but restoration did not completely mitigate the legacy effects, especially in soil-related properties.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pascale Goertler, Brian Mahardja, Ted Sommer
Summary: Climate change affects multiple components of ecosystems and is linked to animal migrations. Studies show that sea surface temperature and estuary outflow significantly influence the upstream migration timing of non-native adult Striped bass in the San Francisco Bay-Delta.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Samuel M. Bashevkin, Brian Mahardja
Summary: Water temperature and inflow are important factors in aquatic systems, and their relationship shows variability in complex managed systems such as estuaries. Understanding this relationship is important for managing estuarine ecosystems.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Review
Biology
Molly A. Albecker, Laetitia G. E. Wilkins, Stacy A. Krueger-Hadfield, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Matthew W. Hahn, Matthew P. Hare, Holly K. Kindsvater, Mary A. Sewell, Katie E. Lotterhos, Adam M. Reitzel
Summary: The study discusses the evolution of complex life cycles, proposing three hypotheses on how selection may affect organisms with complex life cycles. It suggests a within-generation experimental design to gain insight into composite selection across life cycle stages. Sampling requirements for many systems are challenging but achievable, with plants and marine invertebrates being excellent systems for exploring how organisms with complex life cycles may adapt to climate change.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Brian Mahardja, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Catarina Pien, Michelle Nelson, Brittany E. Davis, Rosemary Hartman
Summary: This study evaluates the potential for thermal stratification to provide refuge for Chinook Salmon and Delta Smelt in the San Francisco Estuary. The results show that fish may seek cooler refuge at the bottom of the water column during the peak of summer and in the afternoons. Thermal stratification may increase with climate warming, becoming more important for at-risk fish species in the future.
Article
Limnology
Samuel M. Bashevkin, Brian Mahardja, Larry R. Brown
Summary: Temperature is a crucial factor that affects ecosystems at various scales. The rise in global temperatures is expected to have significant impacts, particularly in valuable systems like estuaries. In the upper San Francisco Estuary, which is an important water source and home to economically and ecologically valuable fish species, water temperatures have increased by an average of 0.017 degrees C per year over the past 50 years. The increase in temperature has been most significant in the late-fall to winter and mid-spring seasons, which coincide with important life stages of Chinook salmon and the endangered delta smelt. The study also found that warming was fastest in northern regions, which are crucial for fish migration and have important wetland habitats. However, no long-term temperature trends were observed in October, and only some regions showed trends in May, July, and August.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samuel M. Bashevkin, Rosemary Hartman, Madison Thomas, Arthur Barros, Christina E. Burdi, April Hennessy, Trishelle Tempel, Karen Kayfetz
Summary: This article presents the longest available dataset of estuarine zooplankton abundance worldwide, which includes data from five monitoring programs, over 300 locations, and over two billion sampled organisms. These data can be used to study issues related to species invasions, flows, fish diets and population dynamics, zooplankton population dynamics, and community ecology.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel S. Auerbach, Alexander K. Fremier
Summary: An article explores the use of drones for counting fish redds in fisheries monitoring. The study finds that the counts from the drones are often more than twice those from the ground-based surveys, and there is significant variability among different aerial counters. The research suggests that using drones for redd counting is an effective method in high-density spawning locations, but further research is needed to improve precision and reduce observer variability.
RIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
John A. A. Gallo, Amanda T. T. Lombard, Richard M. M. Cowling
Summary: The implementation of systematic conservation plans often requires collaboration among multiple organizations, and reaching consensus is crucial for success. In this study, we used participatory action research to develop a method for achieving consensus and facilitating implementation. By creating a spatial decision support system based on weighted multi-criteria GIS overlays, we addressed a real-world challenge in the Little Karoo, South Africa. The process involved end-users in criteria selection, model parameter values, and co-defining the group process, resulting in consensus on spatial priorities.
Article
Environmental Studies
John A. Gallo, Amanda T. Lombard, Richard M. Cowling, Randal Greene, Frank W. Davis
Summary: Spatial conservation prioritization does not always lead to effective conservation plans, and good plans do not always result in action. The Earthwise Framework aims to address these science-action gaps by providing a flexible and customizable spatial decision support system (SDSS) architecture and social process. It utilizes case study experience from different regions and outlines five design strategies, including open science strategy, marginal value functions, connectivity modeling, innovations in multi-criteria decision analysis, and strategic attention to communicating uncertainty. The framework shows promise in meeting the needs of both humans and biodiversity.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Matthew Shapero, Katherine Siegel, John A. Gallo, Justin Brice, Van Butsic
Summary: This study examines land cover and land use changes in Santa Barbara County, USA, between 1984 and 2019. It found that a significant portion of rangeland converted to vineyards and most of these converted areas ceased grazing activities, despite having suitable land for grazing. The study also revealed that land use policy did not have a significant impact on these changes.
JOURNAL OF LAND USE SCIENCE
(2022)
