San Francisco Bay Bathymetry Completed
USGS research vessel Parke Snavely
Collecting bathymetry in Alviso Slough, south San Francisco Bay, in 2011
Bathymetry of a dynamic tidal estuary, such as San Francisco Bay, provides the observable linkage between anthropogenic modifications of the landscape—such as evolving land use practices, flood control, and water diversions—and natural forces of climate-driven river flow, sea level change, tides, and wind. By examining our record of hydrographic surveys, spanning over 150 years, we can gain insights into the probable effect of future modification including efforts toward restoration.
In addition to historical change analysis, current bathymetry is critical for the calibration and interpretation of hydrodynamic and ecological models. Mass balance and sheer stress are driven by bathymetry—even ecological niches are influenced by bathymetry (depth, turbidity, particle size, light, turbulence, etc.).
Here, we provide information about the bathymetric data available for San Francisco Bay.
Methods
In the example sequence shown below, the first step in the preparation of regular grids displayed on this web site begins with irregular hydrographic survey data (soundings) that have been corrected to a common datum (1).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the primary resource for obtaining these original soundings. Other agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Water Resources, US Bureau of Reclamation, and the USGS, have contributed local studies. Once the soundings are in hand they are contoured, and shoreline and marsh perimeters are added and combined into a geographic information system (GIS) (2).
All data layers must be adjusted to a common horizontal and vertical datum and all depths must have the same orientation and units. At this point a grid can be generated.
Quality control is an iterative process, performed on the resulting grid by comparing it with the original soundings (3, 4).
Errors are computed, plotted and repaired when appropriate. Errors are usually a result of incorrect unit tags on the source data or digitizing mistakes, but some are due to gradients in bathymetry that cannot be resolved by a single grid cell.
The final grid (5) can be adjusted to a different tidal datum using an adjustment grid.
This grid is produced by assigning tide levels observed at shore stations to co-tidal lines from the TRIM-2D model (6, 7).
Geostatistics
Using this 100m grid cell representation of the Bay we can compute some primary geomorphic features of the basin--such as surface area and volume--for a given tidal datum, and compare these and other statistical properties in the sub-basins of San Francisco Bay.
Full Bay
TIDAL DATUM | VOLUME (Mm3) | SURFACE AREA (Mm2) | AVG. DEPTH VOL/AREA (m) |
MEDIAN DEPTH (m) |
MLLW | 7142 | 1138 | 6.3 | 2.8 |
MSL | 8446 | 1219 | 6.9 | 3.6 |
MHHW | 9570 | 1244 | 7.7 | 4.4 |
Properties based on the Mean Sea Level grid
PROPERTY | SOUTH BAY | CENTRAL BAY | SAN PABLO BAY | SUISUN BAY |
Area (Mm2) | 426.8 | 326.3 | 273.4 | 169.6 |
Volume (Mm3) | 1971 | 4388 | 1016 | 990 |
Average depth (m) | 4.6 | 13.4 | 3.7 | 5.8 |
Median depth (m) | 3.2 | 10.9 | 2.5 | 3.6 |
% Area < 5 m |
69 | 32 | 82 | 57 |
Bathymetry Change
As described in our METHODS section, a continuous surface representation of each bathymetric survey was created using Topogrid, an Arc/Info module that utilizes sounding and contour information to create a hydrodynamically correct surface. Input data was a combination of point soundings and hand-drawn depth contours (see table below). Once a bathymetric surface has been created for each hydrographic survey, the surfaces are adjusted to a common datum and we compute change or difference grids. These new ‘change’ surfaces identify areas of erosion and deposition.
Here is an example difference map of San Pablo Bay (1856-1887). During this period there was massive sediment accumulation related to hydraulic gold mining.
The data supporting historical change analysis is quite extensive. The following tables summarize the survey dates, digitized soundings, and contours used to produce the bathymetric surfaces and difference maps for San Francisco Bay.
