1. Biodiversity: changes along estuarine salinity gradient.
Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Bay-Delta Tidal Marsh Vegetation
V.T. Parker1, J.C. Callaway2, E.R. Herbert1, M.C. Vasey1, L.M. Schile3
1San Francisco State University, 2University of San Francisco, 3University of California, Berkeley
Climate change is likely to cause substantial shifts in estuarine salinity and water levels over the next century, with higher summer salinities due to reduced snowmelt and higher water levels due to increased global sea-level rise.
Increasing
Temperatures
Ppt
Shifts from
Snow to rain
Smaller
Snowpack
Biodiversity: changes along estuarine salinity gradient.
Carbon cycling: productivity and decomposition.
Earlier melt
Spring floods
Lower
Summer
flows
Increased
inundation
CO2
increases
Reduced
Peat
formation
Increased
Estuarine
salinity
Sea level
Rise
Our research is focused on evaluating effects of climate change on vegetation dynamics across the estuary, including potential impacts on plant community composition and diversity, primary productivity, and decomposition rates. We are evaluating these dynamics at six marshes along a salinity gradient within the Bay-Delta, from China Camp to Sand Mound Slough.
Field sites:
1. China Camp SP salt marsh
2. Petaluma salt marsh
3. Coon Island
4. Rush Ranch
5. Browns Island
6. Sand Mound Slough 3 4 2 5 1 6
Current areas of saltwater-freshwater mixing are indicated by yellow and light blue
Brackish Marshes
Freshwater Marshes
Salt Marshes
Salt Marshes
Brackish Marshes
Future areas of saltwater-freshwater mixing will shift inland, impacting the high diversity, high productivity systems in the Suisun and western Delta regions.
This work is supported by CalFed Grant 1037

2. Biodiversity: changes along estuarine salinity gradient.
Carbon cycling: productivity and decomposition.
.Our research is focused on evaluating effects of climate change on vegetation dynamics across the estuary, including potential impacts on plant community composition and diversity, primary productivity, and decomposition rates. We are evaluating these dynamics at six marshes along a salinity gradient within the Bay-Delta, from China Camp to Sand Mound Slough.
CalFed
Bay Delta
Program
This work is supported by CalFed Grant 1037

3. Current areas of saltwater-freshwater mixing are indicated by yellow and light blue
Brackish Marshes
Freshwater Marshes
Salt Marshes
Salt Marshes
Brackish Marshes
Future areas of saltwater-freshwater mixing will shift inland, impacting the high diversity, high productivity systems in the Suisun and western Delta regions.