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Delta Science Program launches modeling collaboratory, posts peer review of Healthy Rivers and Landscapes plan
Summary
The Delta Science Program told the board on July 16 that it has kicked off a modeling “collaboratory” to support collaborative modeling and synthesis and that an independent peer review of the Department of Water Resources’ Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) science plan has been completed and posted.
The Delta Science Program told the board on July 16 that it has kicked off a modeling “collaboratory” to support collaborative modeling and synthesis and that an independent peer review of the Department of Water Resources’ Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) science plan has been completed and posted.
Program lead Lisa‑Marie Windham Myers described the collaboratory as a networked hub for model documentation, shared datasets, computing resources and facilitated synthesis projects. The program is profiling three initial topics this summer — cyanobacteria (harmful algal blooms), salinity intrusion and tidal wetlands/food‑web restoration — and plans synthesis work with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis this fall.
On the HRL peer review, the Delta Science Program contracted three independent reviewers (Steve Brandt, Josh Korman and Mike Runge). The reviewers found the HRL plan to be comprehensive and a useful guide for developing tributary science plans, but they suggested improvements, including clearer expectations about expected effect sizes, explicit statistical power analyses for monitoring designs, stronger explanation of covariates and confounding factors, and tighter links between monitoring and modeling so managers can assess cost‑effectiveness and adaptive thresholds.
Why it matters: The collaboratory and the HRL review both aim to improve how science supports management decisions in the Delta. Reviewers advised DWR to more clearly define decision criteria and to acknowledge where the eight‑year assessment window may be insufficient to detect some expected biological responses.
Research awards and ISB changes: The Delta Science Program also summarized 2025 research awards and early‑career fellowships: staff said the awards package covers roughly $8.8 million and supports interdisciplinary teams across the region. The Independent Science Board will add three new members in September; the program also plans a September climate symposium.
Ending: The Delta Science Program said it will post peer‑review materials and responses to its website and will share collaboratory profiles and participant recruitment details for the fall synthesis workshop.
