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"title": "Go Big Green: Stanford Lightens Its Carbon Load",
"headTitle": "Go Big Green: Stanford Lightens Its Carbon Load | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-044b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>A view of Stanford’s campus, taken from Hoover Tower. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Originally reported for \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/news/\">KQEDnews.org\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1888, when famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted drafted his master plan for \u003ca href=\"http://www.stanford.edu/\">Stanford University \u003c/a>in Palo Alto, he drew the academic buildings along an east-west axis to efficiently make use of heat and light from the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, more than 100 years later, a new generation of eco-centric builders and designers are embarking on a $250 million project to raise, retrofit and re-power buildings across the 8,000-acre campus, in the hopes of slashing Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels in just 10 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan tackles energy demand in existing and new buildings, while also laying the groundwork for a new energy supply loop that powers, heats and cools the 125 biggest buildings on the main campus. \u003c!--more-->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s one of the most far-reaching efforts in the nation for a major research university to make a total transformation of a complete campus energy system”, said Joe Stagner, a civil engineer who directs Stanford’s Department of Sustainability and Energy Management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the steep price tag, the university estimates that by going greener it will save be saving lots of green – $639 million by 2050 through lower utility bills and operating costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the plan, which received preliminary approval by the Stanford Board of Trustees last fall, the energy savings are expected to build up with time. By 2050, the campus is projected to emit only 50 percent of the greenhouse gases it emitted in 1990.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that’s a minimum, it doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop at 50 percent”, said Fahmida Ahmed, manager of \u003ca href=\"http://sustainable.stanford.edu/index.php\">sustainability programs\u003c/a> at Stanford. She and Stagner wrote the new \u003ca href=\"http://sustainablestanford.stanford.edu/sites/sem.stanford.edu/files/documents/StanfordEnergyandClimatePlan_11-10.pdf\">energy and climate plan\u003c/a> that serves as the university’s sustainability roadmap and presented it to the Trustees in October 2009.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Stanford has pursued recycling, composting and energy efficiency since the 1980s, until just a few years ago, it lacked a single, cohesive campaign to shrink the university’s carbon footprint – a task made more urgent by Stanford’s steady growth spurts. By 2025, two million square feet of new academic buildings and housing are expected to be built for 2,400 additional faculty, staff and students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The whole idea to attack greenhouse gases gained momentum in 2006 and 2007,” said Stagner. “University stakeholders, including faculty from the Woods Institute to members of Students for a Sustainable Stanford and faculty and even some alumni, all of them let the university’s leadership know that they wanted Stanford to be more sustainable”, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On average, the campus generates 262,000 metric tons – nearly 580 million pounds – of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases each year through direct sources such as generating electricity each day at an aging campus power plant, and indirect sources such as airline trips and commuting miles driven by faculty and staff. If no new initiatives are undertaken, pursuing instead a “business-as-usual” level of energy consumption and energy generation, Stanford is expected to produce 325,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases by 2020 and nearly 400,000 metric tons by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stagner and his team realized early on that energy conservation improvements alone could not achieve substantial greenhouse gas reductions for a campus growing at such a fast clip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had to come up with a comprehensive energy model that includes energy demand on one side and energy supply on the other side to inform how to best prioritize our work, to see what had the best return, environmentally, and the best bang for our buck”, said Stagner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest environmental gains, his team discovered, would come from overhauling the campus’ natural gas-fired power plant which has operated for more than 20 years and accounts for nearly 90 percent of the campus’ greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Stanford is situated in a Mediterranean climate, many of its buildings need simultaneous cooling and heating. Currently, the cooling system pipes chilled water into buildings to cool them and also remove excess heat that builds up inside them. As the water extracts the unwanted heat from buildings, it warms and is piped back to the central energy facility where massive cooling towers exhaust the excess heat from the water into the atmosphere. The loop continues, with the water being re-chilled at the central energy facility and sent back out to the buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conversely, heat and hot water are supplied to buildings in a separate loop. It uses steam, which is made as a byproduct of burning natural gas to generate electricity to power the buildings. The steam cools into hot water after it has been sent to the buildings, and then it is sent back to the central energy facility, where it is reheated and sent back out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2008, during a year-long audit of the campus’ hour-by-hour energy use, Stagner experienced an ‘a-ha moment.