Abstract
Changes in the position of the low salinity zone, a habitat suitability index, turbidity, and water temperature modeled from four 100-year scenarios of climate change were evaluated for possible effects on delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus, which is endemic to the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. The persistence of delta smelt in much of its current habitat into the next century appears uncertain. By mid-century, the position of the low salinity zone in the fall and the habitat suitability index converged on values only observed during the worst droughts of the baseline period (1969–2000). Projected higher water temperatures would render waters historically inhabited by delta smelt near the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers largely uninhabitable. However, the scenarios of climate change are based on assumptions that require caution in the interpretation of the results. Projections like these provide managers with a useful tool for anticipating long-term challenges to managing fish populations and possibly adapting water management to ameliorate those challenges.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Michael Meador, Matthew Miller, and several anonymous reviewers for comments that enhanced the clarity and quality of the paper. Funding for this work was provided by the Computational Assessments of Scenarios of Change for the Delta Ecosystem (CASCaDE) project. CASCaDE is supported by a grant from the CALFED Science Program and the Priority Ecosystems Science program of the US Geological Survey. This is contribution number 27 from the CASCaDE project.
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Brown, L.R., Bennett, W.A., Wagner, R.W. et al. Implications for Future Survival of Delta Smelt from Four Climate Change Scenarios for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California. Estuaries and Coasts 36, 754–774 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9585-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9585-4