Unprecedented Drought, Heat, and Fire Repeat in the West, 2021
It has become an unfortunate and disturbing annual Golden State dance during the last several years. Severe drought plagues the majority of the state, followed by extended record heat...
Water Resources
Natural History of a Grain of Sand
While strolling along a California beach, stream, or riverbed, or plodding over a sand dune, you may not realize that there is a captivating world of natural history at...
Adventures of a Water Drop, California Style
Forward: An Autobiographical Synopsis Let me introduce myself. I am a California water drop. I condensed from billions of water vapor molecules in the air above the North Pacific...
Climate Change in California: Questions and Answers
The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of the disturbing problems that have developed in our relationships with nature within and beyond our state. We are also reminded how our responses...
Measuring Climate Trends in California
In the spring of 2020, National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist Todd Hall presented a statistical analysis of reliable weather records across southern California from the late 1800s and early...
Another Bizarre California Rainy Season: 2019-2020
During the last ten years, many regions in California have experienced record-breaking extremes that have included some of the wettest and driest years on record. The 2019-2020 rainy season...
Mercury Pollution in the Cache Creek Watershed, Northern California
Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that has accumulated in the world’s ecosystems and waterways. The primary mercury pollution sources globally are gold mining activities and coal combustion. In California,...
Nearly the Worst Disaster in California History?
It was more like a Hollywood movie than a true story. The crisis began on February 7, 2017. Weeks of repeated atmospheric rivers drove drenching rains over northern and...