SUISUN BAY | ||
SURVEY YEAR | NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS | CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) |
1867 | 18,202 | -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 |
1887 | 21,753 | -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 |
1922 | 17,303 | -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 |
1942 | 36,169 | -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 |
1990 | 93,393 | -1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45 (meters) |
SAN PABLO BAY | ||
SURVEY YEAR | NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS | CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) |
1856 | 4973 | 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 42, 48, 60 |
1887 | 3679 | -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60 |
1898 | 1994 | 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 60 |
1922 | 42,764 | -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60 |
1951 | 62,900 | 0, 6, 12, 30, 48 |
1983 | 65,739 | 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 36, 60 |
CENTRAL BAY | ||
SURVEY YEAR | NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS | CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) |
1855 | 21,052 | 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 |
1895 | 289,282 | 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360 |
1920 | 48,116 | 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120 |
1947 | 229,551 | 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 |
1979 | 177,144 | 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360 |
SOUTH BAY | ||
SURVEY YEAR | NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS | CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) |
1858 | 20,036 | 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70 |
1898 | 99,399 | 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 |
1931 | 92,451 | 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 |
1956 | 100,748 | 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 |
1983 | 136,095 | 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 |
2005 | ~2.7 million | 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 |
Official Publications
- San Pablo Bay Historical Analysis
USGS Open-File Report 98-759
Sedimentation and bathymetric change in San Pablo Bay, 1856-1983
- Suisun Bay Historical Analysis
USGS Open-File Report 99-563
Sedimentation and Bathymetry Changes in Suisun Bay: 1867-1990
- Central Bay Historical Analysis
USGS Open-File Report 2008-1312
Sediment Deposition, Erosion, and Bathymetric Change in Central San Francisco Bay: 1855–1979
- South Bay Historical Analysis Part 1
USGS Open-File Report 2004-1192
Deposition, Erosion, and Bathymetric Change in South San Francisco Bay: 1858-1983
- South Bay Historical Analysis Part 2
USGS Open-File Report 2006-1287
Sediment Deposition and Erosion in South San Francisco Bay, California from 1956 to 2005
Animations of change for North Bay
By linear interpolation, we can compute sedimentation maps for years between surveys and combine the maps to produce an animation of sedimentation for the North Bay. This animation gives an overall view of the system in time and space. We can see that, in the more active channels of Suisun Bay, surface sediment is deposited and erodes quickly in response to changing flows (floods/drought) and modifications (such as dredging the southern channel or long term mooring of the mothball fleet).
We assume:
- the sediment deposited in North San Francisco Bay between 1856 and 1887 was dominated by hydraulic mining debris;
- erosion observed in subsequent surveys was not re-deposited locally; and
- material deposited after 1887 was not mining debris.
Making these assumptions, we can predict the location and thickness of the original hydraulic mining debris. It is especially notable that the mercury employed in gold mining in the Sierra Nevada was refined liquid quicksilver or elemental mercury; this is a form of mercury much more likely to foster net methylation than is cinnabar, the form of mercury in most mercury mines. Approximately 10,000 tonnes of refined mercury were lost to the watershed during the Gold Rush mining era. Much of the mercury consumed by gold mining could have been incorporated into the 12 billion cubic meters of sediments extracted by the mining activities and released to the rivers of the Bay-Delta watershed. The mercury-laced hydraulic mining debris was ultimately transported to the bay-delta; it is known that large deposits of hydraulic mining debris remain in bay sediments. These wastes formed marshes, islands, or filled or diked marsh, or were deposited in shallow waters. Under the right circumstances this mercury contamination is transported through the food chain and concentrated in some commercial and sport fish. Human consumption of fish caught in the Bay is already restricted because of mercury contamination. Specifically, adults are advised to limit consumption of sport fish from the Bay to two times a month; pregnant or nursing women and children 6 or under should limit consumption to one time a month. Large shark and striped bass from the Bay should not be consumed at all. As we study the feasibility of restoration of marshes that were sinks for mining debris, the possibility of releasing mercury to the Bay must be considered.
Animations of mining debris deposition and subsequent erosion
Below are publications associated with this project.
A long-term (50 yr) historical perspective on flood-generating winter storms in the American River basin
Preliminary results from a shallow water benthic grazing study
Trophic transfer of metals along freshwater food webs: Evidence of cadmium biomagnification in nature
Specific conductance and water temperature data for San Francisco Bay, California, for Water Year 2004
Phytoplankton community ecology: Principles applied in San Francisco Bay
UHF RiverSonde observations of water surface velocity at Threemile Slough, California
Evaluating a Radar-Based, Non Contact Streamflow Measurement System in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis, California
Summary of Suspended-Sediment Concentration Data, San Francisco Bay, California, Water Year 2002
Changes in Rice Pesticide Use and Surface Water Concentrations in the Sacramento River Watershed, California
Salt-Pond Box Model (SPOOM) and Its Application to the Napa-Sonoma Salt Ponds, San Francisco Bay, California
Deposition, erosion, and bathymetric change in South San Francisco Bay: 1858-1983
Potential exposure of larval and juvenile delta smelt to dissolved pesticides in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Bathymetry of a dynamic tidal estuary, such as San Francisco Bay, provides the observable linkage between anthropogenic modifications of the landscape—such as evolving land use practices, flood control, and water diversions—and natural forces of climate-driven river flow, sea level change, tides, and wind. By examining our record of hydrographic surveys, spanning over 150 years, we can gain insights into the probable effect of future modification including efforts toward restoration.
