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Study Suggests New Climate Threats To California’s Oysters

/in , /by /KQED News (San Francisco, Calif.)by Kevin Stark

In the winter, rainstorms soak California’s coastline. In the spring and summer, strong winds blow waves into the narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean. For the briny bivalves that live in the bay, this is part of the natural rhythm of life. But now, because of climate change, the torrents of winter rain run with increasing severity, and for oysters, all that freshwater can be dangerous. Summer’s waves bring increasingly acidic water, making it harder for small oysters to build their calcium-based shells. For years, scientists have warned that ocean acidification threaten oysters, but new research from UC Davis suggests that climate change ravages the creatures in a multitude of ways.

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Feds Say Fisheries Are In Good Shape, But Climate Challenges Loom

/in , /by /Courthouse News Service (Pasadena, Calif.)by Matthew Renda

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration touted the environmental benefits of the agency’s fisheries management Friday, saying the number of fisheries at sustainable levels is near a record high. The agency said its 2018 Status of the U.S. Fisheries Annual Report to Congress is proof the United States is the unrivaled leader in stewardship of fish populations within its rivers, streams an off its shores. In addition to the near record on sustainability, the agency said it has rebuilt the population of the smooth skate – a small fish resembling stingrays – in the Gulf of Maine. NOAA also touted the positive contributions commercial and recreational fishing make to the national economy.

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Bringing Climate Projections Down To Size For Water Managers

/in , /by /Earth and Space Science News (Washington D.C.)by Kimberley M. S. Cartier

Models of what global climate will look like in 10, 50, and 100 years get more sophisticated every year. But what will climate change mean for water resources in regional communities? A group of researchers is building tools to help scientists and regional water managers answer that question. “We’ve been developing new models and new techniques…to refine our understanding of the uncertainty in projections going forward—for hydrology, for snowpack, for important water resources, for flood extremes,” said Andy Wood, a hydrometeorologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo. Wood is the principal investigator of the project. “We’re creating a large set of projections that go forward and tell us about future water security,” he said.

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Insects Plague Rancho Santa Fe’s Eucalyptus Trees

/in , /by /Rancho Sante Fe Reviewby Karen Billing

With the spring and onset of summer comes the return of the lerp psyllid insect to Rancho Santa Fe’s trees, an insect that eats up red gum eucalyptus foliage and leaves behind a big mess. The weather being cold and rainy for the last two winters has helped—the lerp psyllid population dies down in the cold months and that, in combination with the abundant rain, has reduced the overall stress on the trees, they are able to sustain themselves a bit better, said Caitlin Kreutz, RSF Association Parks and Recreation assistant manager. But with the return of warmer weather, the lerps are back.

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State Agencies Seek Input On Creating Climate-Resilient Water System

/in , , /by /YubaNet (Nevada City, Calif.)

State agencies are asking Californians to help shape a roadmap for meeting future water needs and ensuring environmental and economic resilience through the 21st century. The effort seeks to broaden California’s approach on water in the face of a range of existing challenges, including unsafe drinking water, major flood risks that threaten public safety, severely depleted groundwater aquifers, agricultural communities coping with uncertain water supplies and native fish populations threatened with extinction. Input from the public will help the Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Food and Agriculture craft recommendations to Governor Gavin Newsom to fulfill his April 29 executive order calling for a suite of actions to build a climate-resilient water system and ensure healthy waterways.

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OPINION: Changes In Climate Continue To Make Surveying Watersheds Tricky. ‘But We Can Change That’

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Frank Gehrke

In April 2015, I escorted then-Gov. Jerry Brown to Echo Summit, where we ceremoniously plunged a metal pole onto the dry, bare earth that typically would have been covered by snow but wasn’t that year. That spring, we were in the depths of a record-setting drought. If you’re among the many Californians who remember the photo of that survey, you’ll probably recognize me. I’m the one wearing a ball cap with “DWR” plastered on the front. Until my retirement last December, I’d been measuring snow in California for nearly 40 years.

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OPINION: California Communities Must Act On Climate Resiliency Now

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Stephan Dolezalek and Martin Lagod

Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills, didn’t have the budget to clear out brush before the coming fire season, but the city staff also could not afford to wait until public funds were available. So, they created a GoFundMe campaign asking residents to lend the municipality money to rent a herd of goats to do the job.

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Councilmember Corner

/in , /by / Coronado Eagle and Journal (Coronado, Calif.)by Bill Sandke Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

On March 26 I was privileged to represent Coronado at the 2019 San Diego Climate Summit. It was held at the Robert Paine Forum at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and was billed as a regional dialogue about climate change on the San Diego Region. Built on the foundation of the State of California’s Fourth Assessment recently released there is some sobering news for Coronado regarding sea level rise and more generally, predicted climate variations that look certain to need addressing as we move forward with land use, water and other policy discussions.

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What Climate Models Get Wrong About Future Water Availability

/in , /by /Earth and Space Science News (Washington D.C.)by Emily Underwood

One of the most challenging questions about climate change is how Earth’s warming atmosphere will affect water availability across the globe. Climate models present a range of possible scenarios—some more extreme than others—which can make it difficult for cities, states, and countries to plan ahead. Now, however, in a new study, Padrón et al. suggest a way to reduce uncertainty using precipitation patterns from the past. A rule of thumb for global warming’s impact on Earth’s water availability that was sometimes proposed in the past was that dry regions will get drier and wet regions will get wetter, also known as the DDWW hypothesis. But mounting evidence suggests the reality is more complicated.

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Helpful Tips On How To Save Water And Create A Thriving Garden In A Desert Climate

/in , /by /The Coast News by Lexy Brodt

Spring is just around the corner — and whether you’re a novice plant enthusiast or a green-thumbed gardener, it’s time to get growing. After a seven-year drought finally came to an end this winter, California has been hit with a deluge of vibrant greenery and super blooms. But we’re still keeping an eye out for how to make our own backyards more sustainable and water-friendly.

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