System Wide Monitoring Program

Long-term monitoring is essential to understanding ecosystems and placing shorter-term research into context. In an estuary, water-quality and weather data are especially important. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System conducts high-quality, standardized monitoring at each of the National Reserves.

Learn more about the data we collect and how to access it below.

Research staff with instrument

Water Quality Monitoring

Water Quality Stations

We maintain four water quality stations in our reserve sites, two in China Camp State Park and two in Rush Ranch. Data from these stations is available in near-real-time, in addition to the near-real-time monitoring data, supplementary samples are taken at each site once a month. See the sidebar for details on the parameters collected.

 

Gallinas Creek

San Rafael, Station Code: SFBGCWQ

China Camp

San Rafael, on the historic pier at the Village, Station Code: SFBCCWQ

First Mallard

Rush Ranch, Suisun Marsh, Station Code: SFBFMWQ

Second Mallard

Rush Ranch, Suisun Marsh, Station Code: SFBSMWQ

Richardson Bay

In addition to these water quality stations, we maintain both a water quality and meteorological station in Richardson Bay in partnership with the Smithsonian’s MarineGEO & Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network. These data are not currently available online; contact the Research Director for more information.

Contact Us

Near-Real-Time Water Quality Parameters

At our four core stations the following water quality parameters are measured every 15 minutes:

  • water level
  • temperature
  • salinity
  • dissolved oxygen
  • pH,
  • turbidity

At Richardson Bay the following water quality parameters are measured every 15 minutes:

  • water depth
  • temperature
  • salinity
  • dissolved oxygen
  • pH
  • turbidity
  • fDOM
  • BGA-PE
  • chlorophyll

Monthly Water Quality Parameters

The following water quality parameters are measured monthly at each station:

  • ammonium nitrate
  • nitrite 
  • ortho-phosphate 
  • chlorophyll a

Meteorological Monitoring

Meteorological Stations

We maintain one meteorological station at our reserve site at Rush Ranch. Data from this station is available in near-real-time. See the sidebar for details on the parameters collected.

Rush Ranch

The Rush Ranch meteorological station is located on the edge of the marsh, near Suisun City. Station code: SFBRRMET

 

Richardson Bay

In addition to these water quality and meteorological SWMP stations, the San Francisco Bay NERR maintains both a water quality and meteorological station in Richardson Bay, located at 37° 52′ 36.09″ N, 122° 29′ 15.23″ W, in partnership with the Smithsonian’s MarineGEO & Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network. This station has been in operation since April 2016. These data are not currently available online; contact the Research Director for more information.

 

Parameters

The following meteorological parameters are measured every 15 minutes at both stations:

  • air temperature
  • barometric pressure
  • wind speed
  • wind direction
  • total PAR
  • precipitation
  • relative humidity

Vegetation Long-Term Monitoring

San Francisco Bay NERR also conducts long-term monitoring of emergent vegetation at China Camp and Rush Ranch. These data are not currently available online; contact the Research Director for more information.

 

Oyster Surveys

Monthly oyster recruitment on the Marin County shoreline, and annual bay-wide oyster population surveys. These data are not currently available online; contact the Research Director for more information.