David Thomson

Habitat Evolution Mapping Project Decadal Update (2019 & 2021) - Preliminary Results (2019)

ariela — Thu, 27 May 2021 00:44:10 +0000

Habitat Evolution Mapping Project Decadal Update (2019 & 2021) - Preliminary Results (2019)

2019 Study Area. Credit: Brian Fulfrost & Associates

ariela Wed, 05/26/2021 - 17:44

Document Category

Scientific Reports

Author(s)

Brian Fulfrost

David Thomson

Matt Hinshaw

Date

2021-05

Summary

This report outlines the preliminary results of the 2019 update to the original Habitat Evolution Mapping Project (HEMP). HEMP mapped the marshes and mudflats south of the San Mateo bridge yearly between 2009 and 2011. This update to that project (which we refer to as “HEMP2”), is a two-year project designed to understand the current status of these habitats, and to map and quantify the changes over the last decade. Originally planned for 2019 and 2020, the second year of HEMP2, was moved to 2021 and is now underway. The goal of the update is to better inform the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSP), its partners and stakeholders, about the status of marsh and mudflat habitats within the study area and to assess changes to these habitats since the first study a decade ago.

The preliminary datasets produced from the HEMP2 study, and presented in this report, provide the SBSP Project Management Team (PMT) important resources for quantifying and visualizing the current distribution and extent of tidally influenced salt, brackish and freshwater marshes, as well as tidal mudflats, within the study area (See Figure 1). In combination with the results from the first phase of HEMP (Fulfrost, B., Thomson, D., 2012), they also allow the PMT and its’ partners and stakeholders to better understand how tidal marshes have evolved over the last decade (2009-2019). We cannot assess changes to mudflats for this same period since we were unable to use the mudflat data from the previous report as a good baseline. However, we do now have mudflat distribution and extent from 2016 (Fulfrost, B., 2017), and we applied these same methods to the 2019 imagery.

Overall, vegetation communities within tidal marshes have remained relatively stable, especially within fringe marshes along sloughs and marshes that already are well established. Based on our preliminary acreage tables for the entire study area (see Figure 3), there has been a small increase in the acreage of low salt marsh and a subsequent small decrease in the “mid” marsh plain. At the same time there also appears to be an overall increase in brackish marsh, especially in the Alviso area (and adjacent marshes). These overall trends could be variability across years, differences in the application of methods, or even some stochastic combination of factors.

Within the restored ponds, the trends and changes are much easier to understand (and quantify). Within several restored ponds there has been a significant increase in floral colonization (e.g. E9/E8A, A21, A20, North Creek marsh), but not as much in others (A6 & A17). The ponds with less floral colonization have changed into large mudflats, where biofilm also predominates. In some locations, such as the Alviso restoration unit, there also appears to be an in increase in brackish marsh since 2009-211. It is unclear whether this is interannual variability or a potential general shift in salinity.

Overall, the tidal mudflats directly facing the bay (i.e. not within ponds or sloughs) south of the San Mateo appear to be relatively unchanged from 2016. The contour of MLLW provided by the USGS from 2005 (Jaffee, B. & Foxgrover, A., 2006), also shows a general spatial correspondence with the current extent. Although tidal mudflats directly exposed to the bay remain relatively unchanged since 2016 (and even 2015), there are some locations with evidence of accretion and/or erosion. Although it is to be expected, there is also a decrease of mudflats within restored ponds with floral colonization.

Keywords

habitat evolution

mudflats

mapping

multispectral imagery

Pond Complex

Alviso

Eden Landing

Ravenswood

Content available here

2021 Presentation: An Update on the Habitat Evolution Mapping Project

Restoring Tidal Marsh-Upland Ecotones in South San Francisco

lorenzof — Fri, 31 May 2019 00:36:43 +0000

Restoring Tidal Marsh-Upland Ecotones in South San Francisco

Restoring Tidal Marsh-Upland Ecotones in South San Francisco (Poster Thumbnail)

lorenzof Thu, 05/30/2019 - 17:36

Poster

Author(s)

David Thomson

Date

Thu, 02/03/2011 - 4:15pm

San Francisco Bay Transition Zone Conservation and Management Preliminary Decision Support System (DSS) (SBSS 2013)

lorenzof — Thu, 30 May 2019 21:07:46 +0000

San Francisco Bay Transition Zone Conservation and Management Preliminary Decision Support System (DSS) (SBSS 2013)

San Francisco Bay Transition Zone Conservation and Management Preliminary Decision Support System (DSS) (SBSS 2013) (Poster Thumbnail)

lorenzof Thu, 05/30/2019 - 14:07

Poster

Author(s)

Brian Fulfrost

David Thomson

Date

Tue, 07/16/2013 - 4:40pm

Transitional Plant Community Restoration Around Pond A6

lorenzof — Thu, 30 May 2019 20:56:25 +0000

Transitional Plant Community Restoration Around Pond A6

Transitional Plant Community Restoration Around Pond A6 (Poster Thumbnail)

lorenzof Thu, 05/30/2019 - 13:56

Poster

Author(s)

David Thomson

Aidona Kakouros

Date

Tue, 07/16/2013 - 4:40pm

Plant Community Creation Research in Upland Transitional Habitats

lorenzof — Thu, 30 May 2019 18:00:27 +0000

Plant Community Creation Research in Upland Transitional Habitats

Plant Community Creation Research in Upland Transitional Habitats Poster Thumb

lorenzof Thu, 05/30/2019 - 11:00

Poster

Author(s)

David Thomson

Aidona Kakouros

Date

Thu, 10/22/2015 - 1:00pm

San Francisco Bay Margin Conservation and Management Decision Support System (DSS)

lorenzof — Thu, 30 May 2019 17:54:20 +0000

San Francisco Bay Margin Conservation and Management Decision Support System (DSS)

San Francisco Bay Margin Conservation and Management Decision Support System (DSS) Poster Thumbnail

lorenzof Thu, 05/30/2019 - 10:54

Poster

Author(s)

Brian Fulfrost

David Thomson

Date

Thu, 10/22/2015 - 1:00pm

San Francisco Bay Transition Zone Conservation and Management Preliminary Decision Support System (DSS)

lorenzof — Wed, 29 May 2019 23:17:50 +0000

San Francisco Bay Transition Zone Conservation and Management Preliminary Decision Support System (DSS)

lorenzof Wed, 05/29/2019 - 16:17

Poster

Author(s)

Brian Fulfrost

David Thomson

Date

Tue, 10/29/2013 - 12:15pm

San Francisco Bay Margin Conservation and Management Decision Support System (DSS)

admin — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 00:16:01 +0000

San Francisco Bay Margin Conservation and Management Decision Support System (DSS)

San Francisco Bay Margin Conservation and Management Decision Support System (DSS) - Poster Thumbnail

admin Mon, 01/07/2019 - 16:16

Poster

Author(s)

Brian Fulfrost

David Thomson

Date

Tue, 10/29/2013 - 12:15pm

Incorporating the Coastal Blue Band into a Remote Sensing Toolkit for Mapping Intertidal Mudflats in South SF Bay

admin — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:21:53 +0000

Incorporating the Coastal Blue Band into a Remote Sensing Toolkit for Mapping Intertidal Mudflats in South SF Bay admin Wed, 11/22/2017 - 16:21

Document Category

Scientific Reports

Author(s)

Susan E. W. De la Cruz

YangQuan Chen

David Thomson

Date

2015

Summary

One of the key uncertainties identified within the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) Adaptive Management Plan is whether the sediment source will come at the expense of critical mudflat habitat. If so, erosion of existing mudflats may result in changes in foraging area and food resources, thus reducing the ecosystem benefits of this habitat to waterbirds and other species. As a result, the SBSPRP requires methods for tracking changes to the distributions, extent and quality of mudflats within its expansive project area. A prior SBSPRP study (Fulfrost, et al. 2012) found that use of satellite imagery for tracking changes to approximately 2000 acres of mudflats was problematic because of the difficulty of matching a day and time when low tide (at Mean Lower Low Water) fully exposed the mudflats with satellite flyover. One impediment to tracking mudflats is that must be mapped while they are exposed at the lowest tides (mean lower low water, MLLW). The number of days that high resolution satellites, such as Ikonos, Landsat 8, or WoldView 2 or 3 pass over during MLLW limits the effectiveness of these resources for mapping. The inclusion of the Coast Blue Band (CBB) aboard WorldView 2/3 improves capabilities for mapping shallow water substrates

Keywords

mapping

mudflats

Vegetation Management in SBSP’s Alviso Unit seeding high marsh and upland transitional habitats

admin — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:21:53 +0000

Vegetation Management in SBSP’s Alviso Unit seeding high marsh and upland transitional habitats admin Wed, 11/22/2017 - 16:21

Document Category

Scientific Reports

Author(s)

David Thomson

Aidona Kakouros

Date

2013-08-09

Summary

The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s (SCVWD) Healthy Creeks and Ecosystems’ Environmental Enhancement Grant Program funded the planning and implementation of tidal marsh-upland transitional plant community restoration at former salt pond A6 (Figure 1 below). Pond A6 was restored to tidal action by the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project in December 2010, and in the fall of 2011 we seeded approximately 13 acres of the remaining levees modified during construction. We seeded 28 species of native plants historically found at the Bay’s margin (Table 1 below). Aerial hydroseeding was used due to a lack of ground access, and NASA-Moffett Field donated the use of their airfield.

Keywords