The Salt Ponds of San Francisco Bay

Claudia Kelly of Gate 6 ½ sends along this excerpt from the book Down by the Bay—San Francisco’s History Between the Tides: What do silver, salami, steel, wine, and lawn furniture have in common? Maybe a picnic with proper silver cutlery on the lawn comes to mind? What needs shallow...

Combatting Rising Tides at Bothin Marsh

Just north of the Richardson Bay Bridge, the Bothin Marsh Open Space Preserve and a section of the multi–use path are experiencing frequent and severe flooding that impacts the shoreline, plants, wildlife, and use of the pathway. The Preserve is Marin County Parks’ most visited park unit and the most...

Atmospheric Rivers and Storm Surges

This is the fourth installment of a research paper on the microclimates of Richardson Bay by Yellow Ferry resident Richard Pavek. Unlike ordinary storms that circle a slowly moving Low Center passing by in a single Storm Front, Atmospheric Rivers are narrow plumes of water vapor originating from as far...

Tides, Breakers, and Fetches

This is the third installment of a research paper on the microclimates of Richardson Bay by Yellow Ferry Resident Richard Pavek. Sooner or later, everyone who lives on the water acquires a tide chart thinking it will forecast the high and low tides. But it doesn’t. While NOAA scientists can...

Effects of Drenching Rains on Tidal Height

This is the second installment of a research paper on the microclimates of Richardson Bay by Yellow Ferry Resident Richard Pavek. An inch of rain falling on the Bay raises the high and low tides an inch more than predicted. But an inch of rain falling on the surrounding area—which...

Richardson Bay Microclimate

Richard Pavek (Yellow Ferry Harbor) has written an extensive research paper on the climate of our neighborhood and the tidal factors that affect this region. Over the next few weeks, we’ll publish his findings chapter by chapter. Here’s Chapter One: For the first few days after I moved to the...

Audubon Sanctuary Closed to Boats

The Richardson Bay Audubon Sanctuary has closed to all boat traffic—including paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes—until March 31. The annual closure protects tens of thousands of migratory ducks, geese, and shorebirds while they refuel for their journeys south. The closure is mandated by an ordinance of the Richardson’s Bay Regional...

Red Tide Muddies the Waters

  For the past few days, the media have been running scary stories about an algae bloom which has caused a red tide offshore and in parts of San Francisco Bay. The red tide results from a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic algae (plantlike organism) known as Heterosigma akashiwo, which...

In-Person Coastal Cleanups are Back

On the third Saturday of September, volunteers all over the world will converge on beaches, shorelines and inland waterways to pick up trash and remove dangerous debris. Considered the largest marine–related volunteer event in the world, Coastal Cleanup Day is a wonderful opportunity to lend a hand and make a...