CA LCC Project

Climate-Driven Alteration of Intertidal Habitats for Migratory Birds in the San Francisco Bay Estuary

Project Information

This project evaluates the effects of global climate change and sea level rise on estuarine intertidal habitat in the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Flyway migratory waterbirds that rely on this habitat.

Phase 2 of this project is a continuation of work to evaluate the effects of global climate change and sea level rise (SLR) on intertidal shoals in the San Francisco Bay Estuary and the migratory waterbirds that rely on this critically important resource in the Pacific Flyway. The primary objectives are to: 1) use downscaled global climate change models to translate SLR and climate scenarios into habitat quantity predictions through Delft Flow geomorphic modeling; 2) model the response of avian prey (i.e. benthic invertebrates) to intertidal flat geomorphology and area changes; 3) model waterbird response to geomorphic and invertebrate change; and 4) integrate predictive changes in habitat quantity and prey abundance to generate spatially-explicit assessments of avian response to changes expected from climate change and SLR. The study answers the management question, "How will climate change and SLR affect the intertidal shoal habitats critical for the health of migratory birds in coastal estuaries?" This project provides the first data addressing this pivotal question and would inform conservation and restoration of migratory bird habitat, including the on-going South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project.

Full Proposal Title: 
Climate-Driven Geomorphic Alteration of Intertidal Foraging Habitats for Migratory Birds in the San Francisco Bay Estuary
Project Lead: 
Bruce Jaffe, bjaffe@usgs.gov ; John Takekawa, jtakekawa@audubon.org
Status: 
In Progress (phase 2)
Starting Date: 
2010-07
Ending Date: 
2015-03
Total LCC Funding: 
182452
Total Matching or In-Kind Funds: 
796000
Attachments

Products of this project

Titlesort descending Deliverable Type Release Date Commons Catalog Record or External Link
Assessment of south SFB wave energy, tidal currents, and sediment flux Report Mar 2015
Assessment of waterbird habitat change under different scenarios of SLR and geomorphic change Report Mar 2015
Comprehensive review on foraging of migratory birds on shoal habitats Report Dec 2011
Delft DFlow-FM Model of South San Francisco Bay Shoals Applications and Tools Oct 2014
DEM for South SF Bay Shoals Datasets / Database Dec 2013
Digital Elevation Models of South San Francisco Bay Shoals Datasets / Database Jan 2012
First Phase Final Report: Climate-driven geomorphic alteration of intertidal habitats for foraging migratory birds in the San Francisco Bay estuary: a California landscape conservation cooperative project Report Dec 2011
Methodology of quantifying key metrics for habitat change Methodology / Protocol Dec 2011
Modeling Workshop Training / Outreach / Workshop Oct 2010
Niche partitioning, threshold food densities, and limits to prey depletion by diving ducks in an estuarine bay Publication Dec 2013
Relationships among geomorphic change, invertebrate prey, and avian foraging on mudflats Report Mar 2015
Sediment Transport in the San Francisco Bay Coastal System: An Overview Publication Apr 2013
Shorebird carrying capacity models for South San Francisco Bay shoals Publication Oct 2014