California is in its fifth year of drought, yet residents are receiving mixed signals as to whether water conservation should still be a priority. A study published in Geophysical Research Letters has estimated that it will take about 4.4 years for the Sierra Nevada snowpack to recover. Out of the 65 years studied, the current […]
The 2014 experimental controlled pulse of water to the Colorado River Delta has revealed an interesting twist on how large dry watercourses may respond to short-term flooding events: the release of stored greenhouse gases. This work is reported at the Goldschmidt conference in Yokohama, Japan. As presenter Dr Thomas Bianchi said: “We saw a rapid […]
California is no longer facing an acute drought. But we’re waking this morning to a vivid reminder of another environmental threat. Major wildfires, from the Mexican border to Oregon, burned through the weekend. And it’s only the start of summer. The largest fire, in Kern County near Bakersfield, spread quickly, destroying at least 250 structures and killing at […]
Part of the solution to California’s demand for water in the face of the state’s crippling drought may lie 10,000 feet beneath the surface of the state’s Central Valley. New research published in the journal PNAS suggests that the region’s aquifers, areas deep underground where water can collect, have three times the usable groundwater as […]
In a surprising new study, Stanford researchers have found that drought-ravaged California is sitting on top of a vast and previously unrecognized water resource, in the form of deep groundwater, residing at depths between 1,000 and nearly 10,000 feet below the surface of the state’s always thirsty Central Valley. The resource amounts to 2,700 billion tons of freshwater, mostly less than […]
Drought-stricken California might have a hidden water bonanza. A Stanford University study released Monday said the state has three times more groundwater located in deep aquifers than earlier estimated. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said this water source is much deeper than traditional aquifers and that tapping it would likely require […]
California Drought Remains Serious; Tens of Millions of Trees Dead
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Total Landscape Care (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)by Jill OdomCalifornia is in its fifth year of drought, yet residents are receiving mixed signals as to whether water conservation should still be a priority. A study published in Geophysical Research Letters has estimated that it will take about 4.4 years for the Sierra Nevada snowpack to recover. Out of the 65 years studied, the current […]
Controlled Colorado River Flooding Released Stored Greenhouse Gases
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Phys.org (United Kingdom)The 2014 experimental controlled pulse of water to the Colorado River Delta has revealed an interesting twist on how large dry watercourses may respond to short-term flooding events: the release of stored greenhouse gases. This work is reported at the Goldschmidt conference in Yokohama, Japan. As presenter Dr Thomas Bianchi said: “We saw a rapid […]
California Today: Wildfires, Earlier Than Ever
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The New York Timesby Ian LovettCalifornia is no longer facing an acute drought. But we’re waking this morning to a vivid reminder of another environmental threat. Major wildfires, from the Mexican border to Oregon, burned through the weekend. And it’s only the start of summer. The largest fire, in Kern County near Bakersfield, spread quickly, destroying at least 250 structures and killing at […]
Drought-Hit California Has a Bonanza of Water—Underground
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Timeby Justin WorlandPart of the solution to California’s demand for water in the face of the state’s crippling drought may lie 10,000 feet beneath the surface of the state’s Central Valley. New research published in the journal PNAS suggests that the region’s aquifers, areas deep underground where water can collect, have three times the usable groundwater as […]
California May Have a Huge Groundwater Reserve that Nobody Knew About
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Washington Postby Chris Mooney Mentioned: Carlsbad Desalination PlantIn a surprising new study, Stanford researchers have found that drought-ravaged California is sitting on top of a vast and previously unrecognized water resource, in the form of deep groundwater, residing at depths between 1,000 and nearly 10,000 feet below the surface of the state’s always thirsty Central Valley. The resource amounts to 2,700 billion tons of freshwater, mostly less than […]
California Has a Lot More Water Than Some Think, New Stanford Study Suggests
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Shelby GradDrought-stricken California might have a hidden water bonanza. A Stanford University study released Monday said the state has three times more groundwater located in deep aquifers than earlier estimated. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said this water source is much deeper than traditional aquifers and that tapping it would likely require […]