This web page provides files that may be used to run a basic depth-averaged (2DH) Deltares Delft3D version 4.00.01 astronomic tide model for San Francisco Bay. It was developed with the primary aim of assessing water level fluctuations and flow conditions in the vicinity of the Golden Gate (Elias and Hansen 2013).
San Francisco Bay is one of the most geographically expansive estuaries on the U.S. West Coast. The Bay supports the largest extent of tidal marsh in California yet is highly urbanized and impacted by numerous anthropogenic activities such as channel dredging, freshwater diversions, watershed modifications, urban run-off, ship traffic, exotic species introductions, and land reclamation (Barnard et al. 2013). The mixed semi-diurnal tide regime has a range of nearly 2 meters at the Golden Gate, the only inlet where ocean and estuarine water exchange occurs. Due in large part to bathymetric and geographic variations, water level variations and tidal flow patterns are complex. While many scientific studies and management questions are intrinsically linked to in-Bay tidal currents and water levels, they are often limited by the need for tools to assess tidal influences at specific study sites.
This web page provides a link to files that may be used to run a basic depth-averaged (2DH) Deltares Delft3D version 4.00.01 astronomic tide model for San Francisco Bay. It was developed with the primary aim of assessing water level fluctuations and flow conditions in the vicinity of the Golden Gate (Elias and Hansen 2013). The FLOW model consists of six 2-way coupled curvilinear domains; grid resolution varies and is finest in the vicinity of the Golden Gate where it is approximately 50m by 50m. Tides are simulated with amplitudes and phases of 12 locally dominant tidal constituents (M2, S2, N2, K2, K1, O1, P1, Q1, MF, MM, M4, MS4, and MN4) along the open ocean boundary. These files are provided ‘as is’ with the aim of promoting scientific advancement in the understanding of San Francisco Bay processes.
Citation
Elias, E., Hansen, J.E., and Erikson, L.H., 2013, San Francisco Bay basic tide model: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7DN4330.
See Publications and Data and Tools tabs for references. Additional references:
- Barnard, P.L., Jaffe, B.E., Schoellhamer, D.H., 2013. Preface for Special Issue of Marine Geology. Marine Geology Special Issue on Sediment Transport and Geomorphic Evolution in the San Francisco Bay Coastal System, 345, 1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2013.09.010
- NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, U.S. Coastal Relief Model
Disclaimer
This information is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information is provided on the condition that neither the U.S. Geological Survey nor the U.S. Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Changes in surfzone morphodynamics driven by multi-decadal contraction of a large ebb-tidal delta
Understanding processes controlling sediment transports at the mouth of a highly energetic inlet system (San Francisco Bay, CA)
The use of modeling and suspended sediment concentration measurements for quantifying net suspended sediment transport through a large tidally dominated inlet
Tidally influenced alongshore circulation at an inlet-adjacent shoreline
Sub-weekly to interannual variability of a high-energy shoreline
Coastal processes study at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA: Summary of data collection 2004-2006
Sand waves at the mouth of San Francisco Bay, California
Sediment deposition and erosion in south San Francisco Bay, California from 1956 to 2005
- Overview
This web page provides files that may be used to run a basic depth-averaged (2DH) Deltares Delft3D version 4.00.01 astronomic tide model for San Francisco Bay. It was developed with the primary aim of assessing water level fluctuations and flow conditions in the vicinity of the Golden Gate (Elias and Hansen 2013).
Map shows a depiction of the five “domain decomposition” grids employed in the San Francisco Bay Basic Tide Model. San Francisco Bay is one of the most geographically expansive estuaries on the U.S. West Coast. The Bay supports the largest extent of tidal marsh in California yet is highly urbanized and impacted by numerous anthropogenic activities such as channel dredging, freshwater diversions, watershed modifications, urban run-off, ship traffic, exotic species introductions, and land reclamation (Barnard et al. 2013). The mixed semi-diurnal tide regime has a range of nearly 2 meters at the Golden Gate, the only inlet where ocean and estuarine water exchange occurs. Due in large part to bathymetric and geographic variations, water level variations and tidal flow patterns are complex. While many scientific studies and management questions are intrinsically linked to in-Bay tidal currents and water levels, they are often limited by the need for tools to assess tidal influences at specific study sites.
