Special Issue on Effects of Drought on the Ecology of the Upper San Francisco Estuary
Greetings IEP Community members,
Aspecial issue of SFEWS(SFEWS Volume 22, Issue 1 | March 2024) was recently published that includes 5 articles from the Drought Synthesis Team.
Special Issue on Effects of Drought on the Ecology of the Upper San Francisco Estuary
Droughts have major effects on estuaries because freshwater entry is one of the defining features of an estuary, and freshwater flow is an important variable that determines the interannual change in the environment. In the upper San Francisco Estuary (the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Bay, and Suisun Marsh), the Mediterranean climate includes frequent multi-year droughts. In addition, aquatic invasive species have drastically changed how the San Francisco Estuary functions. During the past 2 decades, the effects of invasive species in the estuary may have increased in response to frequent and severe drought conditions. With increased frequency of droughts in the future, this increasingly low-outflow, warming, clearing estuary—which is invaded by non-native species and has low pelagic fish production—is rapidly becoming the new “normal.”
Research
- The Anatomy of a Drought in the Upper San Francisco Estuary: Water Quality and Lower-Trophic Responses to Multi-Year Droughts Over a Long-Term Record (1975–2021)
David H. Bosworth, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Rosemary Hartman, Elizabeth B. Stumpner
- Delta Blue(green)s: The Effects of Drought and Drought Management Actions on Microcystis in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta
Keith Bouma-Gregson, David H. Bosworth, Theodore M. Flynn, Amanda Maguire, Jenna Rinde, Rosemary Hartman
- Years of Drought and Salt: Decreasing Flows Determine the Distribution of Zooplankton Resources in the San Francisco Estuary
Arthur Barros, Rosemary Hartman, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Christina E. Burdi
- Amazing Graze: Shifts in Jellyfish and Clam Distributions During Dry Years in the San Francisco Estuary
Rosemary Hartman, Laura Twardochleb, Christina E. Burdi, Elizabeth H. Wells
- Dry Me a River: Ecological Effects of Drought in the Upper San Francisco Estuary
Rosemary Hartman, Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Christina E. Burdi, David H. Bosworth, Amanda Maguire, Interagency Ecological Program Drought Synthesis Team
A huge thank you to the entire Drought Synthesis team that made it happen!
Team members
Rosemary Hartman, Elizabeth Stumpner, David H. Bosworth, Amanda Maguire, Christina E. Burdi, Arthur Barros, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Ted Flynn, Jared Frantzich, Jereme Gaeta, Brett Harvey, April Hennessy, Elizabeth Keller, Peter Nelson, Sarah Perry, Nick Rasmussen, Jenna Rinde, Tyler Salman, Evan Sawyer, Steven Slater, Laura Twardochleb, Elizabeth Wells