Evaluating Habitat Suitability and Tidal Wetland Restoration Actions With ECOSTRESS

Abstract

As temperatures rise, it is increasingly important to monitor changes in habitat conditions for aquatic species and mitigate emerging stressors. The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) instrument provides temperature products at a spatial and temporal scale not previously available. Here, we utilize ECOSTRESS temperature products to assess fluctuations in thermal habitat suitability for an endangered fish species and we also demonstrate the utility of the data set to assess water surface and bulk temperature changes following completion of two tidal wetland restoration efforts in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta (Bay Delta). During all hours of the day throughout the 2018–2022 study period, key Delta Smelt habitat areas including Honker Bay, West Suisun Bay, and Mid Suisun Bay had greater than 75% of their areas suitable; there were several instances during which less than 25% of the area was thermally suitable generally coinciding with heatwave events. Overall, midday hours are less frequently suitable than morning and evening hours. Early evidence from ECOSTRESS indicates that there may be a decrease in surface water temperature of up to several degrees in tidal restoration areas, but more data is needed to show statistically significant outcomes. The ECOSTRESS record began in summer of 2018, and a longer record is needed to fully capture temperature changes associated with wetland processes and restoration efforts. Future applications of ECOSTRESS products can the capacity to help further understand ecosystem conditions and how restoration efforts affect water temperature, informing decisions that benefit Delta Smelt and other at-risk aquatic species.