PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
This project will analyze daily satellite images to track where and when salty ocean water mixes with freshwater in the Delta, helping managers better control dam releases to protect water supplies for millions of Californians while maintaining the ecosystem's health.
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a crucial part of California's water system, but it's been heavily changed over the years. This area is responsible for delivering freshwater to many parts of the state, but saltwater from San Francisco Bay is slowly creeping into the Delta, which threatens the water supply for southern California. Human-built dams now control much of this freshwater flow, making it crucial for managers to carefully monitor where, when and how these waters mix. Managing this problem is tricky because we need to balance the health of the ecosystem with the need for water. While scientists have used complicated models to understand the changes in the Delta, these models are expensive to create and use. So, there’s a need for simpler and more affordable ways to monitor how water moves through the Delta.
This project will use a novel approach to assist in this monitoring: examining daily satellite photos to track where river and ocean waters meet depending on the tides. In particular, a zone known as the “estuarine turbidity maximum,” a cloudy band of muddy river water mixed with salty ocean water, is visible to modern satellites. This information will help water managers better predict and respond to changes in the system, especially during droughts when maintaining the right balance becomes even more critical.
This project is funded by the Delta Stewardship Council Delta Science Program under Agreement No. DSC23011 and is administered by California Sea Grant.