Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Tidal Marsh Sustainability In The Face Of Sea-Level Rise: A Hybrid Modeling Approach Applied To San Francisco Bay, Diana Stralberg, Matthew Brennan, John Callaway, Julian K. Wood, Lisa M. Schile, Dennis Jongsomjit, Maggi Kelly, V Thomas Parker, Stephen Crooks

Environmental Science

Background: Tidal marshes will be threatened by increasing rates of sea-level rise (SLR) over the next century. Managers seek guidance on whether existing and restored marshes will be resilient under a range of potential future conditions, and on prioritizing marsh restoration and conservation activities.

Methodology: Building upon established models, we developed a hybrid approach that involves a mechanistic treatment of marsh accretion dynamics and incorporates spatial variation at a scale relevant for conservation and restoration decisionmaking. We applied this model to San Francisco Bay, using best-available elevation data and estimates of sediment supply and organic matter accumulation developed for 15 …

Diversity-Function Relationships Changed In A Long-Term Restoration Experiment, James M. Doherty, John Callaway, Joy B. Zedler

Environmental Science

The central tenet of biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) theory, that species richness increases function, could motivate restoration practitioners to incorporate a greater number of species into their projects. But it is not yet clear how well BEF theory predicts outcomes of restoration, because it has been developed through tests involving short-run and tightly controlled (e.g., weeded) experiments. Thus, we resampled our 1997 BEF experiment in a restored salt marsh to test for long-term effects of species richness (plantings with 1, 3, and 6 species per 2 x 2 m plot), with multiple ecosystem functions as response variables. Over 11 years, 1- …

Climate Change And San Francisco Bay-Delta Tidal Wetlands, V Thomas Parker, John Callaway, Lisa M. Schile, Michael C. Vasey, Ellen R. Herbert

Environmental Science

Climate change will affect tidal wetlands with higher rates of sea-level rise and higher concentrations of salt in brackish and freshwater tidal systems, in addition to causing increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration, warmer temperatures, and shifts in precipitation. In the San Francisco Bay–Delta, the areas most likely to be affected—brackish and freshwater tidal wetlands—are also the sites with the majority of endemic plant species and the greater biodiversity and productivity. Effects on the San Francisco Bay– Delta estuary are complex and difficult to predict, but a few things are clear. Biodiversity of the tidal wetland system in the San Francisco …

Target Allocation Methodology For China's Provinces: Energy Intensity In The 12th Five-Year Plan, Stephanie Ohshita, L Price

Environmental Science

Experience with China’s 20% energy intensity improvement target during the 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP) (2006-2010) has shown the challenges of rapidly setting targets and implementing measures to meet them. For the 12th FYP (2011 – 2015), there is an urgent need for a more scientific methodology to allocate targets among the provinces and to track physical and economic indicators of energy and carbon saving progress.

This report provides a sectoral methodology for allocating a national energy intensity target – expressed as percent change in energy per unit gross domestic product (GDP) - among China’s provinces in the 12th FYP. Drawing …