Publications
For more than a century, USGS scientists have conducted research in California’s Bay-Delta region. Informing natural-resource management decisions on the region’s issues, this research has been published in thousands of documents, some highlighted below.
Filter Total Items: 307
Lessons from monitoring water quality in San Francisco Bay Lessons from monitoring water quality in San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is the defining landscape feature of the place we call ‘The Bay Area,’ but most of us only experience the Bay as we view it from an airplane window or drive across one of its bridges. These views from afar suggest that the Bay is static and sterile, but this impression is deceptive. If you are one of the many thousands of students who have experienced the Bay through a...
Authors
J. E. Cloern, T.S. Schraga, C.B. Lopez, R. Labiosa
Structure and mechanics of the Hayward-Rodgers Creek Fault step-over, San Francisco Bay, California Structure and mechanics of the Hayward-Rodgers Creek Fault step-over, San Francisco Bay, California
A dilatational step-over between the right-lateral Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults lies beneath San Pablo Bay in the San Francisco Bay area. A key seismic hazard issue is whether an earthquake on one of the faults could rupture through the step-over, enhancing its maximum possible magnitude. If ruptures are terminated at the step-over, then another important issue is how strain...
Authors
T. Parsons, R. Sliter, E.L. Geist, R.C. Jachens, B. E. Jaffe, A. Foxgrover, P. E. Hart, J. McCarthy
Microphytobenthos potential productivity estimated in three tidal embayments of the San Francisco Bay system Microphytobenthos potential productivity estimated in three tidal embayments of the San Francisco Bay system
In this paper we describe a three-step procedure to infer the spatial heterogeneity in microphytobenthos primary productivity at the scale of tidal estuaries and embayments. The first step involves local measurement of the carbon assimilation rate of benthic microalgae to determine the parameters of the photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) curves (using non-linear optimization methods). In...
Authors
Jean-Marc Guarini, James E. Cloern, Jody L. Edmunds, Philippe Gros
Recent research on the hydrodynamics of the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta and north San Francisco Bay Recent research on the hydrodynamics of the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta and north San Francisco Bay
This article presents an overview of recent findings from hydrodynamic research on circulation and mixing in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) (Figure 1) and North San Francisco Bay (North Bay) (Figure 2). For the purposes of this article, North Bay includes San Pablo Bay, Carquinez Strait, and Suisun Bay. The findings presented are those gained from field studies carried out by...
Authors
Jon R. Burau, Stephen G. Monismith, Mark T. Stacey, Richard N. Oltmann, Jessica Lacy, David H. Schoellhamer
Benthic foraminifers in the regional monitoring program’s San Francisco Estuary samples Benthic foraminifers in the regional monitoring program’s San Francisco Estuary samples
For over three decades, sand-sized protozoans known as foraminifers have made contributions to our understanding of environmental problems in urban areas (Alve, 1991; Clark, 1971; Ellison et al., 1986; Watkins, 1961). Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are particularly sensitive pollution indicators in estuarine and coastal areas (Alve, 1995) because they vary spatially and temporally in...
Authors
Mary McGann, Doris Sloan
Stable lead isotopic analyses of historic and contemporary lead contamination of San Francisco Bay estuary Stable lead isotopic analyses of historic and contemporary lead contamination of San Francisco Bay estuary
Variations in stable lead isotopic composition (240Pb, 206Pb, 207Pb, 208Pb) in three sediment cores from the San Francisco Bay estuary document temporal changes in sources of lead during the past two centuries. Sediment, with lead from natural geologic sources, and relatively homogeneous lead isotopic compositions are overlain by sediments whose isotopic compositions indicate change in...
Authors
P.I. Ritson, R. M. Bouse, A.R. Flegal, Samuel N. Luoma
Estimates of bottom roughness length and bottom shear stress in South San Francisco Bay, California Estimates of bottom roughness length and bottom shear stress in South San Francisco Bay, California
A field investigation of the hydrodynamics and the resuspension and transport of particulate matter in a bottom boundary layer was carried out in South San Francisco Bay (South Bay), California, during March-April 1995. Using broadband acoustic Doppler current profilers, detailed measurements of turbulent mean velocity distribution within 1.5 m above bed have been obtained. A global...
Authors
R. T. Cheng, C. #NAME? Ling, J. W. Gartner, P.-F. Wang
Sedimentation in the delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Sedimentation in the delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers
No abstract available.
Authors
R.L. Dinehart, D. H. Schoellhamer
An on-line diagnostic wind model applied to the San Francisco Bay region An on-line diagnostic wind model applied to the San Francisco Bay region
No abstract available.
Authors
R. T. Cheng, J. Feinstein, F. Ludwig, D. M. Sinton
Long-term investigations provide fundamental insight into natural and human-induced change in the San Francisco Bay (U.S.A.) estuary Long-term investigations provide fundamental insight into natural and human-induced change in the San Francisco Bay (U.S.A.) estuary
No abstract available.
Authors
F.H. Nichols, S. N. Luoma