Sunday, November 17, 2013
History of the Wetlands
The San Francisco Bay was a valley until eight to ten thousand years ago, when the sea level rose and the land was inundated with ocean water. When the sea level finally stopped rising rapidly about 4,000 years ago, sediment began to build up and create the Bay’s tidal marshes. At their height, the Bay’s tidal wetlands covered 800 square kilometers and were home to diverse species and the Muwekma-Ohlone Native Americans, who used the Bay’s resources sustainably. Conversely, the Europeans settlers who arrived later had purely economic motives, exploiting and degrading the area. Intense environmental pressures also came with the beginning of the Gold Rush in 1848. In some areas, manmade marshes created by sediment from hydraulic mining replaced natural wetlands. Yerba Buena and Mission Bay were filled in to accommodate the thousands of spectators moving to the Bay. Shockingly, the state sold marshlands for $1 an acre during this period.
The Moffett Air Field was constructed on the South Bay Marshes in 1932. Next came the creation of Treasure Island, the Alameda Naval Air Station, Mills Field (which became the San Francisco International Airport), and the Hamilton Army Field. All of these projects either required the development or filling in of parts of the Bay. By 1950, 90% of the Bay’s wetlands had been destroyed. Despite the degraded state of the environment, there were still plans to continue to fill in parts of the Bay for different purposes. It wasn’t until the Army Corps of Engineers drew up a map that predicted that the Bay would become a small canal by 2020 if such extreme development persisted that people began to realize that protection and restoration was necessary. Catherine Kerr, Sylvia McLaughlin, and Ester Gulick created Save the Bay in 1961. The organization put forth massive organized efforts to stop developers from encroaching on even more on the Bay’s wetlands. Other large-scale restoration projects started in 1969. Efforts to return the Bay back to a healthier, more sustainable state continue today, such as the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. Current Human Impacts
Bay Area wetlands offer a wide range of ecological services. They provide wildlife habitat for over 500 species of wildlife, 105 of which are threatened and 23 of which are endangered. They also help control flooding by holding and absorbing excess water, provide ground-water recharge, and can even contain pollutants in the flooded soil. Unfortunately, Bay Area wetlands are currently threatened by human activities such as pollution, climate change, freshwater diversion, invasive species, and shoreline urbanization. The severity of these impacts are related to population growth: the Bay Area population is expected to grow another 15 percent to 8.1 million by 2020.
Today, pollution in the Bay Area poses serious threats to the region’s wetlands. Manmade pollution comes from car exhaust, pet waste, trash, household toxins such as fluorescent light bulbs that contain mercury, and more. Pollution that comes from non-point sources is particularly problematic because it is difficult to control and contain its effects. Mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) that come from old mining activities adversely affect the wetlands since they contaminate water and poison sensitive species. When not disposed of correctly, these pollutants wash into storm drains and flow into the Bay. Run-off caused by improper waste treatment methods also pollutes wetlands with pesticides used in agriculture and chemicals from industrial activity.
Anthropogenic climate change also affects the wetlands by changing temperatures and water quality, which contributes to further decreases in species diversity. As the planet warms, sea levels increase (water expands when its hot, in addition to melting ice and glaciers), which puts pressure on many species. Climate change can also lead to changes in runoff patterns that bring more fresh water into the Bay during the winter but less in the spring and summer. Scientists predict that this will cause parts of the Delta to become saltier. This will pose a serious problem since many plants and animals are not adapted to saltier conditions. Humans’ demand for water is also contributing to the diversion of freshwater in the Delta. Freshwater supplies are pumped from the area to be used by 22 million Californians. Unfortunately, 95% of the Delta’s diverse freshwater plant habitat has already been lost. In addition, human-introduced nonnative species damage Bay Area wetland ecosystems. Plants such as Australian bent grass and iceplant can outcompete native vegetation and take over large areas, which leads to a decrease in species diversity.