In addition to historical change analysis, current bathymetry is critical for the calibration and interpretation of hydrodynamic and ecological models. Mass balance and sheer stress are driven by bathymetry—even ecological niches are influenced by bathymetry (depth, turbidity, particle size, light, turbulence, etc.).
Here, we provide information about the bathymetric data available for San Francisco Bay.
Methods
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsIn the example sequence shown below, the first step in the preparation of regular grids displayed on this web site begins with irregular hydrographic survey data (soundings) that have been corrected to a common datum (1).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the primary resource for obtaining these original soundings. Other agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Water Resources, US Bureau of Reclamation, and the USGS, have contributed local studies. Once the soundings are in hand they are contoured, and shoreline and marsh perimeters are added and combined into a geographic information system (GIS) (2).
All data layers must be adjusted to a common horizontal and vertical datum and all depths must have the same orientation and units. At this point a grid can be generated.
Quality control is an iterative process, performed on the resulting grid by comparing it with the original soundings (3, 4).
Errors are computed, plotted and repaired when appropriate. Errors are usually a result of incorrect unit tags on the source data or digitizing mistakes, but some are due to gradients in bathymetry that cannot be resolved by a single grid cell.
The final grid (5) can be adjusted to a different tidal datum using an adjustment grid.
This grid is produced by assigning tide levels observed at shore stations to co-tidal lines from the TRIM-2D model (6, 7).
Geostatistics
Using this 100m grid cell representation of the Bay we can compute some primary geomorphic features of the basin--such as surface area and volume--for a given tidal datum, and compare these and other statistical properties in the sub-basins of San Francisco Bay.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsSources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsFull Bay
TIDAL DATUM VOLUME (Mm3) SURFACE AREA (Mm2) AVG. DEPTH
VOL/AREA (m)MEDIAN DEPTH (m) MLLW 7142 1138 6.3 2.8 MSL 8446 1219 6.9 3.6 MHHW 9570 1244 7.7 4.4 Properties based on the Mean Sea Level grid
PROPERTY SOUTH BAY CENTRAL BAY SAN PABLO BAY SUISUN BAY Area (Mm2) 426.8 326.3 273.4 169.6 Volume (Mm3) 1971 4388 1016 990 Average depth (m) 4.6 13.4 3.7 5.8 Median depth (m) 3.2 10.9 2.5 3.6 % Area
< 5 m69 32 82 57 Bathymetry Change
As described in our METHODS section, a continuous surface representation of each bathymetric survey was created using Topogrid, an Arc/Info module that utilizes sounding and contour information to create a hydrodynamically correct surface. Input data was a combination of point soundings and hand-drawn depth contours (see table below). Once a bathymetric surface has been created for each hydrographic survey, the surfaces are adjusted to a common datum and we compute change or difference grids. These new ‘change’ surfaces identify areas of erosion and deposition.
Here is an example difference map of San Pablo Bay (1856-1887). During this period there was massive sediment accumulation related to hydraulic gold mining.
The data supporting historical change analysis is quite extensive. The following tables summarize the survey dates, digitized soundings, and contours used to produce the bathymetric surfaces and difference maps for San Francisco Bay.
