State officials have released preliminary floodoing forecast for the San Joaquin Valley and Tulare Lake Basin due to a historic snowpack.
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Tiny nibbling creatures are making Lake Tahoe clearer than it’s been in decades
Lake Tahoe hasn’t been this clear since the 1980s. The primary cause is an abundance of microscopic zooplankton.
Posted inEnvironment
An epic 31 atmospheric river storms transformed California. The mystery is why
An onslaught of atmospheric rivers hit California this winter, exposing the delicate balance of the systems that provide crucial water and can prompt dangerous floods.
Posted inEnvironment
One consequence of California’s heavy rains truly bites: Masses of mosquitoes
The return of pleasant weather could bring more than suntans as the deluge of storms has provided fertile ground for mosquitoes.
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Striking satellite photos from space show California’s transformation from dry to lush
Photos from NASA show the California landscape turning from brown to green after recent winter storms.
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Amid soaking storms, California turns to farmland to funnel water into depleted aquifers
In parts of California’s Central Valley, farmlands are being used to soak up storm water and replenish depleted groundwater.
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As California drought retreats, threat of spring flooding rises
Though recent storms have cut California’s drought by half, record snowpack will increase the threat of spring flooding, forecasters say.
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In wake of storms and floods, local leaders discuss effects of climate change with community
Thursday’s Climate Change and Our Community event, hosted by the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County, featured a number of speakers from a range of professions. They touched on things being done behind the scenes to combat climate change and how people can get involved in the wake of the series of severe weather events that have plagued the region since January.
Posted inEnvironment
California storms create paradox: Too much water in reservoirs, too soon
As storms melt snowpack, managers released water to prevent reservoirs from overflowing and flooding Central Valley towns — and that sends water into the ocean. The warm rains melt snow that ideally would last into spring and help with water deliveries.
Posted inEnvironment
Q&A: UCSC researcher Chris Wilmers on how a new Highway 17 animal crossing protects Santa Cruz mountain lions
UC Santa Cruz professor of environmental studies Chris Wilmers has spent more than 15 years researching the population of around 50 mountain lions living in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Wilmers helped the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County develop a wildlife crossing underneath Highway 17 at Laurel Curve, which opened in January. He shares his thoughts on how to protect mountain lions from encroaching development.