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.
Spring onset in the Sierra Nevada: When is snowmelt independent of elevation?
Near field receiving water monitoring of trace metals in clams (macoma balthica) and sediments near the Palo Alto Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California: 2000
A methodology to asess relations between climatic variability and variations in hydrologic time series in the southwestern United States
Tidal oscillation of sediment between a river and a bay: A conceptual model
Potential exposure of larval and juvenile delta smelt to dissolved pesticides in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Specific conductance and water temperature data for San Francisco Bay, California, for Water Year 2003
Elevational dependence of projected hydrologic changes in the San Francisco Estuary and watershed
Simulated hydrologic responses to climate variations and change in the Merced, Carson, and American River basins, Sierra Nevada, California, 1900-2099
Bed-sediment grain-size and morphologic data from Suisun, Grizzly, and Honker Bays, CA, 1998-2002
Quantifying the contributions of tidal wetlands to dissolved organic material in the San Francisco Estuary, California, USA
Comparison of salinity and temperature at continuous monitoring stations and nearby monthly measurement sites in San Francisco Bay
Preliminary analysis of cores from north San Francisco Bay, 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: 446Spring onset in the Sierra Nevada: When is snowmelt independent of elevation?
Short-term climate and weather systems can have a strong influence on mountain snowmelt, sometimes overwhelming the effects of elevation and aspect. Although most years exhibit a spring onset that starts first at lowest and moves to highest elevations, in spring 2002, flow in a variety of streams within the Tuolumne and Merced River basins of the southern Sierra Nevada all rose synchronously on 29AuthorsJ.D. Lundquist, D.R. Cayan, M. D. DettingerNear field receiving water monitoring of trace metals in clams (macoma balthica) and sediments near the Palo Alto Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California: 2000
Trace element concentrations were analyzed on samples of fine-grained sediments and clams (Macoma balthica) collected from a mudflat one kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay. This report serves as a continuation of the Near Field Receiving Water Monitoring Study, which was started in 1994. The data for 2003, herein, are iAuthorsEdward Moon, Samuel N. Luoma, Daniel J. Cain, Michelle I. Hornberger, Carlos Primo C. DavidA methodology to asess relations between climatic variability and variations in hydrologic time series in the southwestern United States
A new method for frequency analysis of hydrologic time series was developed to facilitate the estimation and reconstruction of individual or groups of frequencies from hydrologic time-series and facilitate the comparison of these isolated time-series components across data types, between different hydrologic settings within a watershed, between watersheds, and across frequencies. While climate-relAuthorsR. T. Hanson, M.W. Newhouse, M. D. DettingerTidal oscillation of sediment between a river and a bay: A conceptual model
A conceptual model of fine sediment transport between a river and a bay is proposed, based on observations at two rivers feeding the same bay. The conceptual model consists of river, transitional, and bay regimes. Within the transitional regime, resuspension, advection, and deposition create a mass of sediment that oscillates landward and seaward. While suspended, this sediment mass forms an estuaAuthorsN. K. Ganju, D. H. Schoellhamer, J.C. Warner, M.F. Barad, S.G. SchladowPotential 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. MoonSpecific conductance and water temperature data for San Francisco Bay, California, for Water Year 2003
This article presents time-series graphs of specific-conductance and water-temperature data collected in San Francisco Bay during water year 2003 (October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003). Specific-conductance and water-temperature data were recorded at 15-minute intervals at the following US Geological Survey (USGS) locations (Figure 1): • Suisun Bay at Benicia Bridge, near Benicia, CA. (BEN)AuthorsP.A. BuchananElevational dependence of projected hydrologic changes in the San Francisco Estuary and watershed
California's primary hydrologic system, the San Francisco Estuary and its upstream watershed, is vulnerable to the regional hydrologic consequences of projected global climate change. Previous work has shown that a projected warming would result in a reduction of snowpack storage leading to higher winter and lower spring-summer streamflows and increased spring-summer salinities in the estuary. TheAuthorsN. Knowles, D.R. CayanSimulated hydrologic responses to climate variations and change in the Merced, Carson, and American River basins, Sierra Nevada, California, 1900-2099
Hydrologic responses of river basins in the Sierra Nevada of California to historical and future climate variations and changes are assessed by simulating daily streamflow and water-balance responses to simulated climate variations over a continuous 200-yr period. The coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice-land Parallel Climate Model provides the simulated climate histories, and existing hydrologic models oAuthorsM. D. Dettinger, D.R. Cayan, M.K. Meyer, A. JetonBed-sediment grain-size and morphologic data from Suisun, Grizzly, and Honker Bays, CA, 1998-2002
The USGS Place Based Studies Program for San Francisco Bay investigates this sensitive estuarine system to aid in resource management. As part of the inter-disciplinary research program, the USGS collected side-scan sonar data and bed-sediment samples from north San Francisco Bay to characterize bed-sediment texture and investigate temporal trends in sedimentation. The study area is located in cenAuthorsMargaret A. Hampton, Noah P. Snyder, John L. Chin, Dan W. Allison, David M. RubinQuantifying the contributions of tidal wetlands to dissolved organic material in the San Francisco Estuary, California, USA
No abstract available.AuthorsB.A. Bergamaschi, B.A Downing, G.A Wheeler, D. H. Schoellhamer, N. Ganju, M.S. Fram, D.E. Erickson, C. Kendall, B.E. Bemis, R. Stepanauskas, J.T. Hollibaugh, R. FujiiComparison of salinity and temperature at continuous monitoring stations and nearby monthly measurement sites in San Francisco Bay
Salinity and temperature are crucial state variables affecting estuarine habitat an d, thus, are measured by various San Francisco Estuary programs. This article presents a comparison of salinity and temperature data collected at seven continuo us monitoring stations throughout San Francisco Bay (Figure 1) with data collected monthly by the US Geological Survey (USGS) research vessel ( RV ) PolariAuthorsL.G. Bergfeld, D. H. SchoellhamerPreliminary analysis of cores from north San Francisco Bay, California
During the mid-to late-1800's, large quantities of tailings from hydraulic gold mining in the Sierra Nevada were deposited in San Francisco Bay (Gilbert, 1917; Jaffe et al., 1998; Capiella et al., 1999). This rapid deposition also choked river systems and deposited mercury-contaminated sediments in the rivers and Bay. Hydraulic mining was stopped in 1884 by a California Supreme Court decision. DepAuthorsDan Allison, Margaret Hampton, Bruce Jaffe - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.