SUISUN BAY SURVEY YEAR NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) 1867 18,202 -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 1887 21,753 -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 1922 17,303 -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 1942 36,169 -4, 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90 1990 93,393 -1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45 (meters) SAN PABLO BAY SURVEY YEAR NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) 1856 4973 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 42, 48, 60 1887 3679 -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60 1898 1994 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 60 1922 42,764 -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60 1951 62,900 0, 6, 12, 30, 48 1983 65,739 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 36, 60 CENTRAL BAY SURVEY YEAR NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) 1855 21,052 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 1895 289,282 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360 1920 48,116 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120 1947 229,551 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 1979 177,144 0, 6, 12, 18, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360 SOUTH BAY SURVEY YEAR NUMBER OF SOUNDINGS CONTOUR INTERVALS (ft) 1858 20,036 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70 1898 99,399 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 1931 92,451 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 1956 100,748 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 1983 136,095 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 2005 ~2.7 million 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 50, 60, 70, 80 Official Publications
- San Pablo Bay Historical Analysis
USGS Open-File Report 98-759
Sedimentation and bathymetric change in San Pablo Bay, 1856-1983
- Suisun Bay Historical Analysis
USGS Open-File Report 99-563
Sedimentation and Bathymetry Changes in Suisun Bay: 1867-1990
- Central Bay Historical Analysis
USGS Open-File Report 2008-1312
Sediment Deposition, Erosion, and Bathymetric Change in Central San Francisco Bay: 1855–1979
- South Bay Historical Analysis Part 1
USGS Open-File Report 2004-1192
Deposition, Erosion, and Bathymetric Change in South San Francisco Bay: 1858-1983
- South Bay Historical Analysis Part 2
USGS Open-File Report 2006-1287
Sediment Deposition and Erosion in South San Francisco Bay, California from 1956 to 2005
Animations of change for North Bay
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsBy linear interpolation, we can compute sedimentation maps for years between surveys and combine the maps to produce an animation of sedimentation for the North Bay. This animation gives an overall view of the system in time and space. We can see that, in the more active channels of Suisun Bay, surface sediment is deposited and erodes quickly in response to changing flows (floods/drought) and modifications (such as dredging the southern channel or long term mooring of the mothball fleet).
We assume:
- the sediment deposited in North San Francisco Bay between 1856 and 1887 was dominated by hydraulic mining debris;
- erosion observed in subsequent surveys was not re-deposited locally; and
- material deposited after 1887 was not mining debris.
Making these assumptions, we can predict the location and thickness of the original hydraulic mining debris. It is especially notable that the mercury employed in gold mining in the Sierra Nevada was refined liquid quicksilver or elemental mercury; this is a form of mercury much more likely to foster net methylation than is cinnabar, the form of mercury in most mercury mines. Approximately 10,000 tonnes of refined mercury were lost to the watershed during the Gold Rush mining era. Much of the mercury consumed by gold mining could have been incorporated into the 12 billion cubic meters of sediments extracted by the mining activities and released to the rivers of the Bay-Delta watershed. The mercury-laced hydraulic mining debris was ultimately transported to the bay-delta; it is known that large deposits of hydraulic mining debris remain in bay sediments. These wastes formed marshes, islands, or filled or diked marsh, or were deposited in shallow waters. Under the right circumstances this mercury contamination is transported through the food chain and concentrated in some commercial and sport fish. Human consumption of fish caught in the Bay is already restricted because of mercury contamination. Specifically, adults are advised to limit consumption of sport fish from the Bay to two times a month; pregnant or nursing women and children 6 or under should limit consumption to one time a month. Large shark and striped bass from the Bay should not be consumed at all. As we study the feasibility of restoration of marshes that were sinks for mining debris, the possibility of releasing mercury to the Bay must be considered.
