For two years, scientists at UC Davis have been modeling a “Field of Dreams” hypothesis about bull kelp to understand what approaches could best help the recovery of the kelp forest ecosystem in Northern California.
Climate Change
Parks
In the Wake of Wildfire, Big Basin Redwoods State Park Partially Reopens to the Public
Big Basin State Park is not the lush, shady ancient forest it once was. In August 2020, 97 percent of the old-growth forest nestled in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains burned in the devastating CZU Lightning Complex fire. … Read more
Summer Issue 2022
An Enduring Oak Mystery: Synchronized Acorn Booms
How do the trees synchronize their reproductive efforts? Oaks, the dominant tree genus throughout much of low- and mid-elevation, temperate California, are full of mysteries.
Summer Issue 2022
The Story of the Butterflies
At almost every stage of life, the butterflies are threatened by climate change, habitat degradation, and increased use of neonicotinoid pesticides. At the same time, monarchs flourished in habitats that people made particularly habitable.
Climate Change
Bay Planners Highlight Another Missing Element in California Environmental Law: It Doesn’t Account Well for the Future
As the California Supreme Court wrote, “CEQA does not require an agency to consider the impact of existing conditions on future project users.”
Climate Change
Wetlands Help Fight Climate Change, But the Kind of Wetland Matters
Wetlands breathe in carbon dioxide, but can breathe out methane.
Climate Change
We Urgently Need More Information about Spiders, as Climate Change Means New Risks for Them
Climate change seems like a critical threat to spiders. But researchers are hampered by a lack of basic information.
Climate Change
Now, California Waits for the Fires
Drought returns to California, with a long fire season ahead.
Nature News
Atmospheric Rivers Like This One are Vital to Understanding California
Ten days ago the state set new heat records and brush fires broke out. Burn areas in the Santa Cruz Mountains rekindled. Then, over the last three days, a 2,000-mile-long filament of water in the sky burst over the areas that last week sat brown and smoking.
Climate Change
Add “Dry” to the List of 2020 Descriptors
Pandemic, civil rights protests, fires, election, and oh yes, possibly the second driest calendar year on record.