Finally, urbanization is impacting Bay Area wetlands. Wetlands usually migrate inland when sea levels rise, but plants and animals are currently running out of available space because of Bay Area urban development. Table 10 lists the types and extents of areas that are currently not viable, viable but will cause property loss, and viable for wetland migration in the San Francisco Bay Area. Developed areas are considered to be not viable for wetland migration (this includes all areas with high to low intensity development). These areas constitute 35 square miles of land in the Bay Area. Although 53 square miles are considered viable, 35 square miles is a lot of space that is no longer available to wetlands. It is also reasonable to predict that people may not want to pay for the property damage that would come from making another 4.9 square miles available for wetland migration. Rises in sea level paired with the constraints of Bay Area urbanization put serious environmental pressure on the ecosystem, trapping existing wetlands within a smaller and smaller inhabitable range.
Future Prospects for the Wetlands
Future prospects for Bay Area wetlands are mostly unknown. In many ways, much progress has been made in protecting the area. When the San Francisco Bay estuary and associated wetlands in Marin were added to the list of international treaty of protected waterways in February 2013 they became the country’s 35th “wetland of importance.” Additionally, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission continues to enforce the San Francisco Bay Plan, which was first created in 1968. The Commission works to protect wetlands and regulate development in the area. Hopefully this will continue to benefit Bay Area wetlands, especially if the regulations become even more stringent. Efforts made by environmental groups also appear to be paving the way for a more environmental future in the Bay Area. The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project’s work to restore saltwater wetland habitats will most likely encourage the reintroduction and growth of species in these wetland pond complexes.
However, U.S. Geological Survey scientists estimate that in 40 years Bay marshlands, like Marin Country's Core Madera Marsh, will actually be completely wiped out. Ecologist Karen Thorne says that her research indicates that there will be no Bay Area wetlands left by the end of the century, mostly thanks to the rising sea levels. Sea levels are projected to keep rising at faster and faster rates in the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of anthropogenically caused climate change. While existing wetlands could move upslope away from encroaching sea levels, Thorne says that “there’s nowhere for them to go” thanks to the urbanization in the area. It’s clear that much more work needs to be done on a larger scale to ensure a future for Bay Area wetlands.
Potential Improvements
On an individual level, people can help improve the condition of Bay Area wetlands by volunteering with environmental organizations like Save the Bay and donating money to the restoration and protection causes. On a larger scale, no more development should be allowed near the shoreline to provide space for wetlands to migrate to in response to rising sea levels. Ideally, some current development should be moved farther back from the coast. Reducing greenhouse gases and industrial emissions will also help reduce global warming, which is contributing to rising sea levels. In addition, industries in the Bay Area should be required to limit their use of chemicals that are poisoning the wetland water and decreasing habitats and species diversity. Perhaps the local or state government can pass more stringent laws on the type and magnitude of industrial chemical use allowed. Waste management is also a crucial factor: industrial, agricultural, and personal waste should be better treated and always disposed of properly to avoid contaminated runoff. A combination of these strategies will hopefully revitalize Bay Area wetlands and allow for their future health.
Reference List
Academic Journals:
Herberger,
Matthew, Heather Cooley, Eli Moore, and Pablo Herrera. “The Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the San
Francisco Bay.” California Energy Commission’s California
Climate Change Center (2012) : 1-22.
Web. 08 November 2013.
Parker, Thomas
V., John C. Callaway, Lisa M. Schile, Michael C. Vasey, and Ellen R.
Herbert. “Climate Change and San
Francisco Bay-Delta Tidal Wetlands.” San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science 9.3 (2011) : 1-10. Web.
09 November 2013.
Vasey, Michael
C., Thomas V. Parker, John C. Callaway, Ellen R. Herbert, and Lisa M.
Schile. “Tidal Wetland Vegetation in the
San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.” San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science
10.2 (2012) : 1-14. Web.
11 November 2013.
Other Web Sources:
Berg, Linda R.,
Mary Catherine Hager, and David M. Hassenzahl.
Visualizing Environmental Science:
Third Edition. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print.
Blueford, Joyce
R. San
Francisco Estuarine Wetlands. Math/Science
Nucleus. Web. 10 November 2013. [http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/sfwetland.htm]
Mack,
Heather. Bay Area Wetlands Now Even More Special. SFBay.ca, 2013. Web.
13 November 2013.
Miller,
Craig. Bay Area Wetlands Slowly Drowning as Seas Rise. KQED Science, 2013. Web.
