San Francisco Bay Estuarine System Case Study

As it stands today the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico is losing more and more land; the amount of land lost each year may seem relatively small to the average person, but to scientists who understand the unprecedented rate at which this is happening, there is reason to be alarmed. On the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico there are more reasons for the rising sea level than simply global warming and melting ice sheets or ice caps. In the Mississippi delta, for example, the oil industry is taking so much fluid (oil) out of the ground that the land is sinking and compacting further. There is also a decrease in the amount of sediment reaching the delta due to many man-made structures, such as levees, drudging, dikes, and

On June 19th, my classmates and I had field trip for Oceanography Lab (OCN 101) class with Professor Ocean Matt Horrigan. We went to Corte Madera Salt Marsh, which is located 12 miles North of San Francisco, to examine how rising and falling of tide effect on

Around 10,000 years ago the San Francisco Bay was once not a bay. The glaciers from the ice age melted into water and then the water flowed into “canyons” to form into the San Francisco Bay. However the flowing of the bay may not have stopped. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission predicts that the sea level will increase so much the sea will take over and flood populated areas and landmarks like the San Francisco and the Oakland International Airports. We could recover from natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes, but not sea level rising. The New York Daily News say that it would take only 12 feet for the ocean to rise and take over several landmarks and populated areas in the San Francisco Bay Area and another landmark could be San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park.

An Average of 1.6 trillion gallons of water are extracted from the Delta for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project on an annual basis (Holyoke). With so much demand, the Delta’s ecological balance has been deeply affected. Furthermore, water supplies and local uses are considered to be in crisis due to crashing number of fish species and old weak levees (Lund, et al.) It is feared that during a strong regional earthquake, many of the levees would fail. Due to the increasing demand on water supplies, conservation efforts, and hundreds of interests, the Delta is also the jugular of California’s water

Because most greenhouse gases would remain in the atmosphere for a long period of time, the temperature of the earth will be continuously rising. If global heat-trapping emissions proceed at a medium to high rate, temperatures in California are expected to rise 4.7 to 10.5°F by the end of the century1. With the rise of temperature, the climate of California would also be changed. California has large area of forest and farmland, hundreds of miles of coastline, large amount of snowpack, and other natural wonders. And these special treasures of nature are especially at risk2. So it is very necessary to understand the strategies of California to combat climate change.

(Salton Sea Symposium, 1998) However , the condition of the Sea has drastically changed and so has the amount of healthy living organisms in the Sea. By the 1980�s the water level rose greatly and gave way to abandoned businesses, deteriorating structures and empty beaches. The above was due to the fact that evaporation is the only outlet to the Salton Sea , in fact 1.35 million acre feet of water is lost each year , thus increasing its salinity even more. The salinity of the Salton Sea has increased to 45,000 parts per thousand or 45 PPT; the Pacific Ocean is currently 35 PPT.

Water is the most important resource, controlling all aspects of life. The effect on climate change is changing California’s water quality and quantity. This creates

The rise of sea levels are projected to increase warmer waters from one and a half to two degrees in Central North Pacific in 2050, 1.9 to 2.6 degrees in Northern Islands, and also two to five degrees in the Caribbean at the end of this century. This rise of temperature decreases the life of ecosystems in the ocean and resulting in less freshwater for

The overview of vulnerabilities isn’t fully addressed, the climate change is resulting in significant impacts to Massachusetts coastline and ocean waters. The coast is modestly changing in temperature having an impact on sensitive ecosystems, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem-based economies, based off fisheries, tourism, and recreation. Sea level will impact development, infrastructure and natural systems from erosion and storm damage. Impacts may also include loss of life, extensive property damage, destruction of public infrastructure; releasing of sewage, oil,debris, and other contaminants; and loss of commercial and marine-related businesses critical to local,regional, and state economies. Also, areas such as coastal salt marshes,barrier

ocated between San Francisco and just south of Sacramento is the delta region. The Sacramento/ Bay Area delta area was once vast marshland where 5 regional rivers converged with the Pacific Ocean. Since the discovery of gold over 160 years ago, the area has been excavated and reshaped into a maze of interconnecting levees and waterways. With over 700,000 acers of land and water, the region is an estuary that has become a habitat for over 750 plant and animal species such as migratory birds and an abundant population of fish (Austin, 2015). Most importantly, the delta region provides fertile farmland and drinking water for two-thirds of California’s population.

Summary: In both the main article and the supporting article, the main point is that by the end of the century the climate here in the Bay Area will probably be a lot like the climate of San Diego. And while some might like this for their day to day schedule, this poses enormous environmental impacts. The Bay Area is a unique and rather fragile ecosystem, if the climate here changes to the climate of someplace like San Diego, then our environment will not be able to survive. Such a huge change in such a rapid rate of time could lead to an environmental disaster, and this could drastically affect the health of the people living in the Bay Area. And these effects will most likely not be for the best. Rising sea levels are always seen as a big deal, and they get lots of

Climate change creates significant impacts in the Australian context: in considering sea level rise is one of the most critical condition and as per the IPCC report, in 2100 it will increase by79 centimeters (Department of climate change, 2009). Further, it enhances natural hazards affect on the coastal region as flood, inundation, erosion, and storm surges, which will be a significant threat to the coastal community (Button et al.2013). In addition, sea level rise causes a significant change to beaches, coral reefs, estuaries, wetlands and low-lying islands.

New York City will be my home for the next two years whilst I attend The City College. I believe that climate change will put coastal areas at risk. With the sea levels rising due to the melting of the ice sheets, extreme storm surges due to changes in weather patterns, and flooding they’ll threaten coastal infrastructure (buildings, transport, energy and water supply).

The combination of these and other trends was an estimated average sea-level increase of 1.5mm per year between 1961 and 2003, which reached 2.4mm per year in the decade from 1993 to 2003. The decades prior to this trend showed only minor fluctuations in sea-level, suggesting that the current rate exceeds what could be caused by natural cycles. While the exact impact of rising oceans is difficult to determine, it is certain that the consequences will include some degree of flooding, integration of salt water into water tables, and a loss of land due to coastal erosion and submersion.6

Recall the last time you drove across the Golden Gate Bridge; looking to the sea and seeing the whitecaps break against the rocks, and then looking at the bay and seeing the shimmering aqua colored water filled with sailboats. But now, try and imagine a very different picture, you look towards the bay and see oil slicks, floating tires, and islands of trash as the smell of rotting fish, gasoline and sewage fill your nose. This may sound strange and fictional, but the truth is it isn’t far from possible. In fact, some of the these pollutants are flowing into the San Francisco bay already. Imagine living next to a place like this, how would that make you feel? More importantly, what are the physical health effects as a result of these pollutants? In the following article, we will explore how something like this is possible (if not probable), and what effects it could have on the health of the Bay Area.