This web page provides a link to files that may be used to run a basic depth-averaged (2DH) Deltares Delft3D version 4.00.01 astronomic tide model for San Francisco Bay. It was developed with the primary aim of assessing water level fluctuations and flow conditions in the vicinity of the Golden Gate (Elias and Hansen 2013). The FLOW model consists of six 2-way coupled curvilinear domains; grid resolution varies and is finest in the vicinity of the Golden Gate where it is approximately 50m by 50m. Tides are simulated with amplitudes and phases of 12 locally dominant tidal constituents (M2, S2, N2, K2, K1, O1, P1, Q1, MF, MM, M4, MS4, and MN4) along the open ocean boundary. These files are provided ‘as is’ with the aim of promoting scientific advancement in the understanding of San Francisco Bay processes.
Download the model (1.6 MB) Citation
Elias, E., Hansen, J.E., and Erikson, L.H., 2013, San Francisco Bay basic tide model: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7DN4330.
See Publications and Data and Tools tabs for references. Additional references:
- Barnard, P.L., Jaffe, B.E., Schoellhamer, D.H., 2013. Preface for Special Issue of Marine Geology. Marine Geology Special Issue on Sediment Transport and Geomorphic Evolution in the San Francisco Bay Coastal System, 345, 1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2013.09.010
- NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, U.S. Coastal Relief Model
Disclaimer
This information is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information is provided on the condition that neither the U.S. Geological Survey nor the U.S. Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Changes in surfzone morphodynamics driven by multi-decadal contraction of a large ebb-tidal delta
The impact of multi-decadal, large-scale deflation (76 million m3 of sediment loss) and contraction (~ 1 km) of a 150 km2 ebb-tidal delta on hydrodynamics and sediment transport at adjacent Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA (USA), is examined using a coupled wave and circulation model. The model is forced with representative wave and tidal conditions using recent (2005) and historic (1956) ebb-tidaUnderstanding processes controlling sediment transports at the mouth of a highly energetic inlet system (San Francisco Bay, CA)
San Francisco Bay is one of the largest estuaries along the U.S. West Coast and is linked to the Pacific Ocean through the Golden Gate, a 100 m deep bedrock inlet. A coupled wave, flow and sediment transport model is used to quantify the sediment linkages between San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate, and the adjacent open coast. Flow and sediment transport processes are investigated using an ensemblThe use of modeling and suspended sediment concentration measurements for quantifying net suspended sediment transport through a large tidally dominated inlet
Sediment exchange at large energetic inlets is often difficult to quantify due complex flows, massive amounts of water and sediment exchange, and environmental conditions limiting long-term data collection. In an effort to better quantify such exchange this study investigated the use of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) measured at an offsite location as a surrogate for sediment exchange atTidally influenced alongshore circulation at an inlet-adjacent shoreline
The contribution of tidal forcing to alongshore circulation inside the surfzone is investigated at a 7 km long sandy beach adjacent to a large tidal inlet. Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA (USA) is onshore of a ∼150 km2 ebb-tidal delta and directly south of the Golden Gate, the sole entrance to San Francisco Bay. Using a coupled flow-wave numerical model, we find that the tides modulate, and in soSub-weekly to interannual variability of a high-energy shoreline
Sixty-one Global Positioning System (GPS), sub-aerial beach surveys were completed at 7 km long Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA (USA), between April 2004 and March 2009. The five-year time series contains over 1 million beach elevation measurements and documents detailed changes in beach morphology over a variety of spatial, temporal, and physical forcing scales. Results show that seasonal processeCoastal processes study at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA: Summary of data collection 2004-2006
Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, contains a persistent erosional section in the shadow of the San Francisco ebb tidal delta and south of Sloat Boulevard that threatens valuable public infrastructure as well as the safe recreational use of the beach. Coastal managers have been discussing potential mediation measures for over a decade, with little scientific research available to aid in decSand waves at the mouth of San Francisco Bay, California
The U.S. Geological Survey; California State University, Monterey Bay; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and Center for Integrative Coastal Observation, Research and Education partnered to map central San Francisco Bay and its entrance under the Golden Gate Bridge using multibeam echosounders. View eastward, through the Golden Gate into central San FraSediment deposition and erosion in south San Francisco Bay, California from 1956 to 2005
Sediment deposition and erosion in South San Francisco Bay from 1956 to 2005 was studied by comparing bathymetric surveys made in 1956, 1983, and 2005. From 1956 to 1983, the region was erosional. In contrast, from 1983 to 2005, the region was depositional. Analysis of subregions defined by depth, morphology and location revealed similarities in behavior during both the erosional and depositional