California Aquatic Resource Inventory (CARI)

The California Aquatic Resource Inventory is a standardized statewide map of wetlands, streams, and riparian areas. This Geographic Information System (GIS) dataset provides accurate and detailed information a bout wetland and riparian distribution and abundance for management, planning, and research of the State’s aquatic resources.

Pre-CARI mapping efforts for California contain varying levels of detail, vintages, coverage, and classifications, which makes comparisons of wetland presence across the State challenging. To improve wetland a nd riparian data in the State, CARI is produced using a standardized mapping approach developed by statewide experts and implemented regionally drawing on local knowledge. Examples of CARI mapping can be seen in the San Francisco Bay Ar ea, Lake Tahoe Basin (Upper Truckee River Watershed), and the Southern California Coast. As CARI efforts continue to produce high-quality, comprehensive maps, there is still a need for a single statewide dataset of aquatic resource data . CARI v0, as seen on EcoAtlas Modern Habitats, is a compilation of multiple data sources to produce seamless coverage across the state. Datasets used in CARI v0 include the National Wetland Inventory (USFWS), National Hydrography Datas et (USGS), and regional intensified maps.

The effort to stitch together a statewide dataset from multiple sources is largely a classification crosswalk exercise. Due to this there may be errors in classification of the features or boundaries of wetlan d extent in CARI v0. This is particularly an issue with depressional features or freshwater ponds and marshes. The CARI map is not intended for regulatory purposes and does not serve as a jurisdictional delineation. Efforts to correct b oth spatial accuracy and classification errors will be addressed in CARI v1.

For more information or to submit comments or corrections (including screen shot or lat/longs) contact CARImapping@sfei.org

To download the data visit GeoFetch: http://gis.sfei.org/geofetch

Last update: Varies by dataset and feature

California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN)

The California Environmental Data Exchange Network is a central location to find and share environmental data on California’s water bodies, including streams, lakes, rivers, and the coastal ocean. Many groups in California monitor water quality, aquatic habitat, and wildlife health to ensure good stewardship of our ecological resources. CEDEN aggregates this data and makes it accessible to environmental managers and the public.

Water and sediment toxicity data in CEDEN are made available in EcoAtlas. Sites are categorized as non-toxic or having some, moderate, or high toxicity based on a common algorithm. The assessment of toxicity is based on methods used to summarize nine years of toxicity testing data collected by the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and was designed to integrate results from multiple samples taken at a site and multiple tests conducted on the samples. For more information on the methods for categorizing toxicity data, view the State’s Toxicity in California Waters report: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/swamp/docs/txcty_rprt.pd .

For more information on CEDEN and to download the data: http://www.ceden.org .

Last update: Weekly

Riparian Area

Data are available in the Bay Area only.

The vegetation and hillslope layers were generated using the Riparian Area Mapping Tool (RAMT), which models the functional area for different ecological and geomorphic processes that contribute to create the riparian zone. The calculations required to model the contributing function of each process are organized into modules. Currently, RAMT includes modules for vegetation and hillslope, and more are planned for the future. The main input file to RAMT is a stream or wetland shapefile. Depending on the module, other files include elevation rasters, vegetation datasets, and user-defined bins for data values. In order to ensure a smooth user experience, RAMT was structured to accept data that is freely and widely available, and the interface is fully documented with parameter explanations.

For more information contact us at ecoatlas@sfei.org. To download the data visit GeoFetch: http://gis.sfei.org/geofetch .

Last update: 2011

California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM)

The California Rapid Assessment Method is a standardized, cost-effective tool for assessing the health of wetlands and riparian habitats of California. It is designed to enable standardized ambient assessments at multiple scales: projects, watersheds, regions, and statewide. CRAM can be used to assess compensatory mitigation projects, as well as restoration projects, to help evaluate the performance of wetland and riparian protection policies and programs. The use of CRAM for ambient monitoring will, over time, help wetland managers and scientists quantify the relative influence of anthropogenic stress, management actions, and natural disturbance on the spatial and temporal variability in reference conditions. This information can then be used in the design, management, and assessment of projects.

For more information on CRAM: http://www.cramwetlands.org/ . CRAM data can be downloaded from www.ecoatlas.org .

