In science news this week: Unprecedented movement detected on California earthquake fault capable of 8.0 temblor; California rolls out first statewide earthquake early warning system; Fish & Feathers: Salmon Promote Songbird Diversity; Wrapping Up a Welcome Water Year; The Antique Technology Still Taking the Ocean’s Pulse; Sockeye salmon to return to Okanagan Lake for first time in over 50 years; Two new porcelain crab species discovered; Nature-based solutions can help protect us from climate-related natural hazards; Strong storms generating earthquake-like seismic activity; Paris zoo unveils the “blob”, an organism with no brain but 720 sexes; and more…
Unprecedented movement detected on California earthquake fault capable of 8.0 temblor “A major California fault capable of producing a magnitude 8 earthquake has begun moving for the first time on record, a result of this year’s Ridgecrest earthquake sequence destabilizing nearby faults, Caltech scientists say in a new study released in the journal Science on Thursday.” Read more from LA Times here: Unprecedented movement detected on California earthquake fault capable of 8.0 temblor
California rolls out first statewide earthquake early warning system “California Gov. Gavin Newsom today (Thursday, Oct. 17) announced the debut of the nation’s first statewide earthquake early warning system that will deliver alerts to people’s cellphones through an app developed at the University of California, Berkeley.” Read more from Berkeley News here: California rolls out first statewide earthquake early warning system
Lessons from Ridgecrest earthquake sequence “The largest earthquake sequence in Southern California in two decades has taught scientists that large earthquakes can occur in a more complex fashion than commonly assumed. The sequence also loaded up strain on a nearby major fault, according to a new study.” Read more from Phys.org here: Lessons from Ridgecrest earthquake sequence
Fish & Feathers: Salmon Promote Songbird Diversity: “Watersheds that support salmon benefit from an annual influx of nutrients delivered by this migrating fishy convoy. When salmon return to their natal streams to spawn and die, the nutrients in their bodies obtained from the ocean provide an important source of nitrogen and phosphorous to watersheds that are often nutrient-poor otherwise, supporting the health of the surrounding forest.” Read more from FishBio here: Fish & Feathers: Salmon Promote Songbird Diversity
Wrapping Up a Welcome Water Year: “When plumes of dust rise over almond and walnut orchards from the harvest and truckloads of fresh chopped corn make their way along the country roads to the dairies, you know it’s fall in the California Central Valley. It’s also the time of year when water managers make an assessment of the closing water year and look forward to the year to come. The water year runs from October 1 to September 30, and the 2019 water year that just ended was a good one by all measures. Rainfall, snowpack, and carryover storage were all higher than the previous year, and well above average.” Read more from FishBio here: Wrapping Up a Welcome Water Year
The Antique Technology Still Taking the Ocean’s Pulse: “In the winter of 2013, a mass of warm water began to spread throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Blob wreaked havoc on marine life—sea lion pups starved, seabirds died, and salmon fisheries suffered. Helping to unravel this mess is the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR), an antique device that uses rolls of silk and 18th-century clockmaker’s technology to sample plankton near the surface of the ocean. … ” Read more from Hakai Magazine here: The Antique Technology Still Taking the Ocean’s Pulse
California’s crashing kelp forest “First the sea stars wasted to nothing. Then purple urchins took over, eating and eating until the bull kelp forests were gone. The red abalone starved. Their fishery closed. Red sea urchins starved. Their fishery collapsed. And the ocean kept warming. This ecological horror story movie took place between 2013-2017, with lasting impacts. This study chronicles the catastrophic shift in 2014 from a robust bull kelp forest to a barren of purple sea urchins.” Read more from Science Daily here: California’s crashing kelp forest
I Found a Spider in a Labyrinth Inside a Web — What Is It? “Looks like you’ve stumbled across one of the more interesting web builders of the Bay Area, the spiders of the genus Metepeira! Not only are members of this genus native to California and much of western North America, they have unique webs that are a bizarre mash-up of style and structure. If these spiders were chefs, I’m certain they’d be cooking fusion cuisine. As a bonus, they would also look cute in little toques.” Read more from Bay Nature here: I Found a Spider in a Labyrinth Inside a Web — What Is It?
