Last updated May 28, 2026

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Wetlands & Sea Level Rise Wetland Condition
WRMP Exhibit · Wetland Resilience

Is the Bay Keeping Up?

Sea level is rising. Tidal wetlands are the Bay Area's living seawall — if they can keep pace. WRMP tracks three questions, every year: how much wetland is left, is it growing fast enough, and is it healthy?

Prototype · Illustrative data
Bay Area sea level, 1900–2100
Observed rise through today, with low / mid / high projection bands.
Bay Area relative sea level, NOAA observed + California State Guidance low/mid/high projections.
SET accretion rates — 10 Bay sites
Marsh surface growth compared to current SLR and the 2050 projection.
Example SET rates, in realistic ranges. 2026 BHM data integration pending. SLR reference lines from NOAA & California State Sea Level Rise Guidance.
CRAM score
80–100 Excellent
70–79 Good
60–69 Fair
<60 Poor
45k of 100k
Extent
45,000 acres · 45% of 2030 goal
Up ~2,400 acres since 2015. Restoration is bending the curve, slowly.
4/10 keeping pace
Elevation
Four of ten SET sites hold current SLR
Zero of ten keep pace with 2050 projections. Illustrative.
74 avg CRAM
Condition
Average CRAM score 74 · range 62 – 91
Reference marshes set the ceiling; restored sites climb toward it. Illustrative.
Bay Wetland Scorecard

The Shield at the Water's Edge

7.7 million people live around San Francisco Bay. Tidal wetlands are the living seawall between them and a rising ocean — but only if the marsh can keep up.

WRMP tracks three questions, every year.

How much?
Extent
Acres of tidal wetland
Rising fast enough?
Elevation
Accretion vs. sea level
Healthy?
Condition
CRAM habitat score
Metric 1 · Extent

How Much Wetland Is Left?

Before California was dammed and diked, the Bay held roughly 190,000 acres of tidal wetland. Today, about 45,000 acres remain. The regional goal by 2030 is 100,000 acres.

Source: SFEI Baylands Goals Project. Map polygons are stylized regional representations, not precise boundaries.

Metric 2 · Elevation

Is It Rising Fast Enough?

Marshes keep pace with sea level by trapping sediment. Surface Elevation Tables (SETs) measure that growth, in millimeters per year. If the marsh grows faster than the sea rises, it wins. If not, it drowns.

4 / 10
Pace current SLR
0 / 10
Pace 2050 projections

Example SET rates, in realistic ranges. 2026 BHM data integration pending. SLR reference lines from NOAA & California State Sea Level Rise Guidance.

Metric 3 · Condition

Is It Healthy?

The California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) scores wetland condition across four attributes — Buffer, Biotic Structure, Physical Structure, and Hydrology — on a 0 to 100 scale.

Tap a site on the map to see its attribute profile. Use the legend to recolor all sites by a single attribute.

Typical Bay wetland profile

Example CRAM scores for ten illustrative sites. 2026 data integration pending.

2026 Scorecard

The Bay's Report Card

Three numbers, one question — is the Bay keeping up? Each gauge tracks a different dimension of wetland resilience against a regional goal.

WRMP tracks all three, every year. When 2026 BHM data arrives, this scorecard updates automatically. Data sources: Extent figures — SFEI Baylands Goals Project. Current SLR — NOAA SF tide gauge (3.1 mm/yr long-term). 2050 projections — California State Sea Level Rise Guidance. Per-site SET and CRAM values shown are illustrative, pending 2026 BHM integration.
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