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. Lower South Bay (south of the Dumbarton Bridge) is a shallow subembayment where nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton biomass are typically greater than elsewhere in San Francisco Bay. Additionally, low dissolved oxygen concentrations have been observed in the shallow sloughs and creeks that exchange with Lower South Bay. The Lower South Bay Nutrient Synthesis summarized the current state of knowledge on nutrient-related issues in this region, including: synthesizing data and observations related to nutrient inputs and cycling; characterizing trends in major indicators of ecosystem response to nutrients; evaluating the relative importance of physical, chemical, and biological factors that regulate ecosystem response; and identifying remaining high-priority science questions.

The second report is the 2015 Annual Nutrient Science Program Update. This report is a succinct progress update on the ongoing elements of the Nutrient Management Strategy for San Francisco Bay. This reports presents brief results on a number of monitoring activities from the last year, including ship-based monitoring, high-frequency moored sensor monitoring, high-spatial resolution mapping, and source monitoring, as well as progress towards developing long-term nutrient monitoring and modeling programs.

Comments on these reports may be sent to David Senn  or Emily Novick.