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March Miracle: El Niño Kicks Back in With Soaking Storms on the Way
February was an extremely warm month (once again) across California, with temperature records falling on a daily basis. February was also quite dry across the state, with the only precipitation event...
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Get Used to Skimpier Snows in the Sierra
When the numbers come in for the closely watched April 1 survey of snow in the Sierra Nevada, California is likely to fall short of an average year. That’s a major disappointment in a winter that...
View ArticlePeak Sierra Snowpack: Beats Last Year But No Drought Buster
The “April 1” snow survey in the Sierra Nevada is always anxiously awaited, in the truest sense of the term. Early April is when the snowpack is generally reckoned to have peaked and the spring melt...
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Earthquake Science at the Threshold: 1906 Was a Game Changer
Scientists still debate the magnitude of the 1906 earthquake that leveled much of San Francisco and surrounds, 110 years ago today. Long referred to as magnitude 8 or greater (using the now retired...
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Opinion: It’s Time to Bring the Grizzly Bear Back to California
In the mid-19th century, there were as many as 10,000 brown bears in California — a greater population density than in Alaska today. The last documented sighting was in 1924. Now all that remains is...
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Move to Return Grizzly Bears to California Will Be an Uphill Push
Who says the grizzly bear has vanished from California? On the contrary, it’s nearly ubiquitous in the Golden State—on everything from the state flag to T-shirts and coffee mugs. Of course, the bears...
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Californians Beat New, Relaxed Target for Water Savings
Urban residents of California beat their goal for saving water in March by turning off their sprinklers when the rain fell. The State Water Board says cities and businesses cut water use by more than...
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Sierra Meltdown: What Snow We Got is Going Fast
California’s “frozen reservoir” is melting fast. Unusually high temperatures this spring have acted like a blow-drier on accumulated winter snows, despite a healthy boost during the stormy month of...
View ArticleInteractive: Sierra Snowpack Highs and Lows Over 13 Years
The Sierra Nevada snowpack is a classic example of what scientists call “high inter-annual variability.” Translation: whatever’s happening this year, don’t count on it next year — or ever. Given the...
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California May Abandon State-Imposed Water Conservation Quotas
California water officials say they’re moving to scrap the system of state-imposed water conservation quotas put in place during the current drought. The system resulted in a cumulative saving among...
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Like ‘Em or Hate ‘Em, California’s State-Mandated Drought Rules Largely Worked
On Wednesday California revised its drought rules, ending a year of local conservation quotas handed down by the state. The State Water Resources Control Board voted to abandon its formula — decried by...
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The Nuclear Canal: When Scientists Thought H-Bombs Would Make Awesome...
This month officials will formally open the new, expanded Panama Canal. The “inauguration,” as it’s being called, marks the largest modification of the canal since it opened in 1914. The expansion took...
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Two Years On, Napa Quake Still Serving Up Surprises
It’s been nearly two years since the South Napa Earthquake rocked the North Bay region — but the revelations keep on coming. Scientists say data from earth movements that occurred after the major...
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Grizzlies in California? Ad Campaign Aims to ‘Bring Back the Bears’
Advocates for re-establishing grizzly bears in California are taking their case directly to the public. Having been rebuffed by wildlife agencies, the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity is...
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Warming at Alarming Rate, Lake Tahoe Reflects Rapid Sierra Climate Change
Lake Tahoe is showing some severe impacts from the changing climate. Indicators released Thursday in the annual “State of the Lake” report packed a few surprises, even for scientists. For one thing,...
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Water Conservation Wanes in California as Most Mandatory Restrictions End
It appears that California water suppliers have by and large abandoned mandatory water conservation — and it may be showing up in the latest monthly statistics on water saving in the state. According...
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NASA Testing ‘Road Map’ For Commercial Drones
Millions of drones could take to the skies over the next decade, doing everything from search-and-rescue to pizza delivery. But with so many small flying robots whirring through the air, they’ll need a...
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4 Things You Should Know About California’s Biggest Reservoir
1. It’s Probably Not the One You’re Thinking Of Nope, not Shasta Lake. That’s California’s largest surface reservoir, which is currently bulging with more than 4 million acre-feet of water...
View ArticleSomething You Probably Didn’t Expect From the Huge Sierra Snowpack: Earthquakes
The importance of the mountain snowpack to California’s water supply is legendary. But according to a new study, its impact reaches far below the Earth’s surface to the state’s tectonic foundations....
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Charge-as-You-Go Electric Cars: Sounds Great, But Do We Really Need Them?
Drivers of electric cars are quick to tell you how much they love never having to stop at a gas station. But they still have to stop and plug in. What if you could completely cut loose electric cars to...
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