From mavensnotebook.com & USGS – With the potential for flooding during present-day winter storms and sea level rise continually inching up on San Francisco Bay Area communities, a team of scientists and engineers have created a new computer model that can inform key decision-making and guide flood prevention efforts both now and in the future. The model can be accessed free-of-charge on the San Francisco Bay-Delta Community website. The computer model synthesizes the complex dynamics that make up the San Francisco Bay-Delta’s environment, including the hydrology, sediment transport, water quality and the many ecosystems that span the region. The new Delft3D Flexible Mesh model simulates conditions across the San Francisco Bay-Delta system from Point Reyes, up to the tidal limits near Sacramento. The high-resolution mesh can capture fine features and variations in the model that allows for detailed computations on hydrodynamics, sediment transport, water quality and ecosystems. (more)