1. SFEI-ASC Seeks to Fill Two Important Positions: Executive Director, Senior Project Manager
2. Jim Kelly Appointed Interim Director of SFEI-ASC
3. PFCs in the News
4. Special Issue of Marine Geology on Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay
5. RMP Journal Publication on Mercury in San Francisco Bay Forage Fish
1. SFEI-ASC Seeks to Fill Two Important Positions: Executive Director, Senior Project Manager
Your assistance would be greatly appreciated in helping spread the word about two openings at SFEI.
SFEI-ASC Executive Director: This is an exciting opportunity to lead the San Francisco Estuary Institute/Aquatic Science Center, a well-respected scientific organization whose opinion is sought out by decision-makers across the state. Under the general direction of, and working in partnership with, a Board of Directors, the Executive Director provides leadership, vision, and overall direction of staff, business and operations. The successful candidate will join a semi-academic work setting and lead a diverse group of environmental scientists and administrative support staff whose mission is to foster development of the scientific understanding needed to protect and enhance the San Francisco Estuary. More details are in the attached brochure and on the
SFEI web site. Filing date: Sunday, February 16, 2014.
Senior Project Manager: SFEI-ASC is seeking a Senior Project Manager to assist in the management of projects within the Clean Water Program, including the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (Bay RMP), the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta RMP), and the San Francisco Bay Nutrient Management Program. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated range and depth of skills in project management, conducting scientific investigations, or managing environmental stakeholder processes. This position will report directly to SFEI-ASC’s Clean Water Program Directors (Drs. Jay Davis and David Senn) and is an integral part of the Clean Water team of senior scientists and managers. Position open until filled.
More information.
2. New Interim Executive Director for SFEI-ASC
The SFEI-ASC Board has appointed Jim Kelly, former General Manager of the Contra Costa Sanitation District, to assume the role of Interim Executive Director. With over forty years of experience in environmental engineering and agency management, Mr. Kelly is a seasoned leader who will offer administrative, financial, and technical insights to shepherd SFEI-ASC through this transition period. More information.
3. PFCs in the News
Last week
Environmental Health News published an article featuring research conducted by Meg Sedlak and other RMP scientists, which has found elevated concentrations of PFOS, a persistent fluorine-containing chemical, in San Francisco Bay apex predators. Once the prime ingredient in Scotchgard, PFOS has remained elevated in harbor seals even though it has declined in sea birds that share their fish diet. San Francisco Bay’s harbor seals have some of the highest PFOS levels in the world, and the chemical isn’t following the pattern of slow decline of other persistent pollutants. It remains unclear why the seals are accumulating these high concentrations. PFOS is of concern because it is bioaccumulative and toxic, including possible suppression of immune response.
More information.
4. Special Issue of Marine Geology on Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay
The first ever compilation of research focused on sediment transport in the San Francisco Bay coastal system was published in November as a special issue of the journal Marine Geology, edited by USGS scientists. The volume’s 21 papers investigate this complex and ever-changing system through the lenses of hydrology, chemistry, ecology and many other disciplines. The authors characterize how water-borne sand and mud affect not just local landforms and hydrology but also environments hundreds of miles away, through the Golden Gate to the Pacific Ocean and beyond. SFEI/RMP Scientist Lester McKee co-authored the special issue’s introductory article and was the lead author for the article “Comparison of sediment supply to San Francisco Bay from watersheds draining the Bay Area and the Central Valley of California.”
More information.
5. RMP Journal Publication on Mercury in San Francisco Bay Forage Fish
RMP monitoring of mercury in small fish in the Bay has resulted in several journal publications, the latest just appearing in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. The article by Ben Greenfield and his coauthors (Predictors of Mercury Spatial Patterns in San Francisco Bay Forage Fish) presents the results of a probabilistic forage fish Hg survey with hypothesis testing in the Bay. The goal was to determine what pollution sources, regions, and landscape features were associated with elevated Hg bioaccumulation. Across 99 sites, whole-body Hg concentrations in Mississippi silversides (Menidia audens) and topsmelt (Atherinops affinis) followed a broad spatial gradient, declining with distance from the Guadalupe River. Site landscape attributes and local Hg sources had subtle effects, which differed between fish species. More information.