Citation: California Wetlands Monitoring Workgroup (CWMW). "California Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands and Riparian Areas (CRAM)." EcoAtlas . Accessed [date]. [URL]

Last update: Frequently

Wetland Projects

The Wetland Projects dataset contains wetland restoration or mitigation projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Coast, and the South Coast. In the San Francisco Bay Area, project information is collected for all new 401 certified projects. Projects can be accessed via the interactive map, as well as individual project information pages that display information on the size, construction status, county, contacts, and planned activity. In addition, supporting materials including monitoring reports, permits, or photos are available in the project’s file repository. Please note that a project can have more than one site and sites can have different status codes.

An online tool for submitting projects is being developed and will streamline the process of uploading and editing projects in EcoAtlas.

Project data can be downloaded from www.ecoatlas.org .

Citation: California Wetlands Monitoring Workgroup (CWMW). "Wetland Projects." EcoAtlas. Accessed [date]. [URL].

Last update: Frequently

Eelgrass Aquatic Resources

Data are available in the South Coast only.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) aquatic resource areas are recognized as important ecological communities in nearshore open coast areas, shallow bays and estuaries throughout coastal California. Access to regional maps and related monitoring reports is crucial in order to maintain a consistent policy regarding mitigating adverse impacts to any aquatic resource, better understand regional mitigation success and track trends in anthropogenic effects on eelgrass aquatic resources. A system for tracking anthropogenic changes in this aquatic resource provides a basis to determine efficacy of the Southern California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy, developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The regional survey maps for eelgrass contained within EcoAtlas represent the best available data about eelgrass distribution in coastal embayments and estuaries in the southern California region during 1994-2009. These data have been collected using a variety of methods and the survey results are not comprehensive in that the data incorporated in these surveys have been derived from a restricted subset of surveys that have been conducted in the region. This information is intended only for regional planning purposes and not for site-specific analysis. All data, including mitigation project polygons and associated monitoring reports, were provided by staff of the Long Beach office of the Habitat Conservation Division, National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Region.

For more information and to download the data, contact Bryant Chesney (Bryant.Chesney@noaa.gov) or Adam Obaza (Adam.Obaza@noaa.gov), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southwest Region, Long Beach office of the Habitat Conservation Division, or view the Recommendations for a Southern California Regional Eelgrass Monitoring Program Technical Report .

Last update: 2009

Historic Aquatic Resources and Terrestrial Plant Communities

Since the 1990s, the San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center (SFEI-ASC) and partner organizations (including Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, CSU Northridge, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Ecosystem Restoration Program, Friends of The Napa River, and the Alameda County Resource Conservation District) have been mapping California’s historical aquatic and terrestrial resources. This dataset combines the historical mapping from 12 separate SFEI-ASC research projects spanning from 1998 to 2013. The historical mapping of prevailing conditions prior to Euro-American modification is a major component of each research effort. The goals of these historical ecology mapping efforts include providing information for habitat restoration, watershed management, flood protection, and local education.

For each research project, an array of heterogeneous data sources was compiled and analyzed in order to map historical features. Spatial data sources including historical maps, surveys, and aerial photos were used in conjunction with non-spatial sources such as early explorers’ journals, travelers’ accounts, and newspaper articles in order to interpret and map historical ecological features. Information about the original mapping projects, as well as sources and certainty levels associated with each historical feature can be accessed by clicking on a particular feature and then clicking the ‘more..’ hyperlink.

Extensive supporting information, including bibliographic references, analyses, and research methods, can be found in the individual published reports which are available online. When using these data for analytical purposes, we strongly recommend referring to the each project's documentation for a complete description of habitat types, certainty levels, and mapping extents. For more information visit SFEI-ASC’s Historical Ecology Page: http://www.sfei.org/he . To download the data visit GeoFetch: http://gis.sfei.org/geofetch .

We would like to thank the many funders who have supported this collective body of work. Click here to see the complete list.

Last update: 2013

Current CD3 Data Selection Link:

Includes values within Contaminant Data box and year range only.

Copy LinkLink successfully copied!Unable to copy link, please copy the above text to share.

No Contaminant Data Selected.

Includes values within Contaminant Data box and year range only.

Please make sure to select a test material and analyte (or species if test material is set to Benthic).