Cordelia Slough
Encyclopedia
Cordelia Slough is a 10.8 miles (17.4 km) tidal watercourse
which discharges to the Suisun Slough, which in turn empties into Grizzly Bay
in Solano County, California
. The Suisun Slough, fed by the Green River and Red Top Creek, provides a productive habitat for a diversity
of aquatic
flora
and fauna
. In particular steelhead migrate up Cordelia Slough to spawn in its two tributaries.
biodiversity
and also for prevalence of endangered species
such as Sacramento splittail, Pogonichthys macrolepidotus and the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse
.
of the San Francisco Bay Area
; correspondingly, there are increasing risks of adverse water quality
due to urban surface runoff
from such new development. Cordelia Slough is considered a subarea of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, which is a State of California designated Wildlife Area.
Watercourse
A watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
which discharges to the Suisun Slough, which in turn empties into Grizzly Bay
Grizzly Bay
Grizzly Bay is a baylet of the San Francisco Bay which dips into Solano County, California and borders Suisun Bay. Grizzly Bay is home to many sloughs and wildlife areas in addition to the 5th Reserve Fleet which is docked off the coast of Benicia....
in Solano County, California
Solano County, California
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
. The Suisun Slough, fed by the Green River and Red Top Creek, provides a productive habitat for a diversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of aquatic
Aquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....
flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. In particular steelhead migrate up Cordelia Slough to spawn in its two tributaries.
Endangered species
Cordelia Bay is known for its speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and also for prevalence of endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
such as Sacramento splittail, Pogonichthys macrolepidotus and the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse
Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse
The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse , also known as the Red-bellied Harvest Mouse and some times called by Saltmarsh Harvest Mouse, is an endangered rodent endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area salt marshes in California. There are two distinct subspecies, both endangered and listed together on federal...
.
Water quality
Some areas which drain into Cordelia Slough from the north are subject to development pressure from the expanding populationOverpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
; correspondingly, there are increasing risks of adverse water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
due to urban surface runoff
Surface runoff
Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...
from such new development. Cordelia Slough is considered a subarea of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, which is a State of California designated Wildlife Area.
See also
- San Francisco Bay Area watercourses
- Suisun ShrewSuisun ShrewSorex ornatus sinuosus, the Suisun Shrew or Suisun ornate shrew, is a subspecies of the Ornate Shrew that occurs in the tidal marshes of the northern shores of San Pablo and Suisun bays Sorex ornatus sinuosus, the Suisun Shrew or Suisun ornate shrew, is a subspecies of the Ornate Shrew that occurs...