The first six months of 2014 were the hottest
January-through-June on record in California, the National
Weather Service said Monday — nearly five degrees warmer than the
20th century average and more than a degree hotter than the
record set in 1934.
Just how fast the state’s climate is changing became apparent
Monday when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
released figures showing the first six months of this year were
the hottest the state has ever recorded — breaking the mark by a
single degree after 80 years.
The U.S. Geological Survey joins its many partners in other
federal agencies, at universities, and in state and local
governments in recognizing the importance of the Water
Resources Research Act (WRRA) of 1964.
Signed into law 50 years ago by President Lyndon B. Johnson on
July 17, 1964, the WRRA established a Water Resources Research
Institute in each state and Puerto Rico.
Rainy seasons over the last two years were the driest in downtown
Los Angeles since record-keeping began in 1877, and forecasters
now say the El Niño that had been predicted to bring some relief
may not materialize.
A group of U.S. Bureau of Land Management interns trekked three
days this week across a blistering stretch of Utah desert,
recreating part of the 1846 path of the ill-fated Donner Party.
With reservoirs headed for historic lows, the [California
Archaeological Site Steward] program has taken on added
importance. … As water levels gradually drop across the
state, cutting grooves into the slopes like bathtub rings,
archaeological sites are becoming more accessible — offering a
chance for new knowledge as well as temptation for looters.
[Jim] Walker and construction crews building a new 220-foot-high
dam at Calaveras Reservoir in the remote canyons east of Milpitas
have been digging up a prehistoric treasure trove: the teeth of
an extinct hippopotamus-like creature called a Desmostylus,
clams, barnacles and the giant teeth from a 40-foot-long shark –
and what could turn out to be an entire whale skeleton.
From the Manteca Bulletin, in a commentary by Dennis Wyatt:
You can’t get much closer to the source of a large chunk of Los
Angeles’ water than Sam Mack Meadow at 11,040 feet just over a
mile from the Palisade Glacier – the largest in the Sierra.
Not only has Santa Cruz County finished off its driest rain year
on record, but there are early signs that 2014 could turn out to
be the warmest in recorded history as well.
California got just enough rain to avoid the driest winter in
memory, but Fresno still will reach an all-time landmark — the
worst three-year drought since record-keeping began in 1878.
California got just enough rain to avoid the driest winter in
memory, but Fresno still will reach an all-time landmark — the
worst three-year drought since record-keeping began in 1878.
Yosemite National Park, in California’s Sierra Nevada, is
celebrating the 150th anniversary of the law that preserved it —
and planted the seeds for the National Park system. At the same
time, the park faces the challenge of protecting the natural
wonders from their own popularity.
This is the same river route Lewis and Clark took 200 years ago,
a 1,000-mile journey along the Columbia and Snake rivers and
right up the musket of the American West. … For eight days
we make shore visits to waterfalls, wineries, dams, fish ladders,
museums and forts along the way.
From the California WaterBlog by UC Davis Center for Watershed
Sciences, in a post by Jay Lund:
In the past 1,200 years, California had two droughts lasting
120-200 years. Could the state’s water resources continue to
supply enough water to drink, grow crops and provide habitat for
fish with such an extreme, prolonged drought? … The UC
Davis Center for Watershed Sciences explored this question a few
years ago using computer models.
A Ghost Ships exhibit at the Tahoe Maritime Museum highlights
some of the many underwater stories and secrets Lake Tahoe has
harbored, and offers some hints about may what yet be found in
her famously clear, cold depths. The exhibit runs through
April 2015.
