In science news this week: Shasta dam releases can be managed to benefit both salmon and sturgeon, study finds; New maps show how little is left of West Coast estuaries; Understanding How Fish Deal with Drought; The crash of the kelp forests; New Technologies Reducing Uncertainty in Estimation of River Flow; Are we really protecting rivers from pollution? It’s hard to say, and that’s a problem; Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Pace of Climate Change; Blue vs. Green: The Color of Water Policy; Serena versus the drones; and more …
Shasta dam releases can be managed to benefit both salmon and sturgeon, study finds: “Cold water released from Lake Shasta into the Sacramento River to benefit endangered salmon can be detrimental to young green sturgeon, a threatened species adapted to warmer water. But scientists at UC Santa Cruz and the National Marine Fisheries Service have found a way to minimize this apparent conflict through a water management strategy that benefits both species, while also meeting the needs of agricultural water users downstream. ... ” Read more from EurkAlert here: Shasta dam releases can be managed to benefit both salmon and sturgeon, study finds
New maps show how little is left of West Coast estuaries: “The most detailed study ever done of coastal estuaries concludes that nearly 750,000 acres of historic tidal wetlands along the West Coast, including enormous swaths of Bay Area habitat, have disappeared largely as a result of development. The cutting-edge survey led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined that 85% of vegetated tidal lands that once existed in California, Oregon and Washington has been diked, drained or cut off from the sea. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: New maps show how little is left of West Coast estuaries
Understanding How Fish Deal with Drought: “Drought is a frightening word for any creature that lives in water. Aquatic animals in regions like California that have historically experienced frequent droughts have evolved remarkable adaptations to dealing with dry conditions. However, the duration, severity, and frequency of droughts are all increasing as a result of ongoing climate change and an increased human demand for water, leaving even drought-hardened species struggling in the face of an uncertain and shifting future. Because of their ecological and economic importance, understanding how fish and fisheries respond to changing drought patterns will be pivotal for determining the best management options and solutions to address water scarcity. To this end, a publication earlier this year in the journal Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries sought to answer several key questions about how fish will be affected by drought (Lennox et al. 2019). ... ” Read more from FishBio here: Understanding How Fish Deal with Drought
The crash of the kelp forests: A devastating cascade of catastrophes turns vibrant kelp beds into underwater deserts: “While there are flashier species out there, the plight of kelp, the giant tree-like algae that have been a dominant feature of the California coastline, is the one that demonstrates the local oceans dire situation. Once, the great kelp forests flourished, providing habitat and food sources for myriad native aquatic species, but altered ocean conditions driven by climate change — and one badly timed sea star plague — have left barren oceanic deserts in place of once lush underwater jungles. “Kelp is really the foundation of an ecosystem, so the whole ecosystem is really upended. When you take that out it can cause traumatic changes,” said Andre Boustany, principal fisheries investigator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. … ” Read more from Sonoma West here: The crash of the kelp forests
It was ‘do or die’: All of the time, money and energy Mike and Patricia McCoy invested in saving the Tijuana Estuary rested on this one meeting: “It was November 1980, when the phone rang at the Imperial Beach home of Mike and Patricia McCoy. Ralph Pisapia, manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ecological Services office in Laguna Niguel was on the line. He asked the McCoys to meet him at the end of Seacoast Drive the following morning at 10. The McCoys held their breath as they drove to meet Pisapia. All of their time, money and energy expended over the past 10 years to save the Tijuana Estuary rested on this meeting. … ” Read more from the US FWS here: It was ‘do or die’: All of the time, money and energy Mike and Patricia McCoy invested in saving the Tijuana Estuary rested on this one meeting
New Technologies Reducing Uncertainty in Estimation of River Flow: “Some of the most interesting data in the world of river and stream monitoring come at times when it’s practically impossible to capture—during extreme weather events, for example. Timing alone makes capturing unusual events a challenge, and these kinds of issues have prompted researchers to use classic monitoring data along with new technologies to develop and improve hydraulic modeling for estimating river flows. Steven Lyon, a Conservation Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, Professor at Stockholm University and Associate Professor at The Ohio State University, spoke with EM about the research. … ” Read more from the Environmental Monitor here: New Technologies Reducing Uncertainty in Estimation of River Flow