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I took a look at the data and saw that the potential for reusing the waste heat to heat the campus was much larger than we had hoped for and got very excited about the possibilities,” said Stagner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stagner realized that nearly half of the campus’ heating needs can be met through bypassing the cooling towers and reusing most of the heat which would otherwise be exhausted into the air. This new scheme of heat recovery is being called “regeneration.” Through it, the campus will also cut its water use by nearly 20 percent since less water would be used by the cooling towers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project won’t happen overnight, however. It will take five to 10 years, and university crews will have to dig up 10 miles of underground pipes that are currently designed to distribute steam – not hot water — to buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When all of that is finished, the campus will be able to burn less natural gas to make electricity and will instead be able to buy electricity from utilities or from direct suppliers using renewables like solar and wind to green up the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The electricity will power up to five new multimillion-dollar “heat recovery chillers.” The machines will form the backbone of the new energy loop, where warm water that would have been sent to the cooling towers instead will now be sent for further reheating and piped back out as 170-degree water to provide heat and hot water to buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the end of this year, Stagner will present to Stanford’s trustees an update of the heat recovery system and the broader energy and climate plan, which is receiving one last peer review to see if further greenhouse gas reductions are possible under it. But he and his team are already moving forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-006b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Stanford’s new heat exchange unit. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://sustainablestanford.stanford.edu/heat_recovery\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/Stanford_steamhot-water-conversion_b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Campus map showing the buildings where pipes carrying steam will need to be replaced by pipes carrying hot water. Photo and image copyright Stanford University\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a patch of land behind Memorial Auditorium, for the past six months, workers have been installing a $750,000 heat exchange station next to Stanford’s new business school, the Knight Management Center, which will open later this year. The station is needed to convert the steam currently made by the campus power plant to hot water, which will then be distributed through new pipes snaking underground that will serve 12 new and existing buildings when it fires up next summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other universities, including the University of Rochester in New York and Auburn University in Alabama, also have converted from steam to hot water to meet their heating needs, but not to the extent Stanford plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the engineering plans, Stanford also is working to change the behavior of its students, professors and staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We live in an eco-minded area,” said Ahmed, whose office worked with students to create a \u003ca href=\"http://sustainable.stanford.edu/sites/sustainable.stanford.edu/files/documents/SustainableLiving_at_Stanford_New.pdf\"> guide to sustainable living\u003c/a> that describes how to reduce water and electricity use and act sustainably beyond the dorms and dining halls. “But for conservation to be a part of daily experience there needs to be incentives that we relate to and feel encouraged about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One Stanford program, for example, establishes an annual baseline of average kilowatt-hours used for an individual school or administrative unit based on past consumption trends. Then, it allows that school or unit to keep whatever money is saved if it falls under its budget for energy spending. In three years, the program yielded a three percent decrease in energy use and $830,000 for the energy-saving participants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a penalty component was added, so now departments that go over their budgets are supposed to pay back to the university the cost of excess electricity they used. The Office of Sustainability wouldn’t reveal which departments were penalized, pointing out instead that “there are sometimes valid reasons for their energy usage going up” and that the budgets for electricity use “can and will be revised over time as a trend appears.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If an academic department isn’t responsible for its energy expenditures or budget, it is in the same position as a renter in an apartment who isn’t responsible for paying for the utilities. The renter has no incentive for energy efficiency or water efficiency. It’s just human nature,” said Stanley Young, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford junior Ishan Nath wrote an \u003ca href=\"http://www.stanforddaily.com/2009/11/09/editorial-extend-energy-incentives-to-student-residences/\">editorial last fall in \u003cem>The Stanford Daily\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, calling for an expansion of the incentive program so students could pocket some of the cost savings from lower energy use in their dorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems that the double benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while saving money is something we should be taking advantage of in any place we can and I think it’s really important that Stanford is leading in this direction,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another key part of the Stanford plan to reduce greenhouse emissions is to retrofit existing buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are nearly 200 buildings on campus that are larger than 20,000 square feet, roughly the size of a small supermarket. A 2004 study found that 12 buildings accounted for 33% of the campus’ electricity use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We put together a new program to look at a single building in detail and go top to bottom and find energy savings opportunities,” said Scott Gould, a senior energy engineer with the Department of Sustainability and Energy Management who oversees the Whole Building Retrofit Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2007, the campus approved $15 million in funding to retrofit these energy-intensive buildings, many of which contain research labs built in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Some have annual energy bills of $2 million to $3 million each.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two building retrofits are currently taking place, one at Gilbert Hall, which houses the biology department, and the other at the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. The fume hoods in them are being fitted with valves that can more efficiently regulate the flow and exhaust of air, so that instead of 10 air exchanges in an hour, there may only be six or eight. New valves also will control the total amount of air supplied to a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a technology that wasn’t available in the ‘70s”, said Gould, whose job is compounded by the fact that the retrofit work needs to typically take place over short periods of time to minimize the impact to the still-active labs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easier to design super-energy efficient buildings from the start than going back and retrofitting old ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-026b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>A view of the Y2E2 building. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The greenest building on Stanford’s campus – and a model for future construction – is the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Energy + Environment Building, known as “Y2E2.” Opened in 2008, the four-story, L-shaped building uses 38 percent less energy and 90 percent less total water than older buildings – the latter feat accomplished in part by using recycled water for flushing toilets and rainwater for irrigating landscaping. Four atriums funnel natural light through angled skylights, and they also serve as the building’s lungs, drawing in fresh air and circulating heated air through vents that open and close automatically throughout the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"right\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-010b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>A skylight inside the Y2E2 building. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"right\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-007b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Looking down the atrium inside the Y2E2 building. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford also has solar power demonstration projects at seven locations on campus but they generate enough power currently to meet only two percent of the campus’ energy needs. Ahmed acknowledged that solar power has the potential to meet 10 percent of the sunny campus’ energy needs, but the university is continuing to track progress on solar power technology before committing to its wider use on campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, students seem pleased with the university’s level of planning and implementation around sustainability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a period of tremendous uncertainty in what’s going to happen with California’s climate policy,” said Nath. “Without knowing that, it’s impossible to fairly plan for what type of renewable energy to use, and it’s difficult to compare the financing to see what’s the best decision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Ten Hoeve is president of the \u003ca href=\"http://inversion.stanford.edu/swep/drupal/\">Stanford Solar and Wind Energy Project\u003c/a>, a group run mostly by graduate students trying to promote renewable energy at Stanford. “I believe I speak for the group when I say that we are very pleased with the new climate and energy plan”, Ten Hoeve said, while complimenting its Office of Sustainability for being “open-minded” to opportunities to cut Stanford’s carbon load.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford’s plan focuses on more near-term energy supply and conservation steps to curb campus emissions, but doesn’t fund much renewable energy at the moment. A chart laying out the expected emissions savings as color-coded wedges from building retrofits, heat recovery and other initiatives, has a wedge that corresponds to emissions savings through electricity generated by renewable means, like solar, wind and geothermal power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ten Hoeve pointed out that the ‘green electricity’ wedge doesn’t kick in fully, however, until 2035. “If Stanford were to produce its own renewable energy, through a few well-sited local wind turbines for example, it would be great PR for the university at little to no cost, which is why we hope it will happen sooner than later”, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some students think that an array of solar panels, such as the one adorning the Y2E2 building, do more than just green the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important to have them in places where people can see them and when they come to Stanford, they’ll say, ‘oh, maybe solar panels are developing enough to be used on a wide scale’”, said Nath.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Junior Eli Pollak, a member of \u003ca href=\"http://sustainability.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/index.php\">Students for a Sustainable Stanford\u003c/a>, said he’s impressed by the Stanford plan, but would have liked to have seen more students involved in drafting it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In keeping with Stanford’s educational mission, it would have been beneficial for the administration to have drawn on the intellect of the students and the students could have gained real-world experience to address climate change and see how a large institution approaches climate change and energy planning,” Pollak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford isn’t alone in trying to improve energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/\">American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment\u003c/a> has recruited nearly 700 college and university presidents to cut more than 30 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually across their campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The niche that we were filling was helping people learn from each other,” said Paul Rowland, executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, an organization that has created a tool to help universities and colleges that have signed the climate commitment measure and report their annual greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first university to have achieved carbon neutrality, Rowland said, is the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, which it did in part by purchasing renewable energy credits to offset its greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford has declined to join the organization ever since 2006 when it was first asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Stanford commits to reductions it can meet. Committing to carbon neutrality without having the solutions at hand must have seemed not very authentic to the administration at the time,” said Ahmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford’s energy and climate plan also does not endorse the use of carbon offsets or renewable energy credits, citing in part their “regulatory uncertainty,” which suggests the university is more focused on projects campus officials can directly observe, control and monitor to track the progress on its emissions reductions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The chancellors of the 10 campuses that make up the \u003ca