King tides over 7 feet are coming to the Bay Area Jan. 21-22, 2023—and lucky for us, they’re happening at a reasonable time to go out and see them. Here’s a short cosmic backgrounder on why king tides happen.
The Nearly Unkillable Eucalyptus Meets Its Match
Eucalyptus trees on Albany Hill are wasting away from blight. Some people may cheer—but these trees are also home to endangered monarchs.
In Bay of Life, an Internationally Renowned Media Duo Look to Their Monterey Backyard
With Bay of Life, Frans Lanting and Christine Eckstrom wanted to go past Monterey Bay’s natural beauty to explore its past, present and possible futures.
Can We Have More Whales and Fewer Whale Strikes?
Anchovies sparkled and seawater sprayed from the crusty maws of gray whales as they burst through the surface, again and again, off the coast near Pacifica, fifteen miles south of San Francisco. Groups of up to six gray whales devoured … Read more
On the Enigmatic ‘Flying Potato,’ Neither Plant Nor Animal, That Caused the Bay’s Biggest Harmful Algal Bloom in History
Heterosigma akashiwo can photosynthesize like a plant and wiggle like an animal, and it’s here to stay — but it’s still something of an enigma.
How Your Beach Photos Are Helping CA Scientists: Snapshot Cal Coast 2022
This year’s Snapshot Cal Coast featured 4,083 people logging 46,683 observations of almost 4,000 species into the iNaturalist app from June 13 to July 4.
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.”
Wetlands Help Fight Climate Change, But the Kind of Wetland Matters
Wetlands breathe in carbon dioxide, but can breathe out methane.
Seemingly Headed for Extinction in 2020, Western Monarchs Boom Back in 2021
In 2020, less than 2,000 monarchs were counted at overwintering sites in California. Scientists weren’t sure if they’d come back. This year’s count shows that they did, and in a big way.
Why Are There So Many Fires, and Other Common California Wildfire Questions
Wildfires have become larger, more frequent, more severe, and more destructive to human life and property in many ecosystems in California in recent decades. If you’ve lived in California for a while, it might feel like this has suddenly become … Read more