Coming off the heels of a historically hot summer, California citizens may be in for a bit of a reprieve for this year’s winter, and if meteorologists are correct in their predictions, perhaps a positive impact on the drought as well.The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a subsect of the National Weather Service, has released a […]
Okay, okay, so Mark Twain never said that the coldest winter he’d ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. But were he alive today to be misquoted, he might proclaim this summer in California the warmest he’d experienced. And he’d be right. Federal climate trackers confirmed Thursday that this summer (defined as June through […]
When Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 32 into law on Thursday, he said of the sweeping climate change bill, “This is big, and I hope it sends a message across the country.” Q: So what, exactly, does it do? A: SB 32 comes a decade after California’s landmark Assembly Bill 32, which required the […]
La Niña may not happen after all. Federal climate scientists on Thursday dialed back their forecast for the influential weather pattern that is sometimes associated with dry years in parts of the Americas, including California — where another winter of scant rain could wreak havoc on the drought-plagued state.California saw near-normal precipitation in most places […]
Last month, the website Water Deeply published an op-ed I wrote about the likely harm to salmon and other endangered species from the California WaterFix project. This op-ed followed a letter that NRDC sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service regarding major flaws in the draft biological assessment. Below is a more detailed version […]
If you restore aquatic habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, will the fish come back? That’s the basic question behind a major restoration project planned at Prospect Island, a 1,600-acre (650-hectare) tract of levee-protected farmland near Rio Vista that is now owned by the state. The California Department of Water Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife […]
Weather Agencies Predict Drought Could Benefit from Hot Summer and No La Niña
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /AndNowUKnow (Sacramento)by Laura HillenComing off the heels of a historically hot summer, California citizens may be in for a bit of a reprieve for this year’s winter, and if meteorologists are correct in their predictions, perhaps a positive impact on the drought as well.The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a subsect of the National Weather Service, has released a […]
California’s Warmest Summer: This Is It
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /KQED Science (San Francisco)by Craig MillerOkay, okay, so Mark Twain never said that the coldest winter he’d ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. But were he alive today to be misquoted, he might proclaim this summer in California the warmest he’d experienced. And he’d be right. Federal climate trackers confirmed Thursday that this summer (defined as June through […]
This is What the Climate Bill Jerry Brown Signed Means
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby David SidersWhen Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 32 into law on Thursday, he said of the sweeping climate change bill, “This is big, and I hope it sends a message across the country.” Q: So what, exactly, does it do? A: SB 32 comes a decade after California’s landmark Assembly Bill 32, which required the […]
La Niña No Longer Seen as Likely This Winter
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /SFGate (San Francisco)by Kurtis AlexanderLa Niña may not happen after all. Federal climate scientists on Thursday dialed back their forecast for the influential weather pattern that is sometimes associated with dry years in parts of the Americas, including California — where another winter of scant rain could wreak havoc on the drought-plagued state.California saw near-normal precipitation in most places […]
BLOG: Why California WaterFix Is a Path to Extinction
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /NRDC (New York)by Doug ObegiLast month, the website Water Deeply published an op-ed I wrote about the likely harm to salmon and other endangered species from the California WaterFix project. This op-ed followed a letter that NRDC sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service regarding major flaws in the draft biological assessment. Below is a more detailed version […]
BLOG: Major Habitat Restoration Project Could Help Delta Fish
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt WeiserIf you restore aquatic habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, will the fish come back? That’s the basic question behind a major restoration project planned at Prospect Island, a 1,600-acre (650-hectare) tract of levee-protected farmland near Rio Vista that is now owned by the state. The California Department of Water Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife […]