In science news this week: Going with the flow: CDFW’s water branch keeps a careful eye on California’s riverine resources; Tidal marsh restoration helps build resiliency in the Silicon Valley; Hope for rainbow trout on the Stanislaus River; Sea lion breeding shifts north to San Francisco Bay Area islands; The lion in the tree: A botanist’s mission to save our natural landscapes; Great Pacific Garbage Patch growing rapidly, study shows
Going with the flow: CDFW’s water branch keeps a careful eye on California’s riverine resources: “Taking care of California’s fish and wildlife wouldn’t be possible without managing the resources upon which they depend. To that end, CDFW has an entire branch – and many scientific staff – dedicated to the scientific study, and planning and management of water resources. Within the Water Branch, CDFW’s Instream Flow Program (IFP) is tasked with collecting and contributing data necessary to make all kinds of important management decisions about ecological function, fish rearing, spawning and migration and habitat suitability. … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife here: Going with the flow: CDFW’s water branch keeps a careful eye on California’s riverine resources
Tidal marsh restoration helps build resiliency in the Silicon Valley: “Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, serves as a natural buffer between the corporate headquarters of high-tech companies in Silicon Valley, like Google and Facebook, and the open waters of San Francisco Bay. The Service, along with dozens of partner organizations, is working to restore former commercial salt ponds lining the bay to tidal marsh that will provide habitat for fish and wildlife, enhance recreational opportunities, and help protect businesses and nearly four million people who live in nearby communities from coastal flooding. ... ” Read more from the US Fish & Wildlife Service here: Tidal marsh restoration helps build resiliency in the Silicon Valley
Hope for rainbow trout on the Stanislaus River: “Cooked trout might make an excellent dinner, but sizzling water temperatures are bad news for wild trout in rivers. Rainbow trout on the Stanislaus River found themselves in hot water in 2014 and 2015, when prior releases from New Melones Reservoir and consecutive dry years depleted the lake’s coldwater storage. This left only warm water available for release, increasing stream temperatures during a time of dwindling stream flows. We witnessed the effects in our annual trout snorkel surveys, which revealed dramatic declines in trout densities in 2015 and 2016 to their lowest point since surveys began in 2009. Since FISHBIO had already collected eight years of annual trout density estimates on the Stanislaus River, we could document this drastic decline and show the importance of stream temperature to the trout population. We continued annual abundance surveys in 2017 to investigate any changes after one of the wettest winters on record and saw hopeful signs of increasing trout numbers in the Stanislaus River. … ” Read more from FishBio here: Hope for rainbow trout on the Stanislaus River
Sea lion breeding shifts north to San Francisco Bay Area islands: “Researchers tracking the population of California sea lions have for the first time documented hundreds of breeding sea lions shifting north from the Channel Islands off Southern California to small islands near the San Francisco Bay Area. Although a small proportion of the sea lion population overall, the nearly 2,000 pups counted in July 2017 at the Southeast Farallon Islands and Año Neuvo Island reflect the largest shift of breeding sea lions away from longtime rookeries in the Channel Islands in recorded history, scientists said. … ” Read more from NOAA here: Sea lion breeding shifts north to San Francisco Bay Area islands
The lion in the tree: A botanist’s mission to save our natural landscapes: “Santa Cruz cypress, Lane Mountain milk-vetch, and Island bedstraw. Few people know them by name, but we can attribute their continued existence on Earth, in part, to one woman’s passion and lifelong commitment to their recovery. As we celebrate inspirational women in science during Women’s History Month this March, we delve into the inspirational life and career of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service botanist Connie Rutherford, and the plants she helped save from the brink of extinction. “This is much more than just a job for her,” said Ray Bransfield, Rutherford’s husband of 27 years. ... ” Continue reading at the US FWS here: The lion in the tree: A botanist’s mission to save our natural landscapes
Great Pacific Garbage Patch growing rapidly, study shows: “1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 80,000 metric tons are currently afloat in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — and it is rapidly getting worse. These are the main conclusions of a three year mapping effort conducted by an international team of scientists affiliated with The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, six universities and an aerial sensor company. Their findings were published today in the journal Scientific Reports. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located halfway between Hawaii and California, is the largest accumulation zone for ocean plastics on Earth. ... ” Read more from Science Daily here: Great Pacific Garbage Patch growing rapidly, study shows
Maven’s XKCD Comic Pick of the Week …
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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
