San Francisco Bay and its Outer Coast comprise the largest estuarine area on the west coast of the United States. It is an ideal area to help achieve the vision of the NOAA Sentinel Site Program. The estuary serves as both a major urban and economic center and supports significant ecological value. It is home to over 7 million people, and retains some of the largest and most important natural areas along the west coast, including three National Marine Sanctuaries (Greater Farallones, Cordell Bank, and Monterey Bay), the Point Reyes National Sea Shore, the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The estuary serves as a major hub of commerce and supports the most intact Mediterranean-climate wetlands in North America. The Bay Area is also on the leading edge of efforts to support the resilience of this wealth of socio-ecological resources in light of changing sea level and coastal flood conditions.
The SF Sentinel Site Cooperative Management Team is currently made up of representatives from NOAA's Office for Coastal Management, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, NOAA's Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and California Sea Grant.
The San Francisco Bay Area Sentinel Site Cooperative's goals are to build partnerships, capacity, and awareness. More specifically, we seek to:
With an emphasis on sea level rise, Cooperative activities fall under three main focus areas:
See how the Sentinel Site Program is helping this region adapt to threats such as sea level rise:
Working Together to Build ResilienceOne alternative to coastal armoring is natural infrastructure, which is a cost-effective approach to mitigating the impact of floods, storms, and sea level rise in many places. A new report presents five case studies that document natural infrastructure at work along the California coast. | Download
Over the past several years in California, new tools, models, and guidance have been developed to address the impacts of coastal climate change. Sentinel Site Cooperative members developed a website, "Lifting the Fog," to present these resources for coastal decision-makers.
PDF Download: San Francisco Bay and Outer Coast Sentinel Site Cooperative