Deep Sea Exploration Off the Farallones Catches Sea Stars Hunting Moving Prey “Many people generally think of sea stars as slow, almost immobile animals, living in tidepools or in along the shoreline, feeding slowly on clams and mussels. So here’s something you might not know: sea stars can capture and devour small moving animals.” Read more from Bay Nature here: Deep Sea Exploration Off the Farallones Catches Sea Stars Hunting Moving Prey
Back after more than a century “In 1905, the same year Albert Einstein introduced E=mc2 to the world, a newly formed U.S. Reclamation Service (now Bureau of Reclamation) unveiled its first large-scale water infrastructure project in Nevada. Commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Derby Dam was constructed to divert water for irrigation from the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake. With the dam in place, water flowed towards Fallon, Nevada. The desert turned shades of green and communities expanded, but the shift in water management also took its toll on one of Nevada’s most prized native sportfish, the Lahontan cutthroat trout.” Read more from US Fish and Wildlife Service here: Back after more than a century
Sockeye salmon to return to Okanagan Lake for first time in over 50 years “For the first time in decades, spawning sockeye salmon will return to Okanagan Lake. A fish ladder, left inoperable after the Penticton dam was built in the 1950s, has been restored by the Okanagan Nation Alliance and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.” Read more from Global News CA here: Sockeye salmon to return to Okanagan Lake for first time in over 50 years
A Three-Thousand-Year Glimpse into Climate and Human-Influenced Animal Extinction in China “We – Homo sapiens, human beings, people – are animals. We’re like other animals in many ways, but very different in significant ways. One of the major differences is how we interact with, use, and change the natural environment around us. Many of these processes are seemingly beneficial, at least for our species (or specific type) of animal. An example of this is farming, which provides mankind with a relatively stable supply of nutritious food. Another example is industrialization, which has lifted millions of people out of poverty, yielded countless improvements in technology and living standards, and has basically led to the world of today – and is taking us to the world of tomorrow.” Read more from Envirobites here: A Three-Thousand-Year Glimpse into Climate and Human-Influenced Animal Extinction in China
Recovery: The Seal and Shark Invasion “For 50 minutes we played give and take with 150 yards of green backing. When the yellow fly line finally showed, a gray seal popped up 40 feet from my boat with the fish in his mouth. I could have sworn he grinned at me. It was all a game.” Read more from Cool Green Science here: Recovery: The Seal and Shark Invasion
Two new porcelain crab species discovered “Two new symbiotic porcelain crab species have been described. One of them, from the South China Sea of Vietnam, inhabits the compact tube-like shelters built by the polychaete worm with other organisms. The other inhabits the intertidal vermetid snail formations in the Colombian Caribbean.” Read more from Science Daily here: Two new porcelain crab species discovered
Mapping global biodiversity change “A new study which focuses on mapping biodiversity change in marine and land ecosystems shows that loss of biodiversity is most prevalent in the tropic, with changes in marine ecosystems outpacing those on land.” Read more from Science Daily here: Mapping global biodiversity change
Are we underestimating the benefits of investing in renewable energy? “As policymakers seek to reduce carbon dioxide and other pollutants through increases in renewable energy, improving energy efficiency or electrifying transportation, a key question arises: Which interventions provide the largest benefits to avoid the negative health effects of air pollution?” Read more from Science Daily here: Are we underestimating the benefits of investing in renewable energy?
