A study of 38 lakes and reservoirs in 23 countries found that Lake Tahoe had the third-highest concentration of microplastics.
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Anger builds after controlled burn badly damages California sequoias
A controlled burn in Calaveras Big Trees State Park has badly damaged a pair of giant sequoias named “the Orphans,” outraging community members.
Posted inEnvironment
With bat baby season upon us, UCSC prof explains how to spot them and why they matter
Bats have come back to the Bay Area from winter migrations and are raising young all around the region. Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and an ecology and evolutionary biology research professor at UC Santa Cruz, tells Lookout how and where to find bats — and when you might catch a glimpse of a baby bat getting a flying lesson.
Posted inEnvironment
As El Niño officially begins, what might the effects look like in Santa Cruz County?
The climate pattern known as El Niño has officially begun and is expected to bring cooler, wetter winters to some regions of the United States. While the effects on the Central Coast are not as clear cut, Santa Cruzans likely won’t see any significant impacts until the winter months.
Posted inEnvironment
Solar sprawl is tearing up the Mojave Desert. Is there a better way?
America needs lots of clean power, fast. Should it go on public lands or on rooftops?
Posted inEnvironment
Before-and-after aerial images show California reservoirs’ dramatic rebound after years of drought
Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, once depleted by years of drought, are now nearly full after a historic winter. See drone and satellite photos of the transformation.
Posted inEnvironment
Cowell Beach, once among California’s most polluted, gets ‘A’ for cleanliness for fourth straight year
For the fourth consecutive year, Cowell Beach received a high grade on nonprofit Heal The Bay’s annual beach report card, keeping it off of the “Beach Bummers” list of notably dirty beaches. Changes in infrastructure at the wharf and Neary Lagoon have made the difference, says environmental compliance manager Akin Babatola.
Posted inEnvironment
What’s killing hundreds of sea lions and dozens of dolphins along the Southern California coast?
More than 1,000 marine mammals along the Southern California coast have gotten sick or died due to the bloom of toxic algae, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Posted inEnvironment
Lake Oroville is 100% full as California reservoirs are revived by historic rain and snowmelt
Lake Oroville in Northern California, the state’s second-largest reservoir, is at 100% of capacity after a historic rainy season and as a deep snowpack begins to melt.
Posted inEnvironment
Ocean temperatures are off the charts, and El Niño is only partly to blame
Unprecedented warming in the North Atlantic has startled some researchers. While global warming is the underlying cause, a variety of other factors are at play.
