Big problem, small size: Improving methods in microplastics research

When it comes to plastic pollution, that candy wrapper half buried in the dirt is only the tip of the iceberg. Plastic bags, cigarette butts, and bottle caps are not just an eyesore, but over time they break down in the environment, creating small pieces of debris known as microplastics. Microplastics can include anything from synthetic fibers of clothing to industrial pellets from the plastic manufacturing process. Microplastics are now ubiquitous in our environment--found in our air, drinking water, sediment, and in the San Francisco Bay and global ocean.     

Shallow Groundwater Response to Sea Level Rise

The response of shallow groundwater to sea-level rise is a relatively new field of study. For low-lying coastal communities, sea-level rise adaptation efforts must consider the potential for groundwater rise to avoid maladaptation. The need to better understand this slow and chronic threat was identified as a critical data gap in the San Francisco Bay Area’s adaptation efforts during the Bay Area Groundwater and Sea-Level Rise Workshop in 2019.

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Floodplain Inundation and Habitat

An R-package for spatial and temporal analysis of floodplain inundation characteristics and application of habitat suitability criteria. It takes as input raster data of depth and velocity (e.g., from 2D hydrodynamic modeling) at known flows and a corresponding daily flow time series. Daily rasters of estimated depth and velocity are generated from inputs using spatially resolved piece-wise linear interpolation. Hydrospatial analysis functions calculate a range of physical metrics using the raster time series. Habitat suitability criteria applied to the computed physical metrics estimate spatially resolved daily cell suitability, allowing for computation of daily weighted usable area. Statistical and graphical summary of these metrics in space and time.

Salmon Habitat Quantification Development

The Chinook salmon habitat quantification tool is a science-based approach for use by restoration planners to evaluate existing or potential habitat across spatially- and temporally-variable floodplain inundation conditions in the process of planning, designing, and implementing restoration and management activities.

United Nations Global Urban Lecture Released on Making Nature's City

SFEI's Urban Nature Lab and the UN-Habitat Global Urban Lectures series have produced a video on SFEI's Making Nature's City report. The lecture demonstrates why urban conservation planning is an essential component of urban design...

Integrating Planning with Nature

Can we gain the benefits of restoring nature while making our cities denser and protecting natural and working lands?

East Palo Alto Urban Forest Master Plan

SFEI is partnering with the City of East Palo Alto, the urban forestry non-profit Canopy, and HortScience | Bartlett Consulting to develop an Urban Forest Master Plan for the city.

Geospatial Compliance Monitoring System

The Geospatial Compliance Monitoring System (GCMS) is an online database that records all biological opinions and the information associated with them to ensure that requisite actions are tracked, monitored, and enforced.

To this end, the GCMS houses a customized set of information, tailored to the needs of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) regarding the projects occurring in Southern California (associated with its Carlsbad office). The system then issues notices based on overdue conservation measures on a daily basis.

PFAS Stays in San Francisco Bay

SFEI senior scientist, Dr. Rebecca Sutton, published a new study in the journal Chemosphere showing that it will take almost 50 years for PFOA concentrations in water to stabilize in San Francisco Bay. This pales in comparison to the trajectory of PFOS concentrations that will not stabilize in sediment and fish for 500 years. PFOS and PFOA are harmful to humans, causing liver damage, endocrine disruption, fertility decrease, and cancer.

Assessing Five Watersheds in Santa Clara County

A new synthesis report characterizing the amount, distribution, and diversity of streams and wetlands within the County employing CARI, and an ambient survey of the overall ecological condition of streams employing CRAM.

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