Climate scientist Daniel Swain runs the California Weather Blog, a must-read for weather nerds. He’s most famous, though, for something he did almost as an afterthought: He’s the one who gave the name “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge” to the pattern that’s being blamed for our three years of drought.
The Bay Area is famous for its microclimates. Learn about the patterns of rain, sun, and wind that make our home what it is.
High Pressure Ridge Gone at Start of Rainy Season
Is California’s drought caused by “natural variability” or was it much more likely to happen under climate change?
Where Do Birds Go When it Rains?
Guest naturalist Josiah Clark reveals how birds cope with stormy weather.
Q&A: Pixar Animator Simon Christen on His Remarkable Time-Lapse of Bay Area Fog
Somewhere between animation and photography, Swiss-born Simon Christen has found his happy place: time-lapse photography. His “day job” is as an animator for Pixar Studios in Emeryville. But in his “spare time” he has found widespread recognition through his series … Read more
Was California’s Extreme Drought Part of Our New Climate Normal?
Was California’s record-breaking 2013-2015 drought a window into the future?
The Fish We Never Knew
The Galapagos damselfish exists only in the specimens collection at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the victim of an unusually strong El Nino. Thoughts on the fish, and its lessons in a changing world.
Ask The Naturalist: How Will the Drought Impact Amphibians?
Question: Will newts, frogs and salamanders be out in full force in the Bay Area this spring?
The Beauty of an Atmospheric River
The forecast calls for big rain this weekend from an “atmospheric river,” a plume of moisture stretching thousands of miles across the Pacific and splashing onto land right smack on the Northern California coast.
Who’s Suffering, Who’s Not as Drought Stretches On
As drought stretches on in California, local plants and animals are falling back on their evolutionarily honed behaviors for outlasting the dry.
Winter Fog Brings Quiet Beauty to Bay Area Parks
With all the cold and moist days we’ve had lately, it’s the perfect time to experience winter’s tule fog, a different variety than summer’s ocean-borne type.