Fog has declined in past century along California's redwood coast

ScienceDaily (Feb. 16, 2010) — California’s coastal fog has decreased significantly over the past 100 years, potentially endangering coast redwood trees dependent on cool, humid summers, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, scientists. It is unclear whether this is part of a natural cycle of the result of human activity, but […]

San Joaquin Valley water prospects ‘remain as if we are in a fourth year of drought’ despite Sierra snowpack

By Kate CampbellAssistant Editor Issue Date: February 3, 2010 As a panel of leading scientists convened last week to examine information used to restrict water transfers from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta on behalf of protected fish, the state’s water supply situation took on new complexities. Water districts and elected officials in the San Joaquin Valley […]

Storm runoff and sewage treatment outflow contaminated with household pesticides

ScienceDaily (Feb. 3, 2010) — Pyrethroids, among the most widely-used home pesticides, are winding up in California rivers at levels toxic to some stream-dwellers, possibly endangering the food supply of fish and other aquatic animals, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Southern Illinois University (SIU). Pyrethroid insecticides, […]

Graph of the Day: California Groundwater Storage Loss, October 2003 – March 2009

Observed ground water trends in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins, Oct. 2003 to March 2009. NASA Data Reveal Major Groundwater Loss in California’s Heartland Technorati Tags: freshwater depletion,drought,agriculture,California,GRACE,North America

Torrential rain not enough to end California drought

By Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 01.25.10 …While this week of rain has brought some relief to water officials, much more rain and snow is needed to pull California out of its three-year drought. The state could emerge from drought, but only if the rain is persistent, and is complemented by heavy snowfall […]

Graph of the Day: Groundwater Storage Loss in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basins, October 2003 – March 2009

In the 66-month period analyzed, the water stored in the combined Sacramento and San Joaquin Basin decreased by more than 31 cubic kilometers, or nearly the volume of Lake Mead. Nearly two-thirds of this came from changes in groundwater storage, primarily from the Central Valley. NASA Data Reveal Major Groundwater Loss in California’s Heartland Technorati […]

California butterfly populations declining rapidly; ‘There is nowhere to go except heaven’

(University of California – Davis) California butterflies are reeling from a one-two punch of climate change and land development, says an unprecedented analysis led by UC Davis butterfly expert Arthur Shapiro.The new analysis, scheduled to publish online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, gives insights on how a major […]

Fall 2009 salmon run ‘may set a new record low’

By MATT WEISER, Sacramento Bee SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Salmon didn’t make the big fall comeback in California’s Central Valley rivers that anglers and nature lovers yearned for, raising the likelihood of a third year of fishing restrictions. Some areas saw more fall-run chinook return from the ocean to the Sacramento River and its tributaries. This […]

California lakes warming twice as fast as regional air

  By Matt Weisermweiser@sacbee.comPublished: Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009 – 12:00 am | Page 1BLast Modified: Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009 – 1:31 am Lake Tahoe, Clear Lake and four other large lakes in Northern California and Nevada are warming faster than the surrounding atmosphere, suggesting climate change may affect aquatic environments faster and sooner. The findings […]

San Francisco Bay mussels to be studied for contamination by industrial chemicals

By Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, December 27, 2009 State scientists on Monday will cull mussels from the waters around Treasure Island as part of a national study of so-called “emerging contaminants” – certain compounds found in everyday items like shampoo, bedding and birth control pills. California and federal officials say such chemicals are […]

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