In science news this week:
Science Spotlight: Remotely Operated Vehicle Gives Scientists an Underwater View into California’s MPAs: “Marine scientists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) recently completed an unprecedented three-year survey of deep-water habitats off the California coast using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Beginning in 2014, MARE’s ROV Beagle was deployed throughout the state to survey and record the species and types of habitats associated with marine protected areas (MPAs) and nearby, comparable rocky habitats. … ” Read more from CDFW here: Science Spotlight: Remotely Operated Vehicle Gives Scientists an Underwater View into California’s MPAs
Roach riddles: The hidden diversity of a California minnow: “People have a lot of different common names for fish, and this can easily lead to confusion. For example, asking someone in Georgia what a “perch” is will likely result in a totally different answer than asking someone in Minnesota. But perhaps the most frequently used and arguably the most confusing of the common fish terms is “minnow.” Most people would probably identify any small, silvery fish in a lake or stream as a minnow, but this blanket term masks an astounding amount of species diversity. True minnows are fish belonging to the Family Cyprinidae, which contains over 3,000 species spread across North America, Eurasia, and Africa. Much like the term minnow underrepresents the true abundance of species, it turns out even the established species within this family may not fully reflect the extent of their diversity. … ” Read more from FishBio here: Roach riddles: The hidden diversity of a California minnow
Woolly star plants need catastrophes to live: “A small, crunchy, spiny plant redefines toughness as it thrives on catastrophic flooding. The endangered Santa Ana Woolly Star does not just prosper with floods, though; it depends on them. Thanks to a huge dam, natural floods are now nonexistent in its home turf. In a study published in the Ecological Society of America’s journal Ecosphere, researchers use different soil treatments mimicking flood effects in the woolly star’s preferred habitat, exploring the effectiveness of each to help the plant survive in the face of urban development. … ” Read more from Science Daily here: Woolly star plants need catastrophes to live
Flourishing return: Once presumed extinct, plant returns following successful first year planting: “The San Fernando Valley spineflower, once believed extinct, is now flourishing in the hills above the Santa Clarita Valley in Los Angeles County. Botanists planted seeds of the tiny buckwheat as part of a multi-year effort that kicked off this past December to re-establish the plant across its historic range. After abundant rainfall, those seedlings are now growing in the thousands across eight sites in the county. … ” Read more from the US FWS here: Flourishing return: Once presumed extinct, plant returns following successful first year planting
Western droughts caused permanent loss to major California groundwater source: “California’s Central Valley aquifer, the major source of groundwater in the region, suffered permanent loss of capacity during the drought experienced in the area from 2012 to 2015. California has been afflicted by a number of droughts in recent decades, including one between 2007 and 2009, and the millennium drought that plagued the state from 2012 to 2015. Due to lack of water resources, the state drew heavily on its underground aquifer reserves during these periods. … ” Read more from PhysOrg here: Western droughts caused permanent loss to major California groundwater source
ASU scientists using latest space technology to assess the health of a large aquifer system in California’s San Joaquin Valley:”A team of Arizona State University scientists has been using the latest space technology, combined with ground measurements, to assess the health of one of the nation’s most important sources of underground water, a large aquifer system located in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The team, comprised of School of Earth and Space Exploration researchers Chandrakanta Ojha, Susanna Werth and Manoochehr Shirzaei, focused on the San Joaquin Valley’s most recent drought period, from 2012 to 2015, measuring both groundwater loss and aquifer storage loss. The results of their findings have been recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. … ” Read more from Arizona State University here: ASU scientists using latest space technology to assess the health of a large aquifer system in California’s San Joaquin Valley
Wetland mud is ‘secret weapon’ against climate change: “Muddy, coastal marshes are “sleeping giants” that could fight climate change, scientists say. A global study has shown that these regions could be awoken by sea level rise. Sea level is directly linked to the amount of carbon these wetlands store in their soil, the team reports in the journal Nature. Researchers studied the carbon locked away in cores of wetland mud from around the world. They say that the preservation of coastal wetlands is critical for mitigating global warming. … ” Read more from the BBC here: Wetland mud is ‘secret weapon’ against climate change
Freshwater springs support amazing ecosystems and reflect the health of aquifers humans rely on. What can we do to protect them? “In a nameless spring on Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southeastern New Mexico, water bubbles up through dark sand and runs into a steep-banked channel en route to the Pecos River. The small pool it creates is clear and cold on a gusty, dry summer day, but it’s unremarkable, hidden by weeds. Yet its water, emerging from a deep aquifer, is coveted by people and animals alike, a critical resource for a nearby city, farmers and tiny endangered invertebrates. The Bitter Lake NWR isn’t alone in its ecological importance — it represents numerous spring-dependent ecosystems across the arid western United States. Encircled by rangeland, irrigated farms, and oil and gas development, they are often sanctuaries for species found nowhere else. … ” Read more from Ensia here: Freshwater springs support amazing ecosystems and reflect the health of aquifers humans rely on. What can we do to protect them?
Pave paradise and put up a … desert? “Human settlements are made up of more than just a parking lot. The largest are massive groups of cities with millions of residents and the attendant roads, parking lots, and buildings that support thriving economies. But before we try to understand what happens to the temperature and water cycles when increasingly large areas of the surface of the Earth are paved and developed for human use, let us first consider the parking lot. … ” Read more from EnviroBites here: Pave paradise and put up a … desert?
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