Nature-based solutions can help protect us from climate-related natural hazards “Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), led by Professor Prashant Kumar, is working with collaborators across Europe as a part of the OPERANDUM project that aims to manage the rising impact of severe weather and climate related hazards across European and non-European territories using nature-based solutions (NBS).” Read more from Science Daily here: Nature-based solutions can help protect us from climate-related natural hazards
How aerosols affect our climate “For many, the word “aerosol” might conjure thoughts of hairspray or spray paint. More accurately, though, aerosols are simply particles found in the atmosphere. They can be human-made, like from car exhaust or biomass burning, or naturally occurring, from sources such as volcanic eruptions or sea spray.” Read more from, Phys.org here: How aerosols affect our climate
Strong storms generating earthquake-like seismic activity “A Florida State University researcher has uncovered a new geophysical phenomenon where a hurricane or other strong storm can spark seismic events in the nearby ocean as strong as a 3.5 magnitude earthquake.” Read more from Phys.org here: Strong storms generating earthquake-like seismic activity
Humpback whales use their flippers and bubble ‘nets’ to catch fish “Humpback whales need to eat a lot every day, and some even use their flippers to help snag a big mouthful of fish. Researchers filmed humpbacks (Megaptera novaeangliae) hunting with this tactic, called pectoral herding, off the Alaskan coast. It’s the first time that this behavior has been documented in such detail, the team reports October 16 in Royal Society Open Science.” Read more from Science News here: Humpback whales use their flippers and bubble ‘nets’ to catch fish
Amazon fish wears nature’s ‘bullet-proof vest’ to thwart piranhas “Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and University of California, Berkeley on Wednesday described the unique structure and impressive properties of the dermal armor of the fish, called Arapaima gigas. They said their findings can help guide development of better body armor for people as well as applications in aerospace design.” Read more from Reuters here: Amazon fish wears nature’s ‘bullet-proof vest’ to thwart piranha
Paris zoo unveils the “blob”, an organism with no brain but 720 sexes “A Paris zoo showcased a mysterious new organism on Wednesday, dubbed the “blob”, a yellowish unicellular small living being which looks like a fungus but acts like an animal.” Read more from Reuters here: Paris zoo unveils the “blob”, an organism with no brain but 720 sexes
Transforming sulphur dioxide from harmful to useful “Scientists have created molecular cages within a polymer to trap harmful sulphur dioxide pollution in order to transform it into useful compounds and reduce waste and emissions.” Read more from Phys.org here: Transforming sulphur dioxide from harmful to useful
Land management practices to reduce nitrogen load may be affected by climate changes “Illinois and other Midwestern states have set goals to reduce nitrogen load through strategies that include different land management practices. A new study from University of Illinois researchers, published in Journal of Environmental Management, uses computer modeling to estimate how those practices may be affected by potential changes in the climate, such as increased rainfall.” Read more from Phys.org here: Land management practices to reduce nitrogen load may be affected by climate changes
Canada Gets Its First Smilodon “A reconstruction of Smilodon fatalis at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. Credit: Riley Black Ice Age mammals loom large in our imagination. It’s easy to envision a complete collection of mammoths, giant camels, short-faced bears, dire wolves, giant ground sloths, and sabercats filling the Pleistocene world, standing shoulder to shoulder. Museum exhibits and Who’s Who illustrations compound the perception, showing these animals as if gathered for a bestial convention.” Read more from Scientific American here: Canada Gets Its First Smilodon
Film Friday: Replenishing a River “In today’s Film Friday, we follow the evolution of Honolulu Bar in the Stanislaus River through a restoration and floodplain enhancement project. The project including leveling an intstream island to create more flooded rearing habitat, sorting gravel to create improved spawning habitat, clearing invasive plants and planting native ones. Watch the transformation!” Read more from Fishbio here: Film Friday: Replenishing a River
These birbs (and friends) want YOU to visit a national wildlife refuge “Did you know, aside from foraging and literally surviving, that national wildlife refuge birds wear lots of hats? From certified greeters to law enforcement clawfficers, our feathered gatekeepers take their jobs very seriously. So flock on over to a national wildlife refuge and witness our hardworking ambeakssadors for yourself!” Read more from US Fish and Wildlife Service here: These birbs (and friends) want YOU to visit a national wildlife refuge
Lisa’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