11 November 2013.
Travis,
Will. San Francisco Bay: Learning from the past, celebrating the present,
preparing for the future. University
of California Museum of Paleontology short course, 2010. Web.
13 November 2013.
A Brief History of the San Francisco Bay
Tidal Marshes. National Science Foundation. Web.
11 November 2013.
Design Guidelines for Tidal Restoration in
San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Bay
Area Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program.
Web. 11 November 2013.
Invasive Non-Native Species to Avoid in
Wetland Projects In the San Francisco Bay Region. San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality
Control Board, 2006. Web. 14 November 2013.
Save The Bay- About the Bay. Save The Bay (San Francisco). Web.
10 November 2013.
Save The Bay- Don't Pave My Bay! History. Save The Bay (San Francisco). Web. 15 November 2013.
Save The Bay- Don't Pave My Bay! History. Save The Bay (San Francisco). Web. 15 November 2013.
San Francisco Bay Plan. CA.gov. San Francisco Bay Conservation and
Development Commission, 2007. Web. 11 November 2013.
Photograph Sources:
Crabb, Aric, and
Bay Area News Group. “Napa-Sonoma
Marshes State Wildlife Area.”
Photograph. Massive new wetlands restoration reshapes San Francisco Bay. San Jose Mercury News, 2013. Web.
14 November 2013.
“Current Aquatic
System.” Photograph. The
Shrinking Bay. The Bay
Institute. Web. 14 November 2013.
“Historical
Aquatic System.” Photograph. The Shrinking
Bay. The Bay Institute. Web.
14 November 2013.
Restoration
Advisory Board. “North Pond wetland
connected to San Francisco Bay.”
Photograph. Massive landscaping project
changing scenic area on Nature Reserve. Alameda
Point Environmental Report, 2013.
Web. 14 November 2013.
San Francisco
History Center. “Butchertown
wetlands.” Photograph. FoundSF.
San
Francisco Public Library. Web. 14 November 2013.
Sheehey,
Alison. “Sunset over Richardson
Bay.” Photograph. San
Francisco Bay. National Audubon
Society, Inc., 2013. Web. 14 November 2013.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Spanish Translation
La Bahía de San Francisco anteriormente era un valle, hasta que el nivel del mar subió hace unos 8-10 mil anos. El nivel del mar paro de subir hace 4,000 anos y entonces diferentes clases de sedimentos mas se empezaron a acumular. La bahía cubre aproximadamente 800 pies cuadrados en kilómetros en donde originalmente vivían diferentes tipos de Nativos Americanos. Los europeos usaron la tierra para mejorar su progreso económico. Durante la época del Oro en 1849 la tierra fue usada demasiado. La creación de campos aéreos, islas, campos navales, junto con los aeropuertos son algunos proyectos que han deteriorado el sitio. El 90% del área ha sido destruida desde 1950. Catherine Kerr, Sylvia McLaughlin, y Ester Gulick crearon el programa de Salvar la Bahía en 1961.
Prospectos para el futuro en el área de la Bahía son mayormente desconocidas. Ah habido progreso tratando de mantener el área, pero a pesar del esfuerzo hay áreas las cuales se han puesto en la lista para proteger a pesar de su gran importancia ocupando el lugar treinta y cinco. Creando diferentes regulaciones para mantener la área. A pesar de todo, los científicos dicen que la mayor de la parte de la bahía ya no exista en unos 40 anos. Y otros concluyen que ya no va a existir por la causa de la elevación del nivel del mar.
En el nivel individual lo que uno puede hacer para mejora las condiciones del área de la bahía es que uno se convierta en voluntario con las diferentes organizaciones. Donar dinero para el apoyo y proteger del lugar. Reduciendo los gases verdes y los efectos de la industrialización los cuales causan calentamiento global, los cuales contribuyen al levantamiento del nivel del mar. Las industrias en la área deben de tener control total sobre el nivel de basura toxicas, junto con los gases que causan que muchos de los animales y sus viviendas se destruyan. En cualquier caso el gobierno debe de tomar medidas más rigurosas creando limitaciones en la industria, la agricultura, y toda la basura para una manera de eliminarla para evitar la contaminación. Con estas medidas y acciones ojala todo se mejore en la área de la Bahía de San Francisco.
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