Hydrodynamic field study of a shallow estuarine subembayment, Sherman Lake, California

Sherman Lake, California, has two hydrodynamically distinct regions: a tidally forced jet located along the eastern flank that creates an important hydraulic connection between the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, and a relatively quiescent area in the west. The forcing mechanisms driving circulation and transport are spatially variable in Sherman Lake, a characteristic, we are finding, that is typical of shallow-water environments in the San Francisco Bay and Delta. As interest in restoring and creating tidal wetlands and other shallow-water environments in the Delta increases (CALFED, 2001), serious consideration of the heterogeneity of the physical environment must be taken when developing restoration objectives and monitoring programs.