CRISPR a tool for Delta smelt conservation, not just gene editing: “The gene-editing technology CRISPR has been used for a variety of agricultural and public health purposes — from growing disease-resistant crops to, more recently, a diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19. Now a study involving fish that look nearly identical to the endangered Delta smelt finds that CRISPR can be a conservation and resource management tool, as well. The researchers think its ability to rapidly detect and differentiate among species could revolutionize environmental monitoring. … ” Read more from UC Davis here: CRISPR a tool for conservation, not just gene editing
Story map: Featured projects from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund FY18 Report to Congress: “Since 2000, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) has been investing in our state and tribal partners to conserve and restore habitat for salmon and steelhead. The stories and efforts of our partners are as diverse as their environments and are distributed across the Pacific Coast among the states of Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California. Story Map: Featured Projects from PCSRF FY18 Report to Congress This story map highlights projects selected by each state representing the collaborative work that PCSRF supports for conservation and recovery of Pacific salmon. These projects are featured in the NOAA Fisheries Fiscal Year 2018 PCSRF Report to Congress.”
Emerald Predators: Ohlone tiger beetles find their way home with the help of local scientists: “Their metallic emerald bodies appear iridescent in the sunlight as they scurry across bare earth following winter rains at a preserve near Soquel in Santa Cruz County. For the first time in over a decade, endangered Ohlone tiger beetles roam the preserve and await their chance to pounce on unsuspecting prey. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Chad Mitcham spearheaded the first-of-its-kind adult translocation of Ohlone tiger beetles in Santa Cruz County this March. Photo courtesy of Lynn Overtree. “The excitement in the air is palpable,” says Chad Mitcham, fish and wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after releasing 43 Ohlone tiger beetles to their new home in Santa Cruz County. … ” Read more from the US FWS here: Emerald Predators: Ohlone tiger beetles find their way home with the help of local scientists
The mourning cloak butterfly means spring in the Bay Area: “The mourning cloak butterfly, Nymphalis antiopa, is one of the most widely distributed butterflies in the world, ranging across most of the northern hemisphere. In some places like the British Isles it’s quite rare and to find one would make a lepidopterist’s day, but in California it’s a relatively common spring treat. “It’s a real harbinger of spring,” says San Francisco-based lepidopterist Liam O’Brien. How the butterflies – which do not seem built for open-ocean flight – traveled around the world is an interesting entomological puzzle. ... ” Read more from Bay Nature here: The mourning cloak butterfly means spring in the Bay Area
Four atmospheric circulation regimes over the North Pacific and their relationship to California precipitation on daily to seasonal timescales: “CW3E scientist Kristen Guirguis, along with other researchers from CW3E (Alexander Gershunov, Michael DeFlorio, Tamara Shulgina, Luca Delle Monache, Tom Corringham, and F. Martin Ralph) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (Aneesh Subramanian), recently published an article in Geophysical Research Letters entitled “Four atmospheric circulation regimes over the North Pacific and their relationship to California precipitation on daily to seasonal timescales.” Subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) predictability of atmospheric rivers and precipitation is a key thematic focus area for CW3E. S2S represents timescales of prediction that are of vital importance to our stakeholders at the California Department of Water Resources. Specifically, this publication helps to further CW3E’s aim to increase understanding and improve skill in forecasting synoptic weather precursor patterns over the western United States that modulate S2S AR and precipitation occurrence and magnitude. ... ” Read more from the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes here: Four atmospheric circulation regimes over the North Pacific and their relationship to California precipitation on daily to seasonal timescales
The Hydrometeorological Observation Network in California’s Russian River Watershed: Development, Characteristics and Key Findings from 1997 to 2019: “CW3E postdoc Edwin Sumargo, along with CW3E Director F. Martin Ralph; CW3E members Anna Wilson, Rachel Weihs, Maryam Asgari-Lamjiri, and Luca Delle Monache; NOAA/PSD collaborator Allen White; Sonoma Water collaborator James Jasperse; and USACE/ERDC collaborators Stephen Turnbull and Charles Downer, published a paper in the Bulletin of American Meteorological Society titled “The Hydrometeorological Observation Network in California’s Russian River Watershed: Development, Characteristics and Key Findings from 1997 to 2019” (Sumargo et al. 2020). This work supports the Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations Priority Area within CW3E’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan. This article highlights the historical evolution and the current state of the Russian River Hydrometeorological Observing Network (RHONET), and its implications for hydrologic research and operations in Northern California. ... ” Read more from the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes here: The Hydrometeorological Observation Network in California’s Russian River Watershed: Development, Characteristics and Key Findings from 1997 to 2019
New clues to deep earthquake mystery: “A new understanding of our planet’s deepest earthquakes could help unravel one of the most mysterious geophysical processes on Earth. Deep earthquakes — those at least 300 kilometers below the surface — don’t typically cause damage, but they are often widely felt. These earthquakes can provide vital clues to understanding plate tectonics and the structure of the Earth’s interior. Due to the extremely high temperature and pressures where deep earthquakes occur, they likely stem from different physical and chemical processes than earthquakes near the surface. But it’s hard to gather information about deep earthquakes, so scientists don’t have a solid explanation for what causes them. ... ” Read more from UC Davis here: New clues to deep earthquake mystery
Wait, so how much of the ocean is actually fished? One prominent study said 55%, critics say 4%, and they both used the same data: “How much of the world’s oceans are affected by fishing? In February 2018, a team of scientists led by David Kroodsma from the Global Fishing Watch published a paper that put the figure at 55 percent—an area four times larger than that covered by land-based agriculture. The paper was widely covered, with several outlets leading with the eye-popping stat that “half the world’s oceans [are] now fished industrially.” Ricardo Amoroso from the University of Washington had also been trying to track global fishing activity and when he saw the headlines, he felt that the 55 percent figure was wildly off. He and his colleagues re-analyzed the data that the Global Fishing Watch had made freely available. And in their own paper, published in September 2018, they claim that industrial fishing occurs over just 4 percent of the ocean. How could two groups have produced such wildly different answers using the same set of data? ... ” Read more from Pocket here: Wait, so how much of the ocean is actually fished?
Substantial quantities of tire particles contaminating rivers and ocean: “A major UK government-funded research study suggests particles released from vehicle tires could be a significant and previously largely unrecorded source of microplastics in the marine environment. The study is one of the first worldwide to identify tyre particles as a major and additional source of microplastics. Scientists have previously discovered microplastics, originating from microbeads in cosmetics and the degradation of larger items such as carrier bags and plastic bottles, in marine environments globally — from the deep seas to the Arctic. … ” Read more from Science Daily here: Substantial quantities of tire particles contaminating rivers and ocean
Mississippi Delta marshes in a state of irreversible collapse: “Given the present-day rate of global sea-level rise, remaining marshes in the Mississippi Delta are likely to drown, according to a new Tulane University study. A key finding of the study, published in Science Advances, is that coastal marshes experience tipping points, where a small increase in the rate of sea-level rise leads to widespread submergence. The loss of 2,000 square miles (5,000 km2) of wetlands in coastal Louisiana over the past century is well documented, but it has been more challenging to predict the fate of the remaining 6,000 square miles (15,000 km2) of marshland. … ” Read more from Science Daily here: Mississippi Delta marshes in a state of irreversible collapse
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