Are we really protecting rivers from pollution? It’s hard to say, and that’s a problem: “More public and private resources than ever are being directed to protecting and preserving aquatic ecosystems and watersheds. Whether mandated for land development, farming or in response to the growing severity and number of natural disasters — scientists from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University found evidence that decades of watershed restoration and mitigation projects have taken place, but their impact is mostly perceived; data is relatively undocumented — or simply missing. In their report, entitled “Large-scale protection and restoration programs aimed at protecting stream ecosystem integrity: the role of science-based goal-setting, monitoring, and data management,” which was published recently online in Freshwater Science, Academy researchers and the Stroud Water Research Center attribute the dearth of data to a need for greater investment in planning, goal-setting, monitoring and documenting stages of mitigation programs throughout the watersheds. ... ” Read more from Science Daily here: Are we really protecting rivers from pollution? It’s hard to say, and that’s a problem
Indigenous knowledge offers new approach to help forests adapt to new conditions: “When Jaime Yazzie began planning her research for her forestry thesis, her adviser asked her what species of trees she wanted to save. They would use a computer simulation to measure the effects of a warming, drying environment, and she needed to select which trees to preserve. “I was a little shocked,” Yazzie said. “In my mind, they’re one big family. To lose one would be like losing a sibling.” … ” Read more from Phys Org here: Indigenous knowledge offers new approach to help forests adapt to new conditions
Best practices for wildfire adaptation and resilience: “Wildfires in the West are becoming inevitable, and communities that rethink what it means to live with them will likely fare better than those that simply rebuild after they burn. So says a recently published paper led by Dave McWethy, assistant professor of Earth Sciences in Montana State University’s College of Letters and Science, and a group of scientists from several other institutions across the U.S. and Canada. The paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability on August 19, argues that communities should consider how to adapt and, in some cases, transform themselves to be more resilient to the inevitability of wildfires in the future and provides examples of communities that have successfully done so in recent years. ... ” Read more from Science Daily here: Best practices for wildfire adaptation and resilience
Urban stormwater could release contaminants to ground, surface waters: “A good rainstorm can make a city feel clean and revitalized. However, the substances that wash off of buildings, streets and sidewalks and down storm drains might not be so refreshing. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have analyzed untreated urban stormwater from 50 rainstorms across the U.S., finding a wide variety of contaminants that could potentially harm aquatic organisms in surface waters and infiltrate ground water. … ” Read more from the American Chemical Society here: Urban stormwater could release contaminants to ground, surface waters
Oil and water: better monitoring needed to secure vital groundwater supplies, researchers say: “When it comes to groundwater quality, fracking receives much of the public attention but misses most of the picture, according to hydrogeologists Jennifer McIntosh from the University of Arizona and Grant Ferguson from the University of Saskatchewan (USask). “There’s a critical need for long-term — years to decades — monitoring for potential contamination of drinking water resources not only from fracking, but also from conventional oil and gas production,” McIntosh said. ... ” Read more from Science Daily here: Oil and water: better monitoring needed to secure vital groundwater supplies, researchers say
Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Pace of Climate Change: “Recently, the U.K. Met Office announced a revision to the Hadley Center historical analysis of sea surface temperatures (SST), suggesting that the oceans have warmed about 0.1 degree Celsius more than previously thought. The need for revision arises from the long-recognized problem that in the past sea surface temperatures were measured using a variety of error-prone methods such as using open buckets, lamb’s wool–wrapped thermometers, and canvas bags. It was not until the 1990s that oceanographers developed a network of consistent and reliable measurement buoys. … ” Read more from Scientific American here: Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Pace of Climate Change
Blue vs. Green: The Color of Water Policy: “The hydrologic cycle is taught in elementary school. Young students learn how water moves into the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration and then precipitates back to the earth as rain or snow (see figure 1). By sixth grade, most understand that though most water evaporates directly from lakes, oceans, and other water bodies, about 10% of the moisture present in our atmosphere comes directly from plants (liquid water is taken up by their roots and later released as vapor through leaves). This understanding, however, seems lost in the minds of many policy makers. Water research and policy have traditionally focused on blue water, which includes surface and groundwater. Blue water, however, as many sixth graders have learned, is only part of the hydrological equation. Within the last couple of decades, researchers have begun to call attention to green water. … ” Read more from EnviroBites here: Blue vs. Green: The Color of Water Policy
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
