SFEI|ASC Newsletter Winter 2015

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Making a big splash…

In Paris, the climate talks are closing in on a global accord on climate change.  Here in California, we’re living through the challenges of extreme weather from El Niño storms to extreme King Tides. Meanwhile, at SFEI, we’re doing everything possible to provide the tools to make the San Francisco Bay Area a national model on how to tackle climate change.

We recently helped to author three major reports on the health of the S.F. Bay and Delta —The Pulse, The State of the Estuary Report, and The Baylands Goals Update — while providing a blueprint for action on sea level rise and extreme weather.  The media and editorial response to these reports has been great.

We believe in giving tools to help do the job. Our GreenPlan-IT Toolbox, for instance, will empower cities to evaluate their urban landscape to manage their critical water resources. Our partnership with Google has produced a “Landscapes Resilience Framework.” This document presents seven principles describing how we can design landscapes to be more resilient to rapid environmental changes.

SFEI’s goal is to provide the tools to motivate people to act on behalf their own communities. We hope these highlights inspire you to embrace the possibilities where you live.

Respectfully,

CLEAN WATER

GreenPlan-IT Toolbox evolving quickly to meet increased demand

With the conclusion of the first round of funding for the Green Plan Bay Area project, SFEI produced GreenPlan-IT in collaboration with SFEP, a technical advisory committee, pilot partners, and BASMAA. GreenPlan-IT is an innovative planning tool to help municipalities evaluate multiple management alternatives for green infrastructure in the urban landscape… more >

RMP Keys to Success Highlighted in Two Manuscripts

The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (the RMP) is one of SFEI’s flagship programs. The overarching goal of the RMP is to collect data and communicate information about water quality in San Francisco Bay to support management decisions. Two new articles in Regional Studies in Marine Science document how the RMP has continued to inform management decisions through a commitment to collaboration, adaptation, and innovation during the 23 years since it was founded in 1992… more>

New Reports Show Progress Toward Understanding Nutrient Impacts
in the Bay

SFEI scientists studying the role and effects of nutrients in the Bay recently completed two draft reports that summarize current knowledge of the issue.

The Lower South Bay Nutrient Synthesis was a collaborative effort between SFEI and a number of co-authors in the region, including experts from USGS and UC Davis. The article summarized the current state of knowledge on nutrient-related issues in this region. The second report is the 2015 Annual Nutrient Science Program Update which offers  a succinct progress update on the ongoing elements of the Nutrient Management Strategy for San Francisco Bay… more>

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATICS

New Project Tracker online forms

New Project Tracker online forms enhance EcoAtlas’ regional capacity for habitat restoration project tracking, assessment and reporting. Partners can now upload and edit project information and approve projects for display on EcoAtlas. Project Tracker meets the important need of providing tools for partners to manage their projects and display information on EcoAtlas, a tool for visualizing the condition and extent of California’s aquatic resources… more >

Rosemary Knight speaks at SFEI about groundwater remote sensing

On December 7th, SFEI hosted eminent Stanford Professor to address innovations that may help our State manage its dwindling groundwater supplies in the era of climate change. Rosemary Knight is a Professor of Geophysics and a Senior Fellow of the Stanford Woods Institute who talked to SFEI and invited resource managers about her work concerning remote sensing of groundwater, including electrical resistivity imagery, InSAR, and groundwater NMR, as well as the results of her most recent surveys… more >

Enhancing the Vision for Managing California’s Environmental Information

Under the aegis of the Delta Stewardship Council, SFEI helped compose a vision document with recommendations for enhancements to California’s information technology infrastructure and associated practices. Called “Enhancing the Vision for Managing California’s Environmental Information,” the white paper was produced collaboratively with a team of writers contributing their ideas from private industry, non-profits, and various state agencies… more >

RESILIENT LANDSCAPES

Delta Primary Production Workshop

Sixteen local and national experts met for a three-day workshop hosted at SFEI to develop a plan that will for the first time quantify primary production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, both historically and today. During the workshop (October 28-30), scientists with expertise in primary producer groups, hydrodynamics, and food web dynamics integrated existing data, scientific literature, and best professional judgment to build a new synthesis of past and contemporary production and its ability to support to support the base of the Delta food web… more >

SFEI’s new Landscape Resilience Framework outlines attributes of ecological resilience

SFEI’s Resilient Landscapes Program has developed a Landscape Resilience Framework, with the goal of facilitating the integration of resilience science into environmental management, urban design, conservation planning, and ecological restoration. The framework proposes seven key landscape attributes that contribute to ecological resilience, providing details and examples on each… more >

Lower Novato Creek Vision Just Released!

SFEI recently released a resilient landscape vision for lower Novato Creek that incorporates habitat restoration actions into flood risk management. The vision, developed in coordination with a team of regional science experts, highlights opportunities for restoring and sustaining vital tidal wetland habitats around lower Novato Creek while supporting a high level of flood protection under rising San Francisco Bay water levels. It provides Marin County Flood Control & Conservation District and other local partners with several “nature-based” adaption options that can benefit both habitat and people… more >