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Projects
Computational Assessments of Scenarios of Change for the Delta Ecosystem
(CASCaDE)
This CALFED-funded project spans diverse disciplines, from climatology to invasive species. The approach is to cascade model results from global climate models (downscaled to California region) down to the watershed, Delta, and Bay ecosystems. Models of snowpack, estuarine hydrodynamics, sediment transport, aquatic ecology, and wetland processes (among others) will be linked by model results, in order to evaluate the effect of climate change on the Bay-Delta ecosystem. We will receive model output of freshwater flows and meteorological forcing, and implement our estuarine sediment transport model, for evaluating geomorphic response to scenarios of climate change.
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Sediment Fluxes through Carquinez Strait
This study quantified sediment fluxes through the seaward boundary of Suisun Bay, in order to close the sediment budget for Suisun Bay as a whole. Tidal scale measurements were used as surrogates to estimate sediment fluxes over a multi-year period. Support came from the California State Water Resources Control Board, UC-Davis, and the USGS Priority Ecosystems Science Program.
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Lateral Variability of an ETM
The Carquinez Strait study yielded some insight into local dynamics of the estuarine turbidity maximum. SSC measurements at four locations in the cross-section allowed us to quantify the lateral and vertical movement of the ETM, over a several week period. The ETM location responded to tidal energy, stratification, and lateral mixing. This work was presented at the INTERCOH 2005 Conference, in Saga, Japan.
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Sediment Fluxes at Mallard Island
This study, led by Lester McKee at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (http://www.sfei.org), quantifies sediment loads from the Central Valley to Suisun Bay, at the Mallard Island cross-section. These fluxes, when combined with the fluxes measured by the Carquinez Strait project, provide a sediment budget for Suisun Bay.
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Tidal Wetland Fluxes at Browns Island
Water, carbon, and sediment fluxes on and off tidal wetlands impact water quality and marsh sustainability. In light of California's water needs and habitat restoration efforts, CALFED supported this interdisciplinary study at Browns Island, Suisun Bay.
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Controlled Flood of the Colorado River, Grand Canyon
In November, 2004, a controlled flood was unleashed from the Glen Canyon Dam to replenish sandbars in the Grand Canyon. Discharge measurements using an ADCP were desired to check the attenuation of the flood wave, at the 60-mile station on the Colorado River.
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Flocculation Dynamics in San Francisco Bay
Particle size dynamics in the tidal Sacramento River were studied using laser-scattering devices, with concurrent turbidity, salinity, and velocity measurements. We sampled vertical profiles at a fixed location, and established a uniform floc size-density relationship for San Francisco Bay using other measurements throughout the Bay. This work was presented at the INTERCOH 2003 Conference, in Gloucester Point, Virginia.
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Salt Pond Bathymetry Studies
A brief overview of a shallow-water bathymetry system designed for salt pond use, as well as pictures of the Napa Pond 3 breach.
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Tidal Oscillation of Sediment in San Pablo Bay
Researchers at UC-Davis and the USGS participated in the Cisnet study, which made measurements of SSC in the tidal portions of the Petaluma River and Sonoma Creek. Our continuous monitoring efforts in San Pablo Bay complemented these efforts, leading to the recognition of a tidally oscillating sediment mass in both rivers.
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Continuous Monitoring in San Francisco Bay
The USGS oversees a network of sites in San Francisco Bay, continuously monitoring SSC, salinity, and temperature. These data are the backbone of our interpretive efforts in San Francisco Bay, improving our understanding of sediment transport processes. The SSC data are reviewed for errors, and published yearly as USGS open-file/data-series reports.
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