In science news this week: Study: California to whipsaw between droughts, floods; Billions of gallons of water saved by thinning forests; Two decades in the making, Lower Deer Creek fish passage project finally complete; Where cattle graze and salamanders roam; Novel ecosystems provide use for some native birds; Research models how deadly virus moves among Pacific salmon, trout; Sweetwater River Habitat Restoration; and more …
Study: California to whipsaw between droughts, floods: “California will zigzag between droughts and floods which will become more intense and more frequent in the coming decades unless global emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are checked, researchers said Monday. The Golden State has already experienced a rapid rise in such “whiplash” events—careering from a record multi-year drought between 2012 and 2016, to heavy flooding in the winter of 2016-17. The situation will worsen as the global climate alters due to mankind’s voracious burning of coal, oil, and gas for energy, a team wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change. ... ” Read more from PhysOrg here: Study: California to whipsaw between droughts, floods
Billions of gallons of water saved by thinning forests: “There are too many trees in Sierra Nevada forests, say scientists affiliated with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (CZO). That may come as a surprise to those who see dense, verdant forests as signs of a healthy environment. After all, green is good, right? Not necessarily. When it comes to the number of trees in California forests, bigger isn’t always better. That’s in part because trees use lots of water to carry out basic biological tasks. In addition, they act as forest steam stacks, raking up water stored in the ground and expelling it as vapor into the atmosphere, where it’s accessible to humans and forest ecosystems only when it falls back to Earth as rain and snow. … ” Read more from Science Daily here: Billions of gallons of water saved by thinning forests
Reaching the coldest water: Two decades in the making, Lower Deer Creek fish passage project finally complete: “Fish Biologist Tricia Parker recalls vividly her first visit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Red Bluff office. What stood out in her memory was a fish ladder repair project that was needed at Lower Deer Creek Falls in Tehama County. That was in 1996. Parker, who started working in Red Bluff shortly thereafter, was put in charge of that critical effort to rebuild the failing fish ladder. This includes funneling the fish over a waterfall and bringing threatened spring-run Chinook salmon and other imperiled species back to a key spawning creek located about 35 miles northeast of Chico. ... ” Read more from US FWS here: Reaching the coldest water: Two decades in the making, Lower Deer Creek fish passage project finally complete
Where cattle graze and salamanders roam: “Amid the rolling grasslands and oak woodlands of Santa Clara and San Benito counties lies Sparling Ranch, just outside the small town of Hollister, California. On warm summer days, herds of cattle graze and rest on the sloping hillsides. Tom and Ed Sparling are cousins and reminisce about the history in these hills, where their families have ranched, hunted, and fished for six generations. Their great-great grandfather was T.S. Hawkins, who traveled hundreds of miles by wagon from Missouri to California and originally settled the land at the turn of the century. His critically acclaimed book, “Recollections of a Busy Life,” recounted that journey. … ” Read more from the US FWS here: Where cattle graze and salamanders roam
Novel ecosystems provide use for some native birds: “Ecosystems that have been altered by human activities can provide suitable habitat for native birds, according to scientists in the United States and Australia. In a study published in the journal Ecosphere, the researchers concluded that while some native birds are sensitive to novel ecosystems, others don’t seem to mind. The study results shouldn’t be interpreted that habitat restoration to historic conditions is futile and that all novel ecosystems are acceptable, said lead author Pat Kennedy, a wildlife biologist at Oregon State University. But they do show that habitat restoration can be prioritized. … ” Read more from PhysOrg here: Novel ecosystems provide use for some native birds
Research models how deadly virus moves among Pacific salmon, trout: “For the first time researchers studying a deadly virus modeled how it spreads to young trout and salmon in the waters of the Columbia River Basin, showing that migrating adult fish are the main source of exposure. The ecological modeling of the infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, or IHNV, shows how it moves across the landscape over time, providing a crucial understanding for managers of hatchery programs attempting to protect juvenile salmon and trout. “Knowing the relative role of these transmission pathways and probability of infection associated with the different transmission pathways will help managers evaluate what leads to the spread and transmission of this virus,” said Dr. Paige Ferguson, assistant professor of biological sciences at The University of Alabama. … ” Read more from PhysOrg here: Research models how deadly virus moves among Pacific salmon, trout
Sweetwater River Habitat Restoration: “California’s drought emergency was officially declared to be over last year, but its deleterious impact on fish habitat is still being felt in many parts of the state — especially in arid parts of Southern California. In order to help offset these effects at one site in northern San Diego County, CDFW biologists and other staff recently toiled to create spawning beds for rainbow trout. The Sweetwater River is a second-order stream located within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The underlying rock is granite, which, as it erodes, creates sand that accumulates in the low-gradient portion of the river. Previous surveys in the Sweetwater River revealed a lack of high-quality spawning habitat for the rainbow trout population, which was reduced by 70 to 80 percent during the recent drought. ... ” Read more from CDFW here: Sweetwater River Habitat Restoration
Flooding hot spots: Why seas are rising faster on the East Coast: “Seen from a pedestrian footbridge overlooking Myrtle Park — a sliver of land that Norfolk, Virginia is allowing to revert to wetlands — the panorama of surrounding homes illustrates the accelerating sea level rise that has beleaguered this neighborhood along the Lafayette River. A grey house, among the first raised in the area, is slightly elevated on cinderblocks, standing 2 feet off the ground. Nearby, owners of a white-sided house with black shutters have lifted their dwelling about 4 feet above ground level. And on the right, a brick house resting on cinderblocks rises incongruously 11 feet above the street. ... ” Read more from Yale 360 here: Flooding hot spots: Why seas are rising faster on the East Coast
Exceptional drought in parts of seven states in the Southwest: “The changing of the seasons from winter to spring has brought an unwelcome worsening of drought across the U.S. Southwest and Southern Plains. This animated gif shows drought conditions becoming more intense and widespread between the start of the animation on January 9 and the final frame on April 17, 2018. … ” Read more from Climate.gov here: Exceptional drought in parts of seven states in the Southwest
Salty stories, fresh spaces: Connecting marine and fresh water protected areas: “Marine protected areas have become popular fisheries management tools around the world – but did you know there are also freshwater protected areas? The general principle is the same whether in an ocean, river, or lake: prohibiting fishing in certain areas can help fish populations recover from fishing pressure. However, marine and freshwater protected areas are often managed and studied as if they are worlds apart. Freshwater protected areas are also typically less well known and researched, often because they are small and managed by local communities. To help prompt information sharing between the marine and freshwater realms, FISHBIO hosted a symposium at the 2016 World Fisheries Congress for researchers from both fields to share their protected area experiences. That exchange is the basis of a new review paper recently published in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. … ” Read more from FishBio here: Salty stories, fresh spaces: Connecting marine and fresh water protected areas
What is acoustic ecology? We have five questions: “The sound of ants communicating with each other by scraping their legs on their bodies. The echoes under the surface of a small freshwater pond. The sound of a pine forest dying. These are just a few of the sounds David Dunn has investigated in his decades as a composer, musician, acoustic ecologist and audio engineer. His compositions, soundscapes and other projects fuse art and science, inviting us to pay close attention to nonhuman activities and environments that usually pass beneath our notice. ... ” Read more from The Revelator here: What is acoustic ecology? We have five questions
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