Animations of mining debris deposition and subsequent erosion
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsSources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details - San Pablo Bay Historical Analysis
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 446A long-term (50 yr) historical perspective on flood-generating winter storms in the American River basin
No abstract available.AuthorsM. D. DettingerPreliminary results from a shallow water benthic grazing study
The nutrient-rich, shallow waters of San Francisco Bay support high rates of primary production, limited not by nutrients but by light availability and benthic grazing (Alpine and others 1992; Cloern 1982). Phytoplankton blooms are an important food source for upper trophic levels. Consequently animal populations, such as fish, may suffer under conditions of high benthic bivalve grazing. It has beAuthorsN.L. Jones, Stephen G. Monismith, Janet K. ThompsonTrophic transfer of metals along freshwater food webs: Evidence of cadmium biomagnification in nature
We conducted a study with cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) in the delta of San Francisco Bay, using nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes to identify trophic position and food web structure. Cadmium is progressively enriched among trophic levels in discrete epiphyte‐based food webs composed of macrophyte‐dwelling invertebrates (the first link being epiphytic algae) and fishes (the first link being gobieAuthorsM.-N. Croteau, S. N. Luoma, A.R. StewartSpecific conductance and water temperature data for San Francisco Bay, California, for Water Year 2004
This article presents time-series graphs of specificconductance and water-temperature data collected in San Francisco Bay during water year 2004 (October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004). Specific-conductance and water-temperature data were recorded at 15-minute intervals at seven U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) locations (Figure 1, Table 1). Specific-conductance and water-temperature data fromAuthorsP.A. BuchananPhytoplankton community ecology: Principles applied in San Francisco Bay
In his seminal 1961 paper 'The paradox of the plankton' Am Nat 95:137-147, G. E. Hutchinson asked why many species of phytoplankton can coexist while competing for a small number of limiting resources in an unstructured habitat. Hutchinson anticipated the resolution of his paradox, recognizing that communities are organized by processes beyond resource competition including species interactions, hAuthorsJ. E. Cloern, R. DuffordUHF RiverSonde observations of water surface velocity at Threemile Slough, California
A UHF RiverSonde system, operating near 350 MHz, has been in operation at Threemile Slough in central California, USA since September 2004. The water in the slough is dominated by tidal effects, with flow reversals four times a day and a peak velocity of about 0.8 m/s in each direction. Water level and water velocity are continually measured by the U. S. Geological Survey at the experiment site. TAuthorsC.C. Teague, D.E. Barrick, P.M. Lilleboe, R. T. Cheng, C.A. RuhlEvaluating a Radar-Based, Non Contact Streamflow Measurement System in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis, California
Accurate measurement of flow in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis, California, is vital to a wide range of Federal and State agencies, environmental interests, and water contractors. The U.S. Geological Survey uses a conventional stage-discharge rating technique to determine flows at Vernalis. Since the flood of January 1997, the channel has scoured and filled as much as 20 feet in some sections nAuthorsRalph T. Cheng, Jeffrey W. Gartner, Robert R. Mason,, John E. Costa, William J. Plant, Kurt R. Spicer, F. Peter Haeni, Nick B. Melcher, William C. Keller, Ken HayesSummary of Suspended-Sediment Concentration Data, San Francisco Bay, California, Water Year 2002
Suspended-sediment concentration data were collected in San Francisco Bay during water year 2002 (October 1, 2001-September 30, 2002). Optical backscatterance sensors and water samples were used to monitor suspended sediment at two sites in Suisun Bay, three sites in San Pablo Bay, two sites in Central San Francisco Bay, and three sites in South San Francisco Bay. Sensors were positioned at two deAuthorsPaul A. Buchanan, Neil K. GanjuChanges in Rice Pesticide Use and Surface Water Concentrations in the Sacramento River Watershed, California
Pesticides applied to rice fields in California are transported into the Sacramento River watershed by the release of rice field water. Despite monitoring and mitigation programs, concentrations of two rice pesticides, molinate and thiobencarb, continue to exceed the surface-water concentration performance goals established by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. There have beeAuthorsJames L. Orlando, Kathryn KuivilaSalt-Pond Box Model (SPOOM) and Its Application to the Napa-Sonoma Salt Ponds, San Francisco Bay, California
A box model to simulate water volume and salinity of a salt pond has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey to obtain water and salinity budgets. The model, SPOOM, uses the principle of conservation of mass to calculate daily pond volume and salinity and includes a salt crystallization and dissolution algorithm. Model inputs include precipitation, evaporation, infiltration, and water transfeAuthorsMegan L. Lionberger, David H. Schoellhamer, Paul A. Buchanan, Scott MeyerDeposition, erosion, and bathymetric change in South San Francisco Bay: 1858-1983
Since the California Gold Rush of 1849, sediment deposition, erosion, and the bathymetry of South San Francisco Bay have been altered by both natural processes and human activities. Historical hydrographic surveys can be used to assess how this system has evolved over the past 150 years. The National Ocean Service (NOS) (formerly the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS), collected fiveAuthorsAmy C. Foxgrover, Shawn A. Higgins, Melissa K. Ingraca, Bruce E. Jaffe, Richard E. SmithPotential exposure of larval and juvenile delta smelt to dissolved pesticides in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
The San Francisco Estuary is critical habitat for delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus, a fish whose abundance has declined greatly since 1983 and is now listed as threatened. In addition, the estuary receives drainage from the Central Valley, an urban and agricultural region with intense and diverse pesticide usage. One possible factor of the delta smelt population decline is pesticide toxicity dAuthorsK.M. Kuivila, G.E. Moon - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.