In science news this week: Endangered salmon set to expand their range in the Central Valley; Four kinds of algal toxins found in San Francisco Bay shellfish; Toilet-to-tap: Gross to think about, but how does it taste?; West Coast waters returning to normal but salmon catches lagging; How cloud data are improving weather forecasts
Endangered salmon set to expand their range in the Central Valley: “Biologists are capitalizing on a unique opportunity this year to “jump start” the recovery of Sacramento winter-run Chinook salmon, one of the nation’s most critically endangered species. These fish were once a thriving population running in the thousands every year from the Pacific Ocean, up the Sacramento River for hundreds of miles to cool, snow-fed streams like the Little Sacramento, McCloud and Pit Rivers, and Battle Creek. Since the building of dams and other river impediments, the abundance of winter-run has plummeted and now the single remaining population spawns only in the Lower Sacramento River below Keswick Dam. That spawning location is far below their historic habitat in a section of river exposed to summer heat, where their survival depends on temperatures artificially controlled by cold-water releases from Shasta Dam. … ” Read more from NOAA here: Endangered salmon set to expand their range in the Central Valley
One step closer to reestablishing a new population of endangered winter run salmon: “Habitat is the key to the long-term survival of Sacramento River winter-run Chinook in California. Since 1999, CDFW has been working with multiple agencies and private parties on planning efforts to restore the population of these endangered salmon. More than $100 million has been allocated to specific habitat restoration work on Battle Creek, which comprises approximately 48 miles of prime salmon and steelhead habitat. … ” Continue reading at the Department of Fish & Wildlife here: One step closer to reestablishing a new population of endangered winter run salmon
Four kinds of algal toxins found in San Francisco Bay shellfish: “Researchers monitoring San Francisco Bay for algal toxins have found a surprising array of different toxins in the water and in mussels collected from the bay. Four different classes of toxins, including one produced in freshwater environments, occur regularly throughout the bay, according to a study led by UC Santa Cruz researchers and published March 10 in Harmful Algae. “The bay is acting as a big mixing bowl where toxins from both fresh and marine water are found together,” said senior author Raphael Kudela, the Lynn Professor of Ocean Health at UC Santa Cruz. “A big concern is that we don’t know what happens if someone is exposed to multiple toxins at the same time.” … ” Read more from Science Daily here: Four kinds of algal toxins found in San Francisco Bay shellfish
Toilet-to-tap: Gross to think about, but how does it taste? “Here’s a blind test taste like Pepsi never imagined. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, recently published a study of recycled wastewater that did not focus on its safety-which has long been established-but rather its taste. After years of drought, the notion of drinking recycled wastewater has gained momentum in California. Thoughts turned to all the water being discarded — to supplementing “conventional” groundwater with recycled water. ... ” Read more from Science Daily here: Toilet-to-tap: Gross to think about, but how does it taste?
West Coast waters returning to normal but salmon catches lagging: “Ocean conditions off most of the U.S. West Coast are returning roughly to average, after an extreme marine heat wave from about 2014 to 2016 disrupted the California Current Ecosystem and shifted many species beyond their traditional range, according to a new report from NOAA Fisheries’ two marine laboratories on the West Coast. Some warm waters remain off the Pacific Northwest, however. The Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Northwest Fisheries Science Center presented their annual “California Current Ecosystem Status Report” to the Pacific Fishery Management Council at the Council’s meeting in Rohnert Park, Calif., on Friday, March 9. ... ” Read more from PhysOrg here: West Coast waters returning to normal but salmon catches lagging
How cloud data are improving weather forecasts: “Send in the clouds. For the last several years, scientists at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, have been exploring the secrets of clouds to improve weather predictions — everything from daily forecasts to keeping aircraft clear of dangerous conditions. So when a new U.S. weather satellite was launched March 1 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA scientists weren’t the only ones feeling good about it. … ” Read more from NASA here: How cloud data are improving weather forecasts
Maven’s XKCD Comic Pick of the Week …
Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post!
Sign up for daily emails and get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM. Breaking news alerts, too. Sign me up!
About Science News and Reports: This weekly feature, posted every Thursday, is a collection of the latest scientific research and reports with a focus on relevant issues to the Delta and to California water, although other issues such as climate change are sometimes included. Do you have an item to be included here? Submissions of relevant research and other materials is welcome. Email Maven
