In science news this week:
No stone unturned: Little worlds inside stream riffles and pools: “University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) stream ecologist David Herbst, a research scientist with Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL), is committed to exploring the little worlds inside stream riffles and pools, one overturned stone at a time. Living in these small, dynamic systems are the benthic invertebrates that offer up clear signals about water quality and stream health. Recent research from Dr. Herbst and his team, published in the journal Hydrobiologia, elucidates the connections between the communities of benthic invertebrates that live in stream riffles and pools, how and why they move as conditions change, and what changing conditions mean for the stream and the rest of the local ecosystem. ... ” Read more from the Environmental Monitor here: No stone unturned: Little worlds inside stream riffles and pools
Fish for sport: Another chapter of California fish introductions: “In a recent Fish Report, we briefly summarized the introductions of various fish species to California’s waterways for the primary purpose of providing food. Following these initial efforts to increase the variety of California fishes that could be harvested for sustenance, historical resource managers soon shifted their focus to enhancing sportfishing by expanding the suite of species available for angling. A look at some past introductions – facilitated by a painstakingly thorough review of documents pertaining to California fish introductions (Dill and Cordone 1997) – reveals that much of today’s inland sport fishing opportunity is, for better or worse, the result of fish stocking conducted well over a century ago. ... ” Read more from FishBio here: Fish for sport: Another chapter of California fish introductions
Latest issue of Estuary News now available: “This issue explores the latest on the twin tunnels and invasive species, details the ambitious experiment at Dutch Slough, and examines salmon resilience and dioxin persistence in the Estuary watershed. It also samples California’s late summer climate change action events, previews a new environmental justice policy for the State Lands Commission, and reports on recent drinking water victories in the San Joaquin Valley.” Read the issue here: September Issue of Estuary News
Increasing the genetic diversity of white abalone: “At nearly 130 feet underwater, CDFW abalone researcher Dr. Laura Rogers-Bennett didn’t have much time. Her dive computer told her it was time to ascend, which meant that she would have to stop searching for the endangered white abalone hiding in the waving fields of red and gold gorgonians. Reluctantly, she watched the beautiful scene drop away below her as she kicked slowly upwards. She moved through the towering elk kelp towards her safety stop, a precious white abalone kept solidly in her grasp. On that trip, back in 2004, Rogers-Bennett and Ian Taniguchi, another CDFW abalone expert, and a team of other scientist divers collected 21 critically endangered white abalone off the deep reefs in the Channel Islands. This collection trip was conducted in an effort to save the species before they disappeared from the wild, and to create a captive breeding program that could bring this important and iconic species back from the brink of extinction. … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife here: Increasing the genetic diversity of white abalone
Impacts of El Niño and La Niña to intensify as climate warms: “When an El Niño or its opposite, La Niña, forms in the future, it’s likely to cause more intense impacts over many land regions — amplifying changes to temperature, precipitation, and wildfire risk — due to the warming climate. These are the findings of a new study led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. The researchers found, for example, that the increased wildfire danger in the southwestern United States associated with La Niña events would become more acute. Conversely, the cooler and wetter weather in the same region associated with El Niño events would likely become even cooler and even wetter in the future, enhancing associated flood risks. … ” Read more from UCAR/NCAR News here: Impacts of El Niño and La Niña to intensify as climate warms
Snow during El Niños from 1950 to 2009: “If you’ve been reading Climate.gov’s ENSO blog, then you’ve heard by now that forecasters think the tropical Pacific climate phenomenon known as El Niño will be visiting this winter. One of El Niño’s common “downstream” impacts is above-average winter precipitation across the southern United States, the result of a stronger than usual Pacific jet stream. When it comes to winter precipitation, of course, what most of us are really curious about is the snow. Is El Niño likely to mean or less of it where you live? … ” Read more from Climate.gov here: Snow during El Niños from 1950 to 2009
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
