Enhanced vegetation growth triggered by heavy rains last winter, followed by drying soils resulting from low rainfall and high temperatures in the spring have fueled Southern California’s early wildfire season, according to scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Chapman University. Using satellite data...
In The News
Warmer Springs Decreasing Rocky Mountain Snowpack
May 17, 2013 |
Geophysical Research Letters
Warming during February and March since the 1980s has driven declines in snowpack in the Rocky Mountains of western North America, according to a recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters. The authors used a combination of observations and a mathematical model to determine changes in snowpack over...
New Climate Projections Assist Water Managers
May 17, 2013 |
Bureau of Reclamation
Scientists at the Bureau of Reclamation have increased the spatial resolution of the newest climate models to make them more useful for water managers. The World Climate Research Program releases new global climate projections every five to seven years, and the newest projections use data from the Coupled Model...
Grazing Exacerbates Cheatgrass Invasion
May 17, 2013 |
Journal of Applied Ecology
Cattle grazing in parts of western North America increases the severity of cheatgrass invasion, according to a new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Cheatgrass is an invasive species in vast regions of the West, where it displaces native grasses such as sagebrush and perennial...
Changing Ag Practices Would Conserve CO Basin Water
May 9, 2013 |
Pacific Institute
Significant water savings are possible in the Colorado River Basin through changes in irrigation techniques, such as irrigating alfalfa less often, and shifting to less water-intensive crops, according to a new study by the Pacific Institute....
More Accurate Snow Measurements Better Predict Runoff
May 9, 2013 |
NASA
A new airborne mission—a collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Department of Water Resources—is able to measure the amount of water held in snowpack in two mountain watersheds in the U.S., allowing scientists to better estimate...
New Mexico Outlines Water-Saving Proposals
May 9, 2013 |
New Mexico State University/Senator Tom Udall
Continued backing of desalination research and more funding for programs that help reduce water waste are just two of 40 proposals aimed at encouraging conservation and boosting water supplies in the Rio Grande Basin of New Mexico. The proposals are presented in a recent report developed from a...
Budget Cuts May Force Closure of 375 Stream-Gauges
May 9, 2013 |
USGS
Due to budget cuts including sequestration, the USGS may be forced to cease operation of up to 375 stream gauges across the nation. Currently the agency’s network contains more than 8,000 gauges that monitor stream discharge and help water managers predict and address drought and flood conditions. Many...
Hydraulic Fracturing Increases Water Stress in Already Stressed Regions
May 5, 2013 |
Ceres
A large portion of hydraulic fracturing operations in the U.S. are located in water-stressed regions, especially in Colorado and Texas, according to a recent report by the non-profit organization...
CO2 Concentrations to Surpass 400ppm
May 5, 2013 |
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions will soon pass 400 parts per million (ppm), up from 316 ppm in 1958 when modern record keeping began and an estimated 280 ppm at the start of the Industrial Revolution, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego. Scientists at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii...