Origins of water at the Exploratorium in central San Francisco Bay

• Main Author: Maeve Kathleen Daugharty
• Other Authors: Toby Garfield, Erika McPhee-Shaw, James Cloern
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco State University 2014
• Subjects: Pacific; South Bay; North Bay; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/131587

We investigate the origins of water at the Exploratorium in San Francisco Bay through analysis of forcing data, salinity, and temperature. Water from the estuary mouth was consistently present in Exploratorium waters, indicating a persistent oceanic signal. During Storm Season, water from north Central Bay, North Bay, and South Bay were present, signifying contributions from local tributaries. When mixing was significant, water proximal to the Delta was included. During Upwelling Season, water from the deep ocean, the California Current, Pacific Subarctic Water, and the Gulf of the Farallones were potential oceanic constituents at the Exploratorium, in addition to freshwater and Bay-wide water. Waters from the South Bay, the southern Central Bay, and the mouth converged with Exploratorium waters, isolating North Bay waters during Relaxation Season. Oceanic surface water was the most likely oceanic constituent with some potential for the California Undercurrent and Pacific Equatorial Water to circulate through the Gulf of the Farallones, into the Bay, and to the Exploratorium.