href=\"http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/\">University of California\u003c/a> system have, however, signed onto the ACUPCC. The UC campuses have set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2014 and to 1990 levels by 2020, while also eliminating all waste sent to landfills by 2020. After these targets have been met, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/documents/policy_sustain_prac.pdf\">UC sustainability policy \u003c/a>directs the campuses to pursue carbon neutrality “as soon as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the past five years, the UC system has saved $15 million by replacing aging lighting, heating and ventilation systems and expanding the monitoring and metering of campus buildings,” said Matthew St. Clair, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/\">UC sustainability efforts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At UC Berkeley, energy efficiency projects such as changing leaky heating and cooling systems and installing more efficient lighting in its buildings, some of which are more than 100 years old, has cut the campus’ electricity use. At Tang Center, home to the university’s health services, an analysis revealed that the air circulation system was running 24 hours a day. So a new air circulation system was installed, saving the university each year enough electricity to power 46 single family homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC campuses are also exploring projects that will generate a total of 10 megawatts of on-site renewable energy by 2014. To date, three of them – Irvine, Merced and San Diego – have one-megawatt solar panel arrays installed at each of their campuses. The solar array at Merced spans nearly nine acres and provides the campus with nearly 20 percent of its annual energy needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a public institution that includes a mission of public service, we need to demonstrate to the taxpayers and voters of California that we are being good citizens in reducing our environmental impact, cutting costs through efficient resource consumption and modeling sustainability leadership”, said St. Clair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford’s Stagner said he similarly feels that colleges and universities don’t need to wait for a blueprint from the government to start tackling climate change, adding that they have a responsibility to “to help create the scientific, human, cultural, and political solutions to it, and to educate tomorrow’s leaders so that they may continue to work on this challenge and advance civilization toward a sustainable future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>37.427648 -122.166793\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A new generation of eco-centric builders and designers are embarking on a $250 million project to raise, retrofit and re-power buildings across the 8,000-acre campus, in the hopes of slashing Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels in just 10 years.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-044b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>A view of Stanford’s campus, taken from Hoover Tower. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Originally reported for \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/news/\">KQEDnews.org\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1888, when famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted drafted his master plan for \u003ca href=\"http://www.stanford.edu/\">Stanford University \u003c/a>in Palo Alto, he drew the academic buildings along an east-west axis to efficiently make use of heat and light from the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, more than 100 years later, a new generation of eco-centric builders and designers are embarking on a $250 million project to raise, retrofit and re-power buildings across the 8,000-acre campus, in the hopes of slashing Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels in just 10 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan tackles energy demand in existing and new buildings, while also laying the groundwork for a new energy supply loop that powers, heats and cools the 125 biggest buildings on the main campus. \u003c!--more-->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s one of the most far-reaching efforts in the nation for a major research university to make a total transformation of a complete campus energy system”, said Joe Stagner, a civil engineer who directs Stanford’s Department of Sustainability and Energy Management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the steep price tag, the university estimates that by going greener it will save be saving lots of green – $639 million by 2050 through lower utility bills and operating costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the plan, which received preliminary approval by the Stanford Board of Trustees last fall, the energy savings are expected to build up with time. By 2050, the campus is projected to emit only 50 percent of the greenhouse gases it emitted in 1990.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that’s a minimum, it doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop at 50 percent”, said Fahmida Ahmed, manager of \u003ca href=\"http://sustainable.stanford.edu/index.php\">sustainability programs\u003c/a> at Stanford. She and Stagner wrote the new \u003ca href=\"http://sustainablestanford.stanford.edu/sites/sem.stanford.edu/files/documents/StanfordEnergyandClimatePlan_11-10.pdf\">energy and climate plan\u003c/a> that serves as the university’s sustainability roadmap and presented it to the Trustees in October 2009.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Stanford has pursued recycling, composting and energy efficiency since the 1980s, until just a few years ago, it lacked a single, cohesive campaign to shrink the university’s carbon footprint – a task made more urgent by Stanford’s steady growth spurts. By 2025, two million square feet of new academic buildings and housing are expected to be built for 2,400 additional faculty, staff and students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The whole idea to attack greenhouse gases gained momentum in 2006 and 2007,” said Stagner. “University stakeholders, including faculty from the Woods Institute to members of Students for a Sustainable Stanford and faculty and even some alumni, all of them let the university’s leadership know that they wanted Stanford to be more sustainable”, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On average, the campus generates 262,000 metric tons – nearly 580 million pounds – of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases each year through direct sources such as generating electricity each day at an aging campus power plant, and indirect sources such as airline trips and commuting miles driven by faculty and staff. If no new initiatives are undertaken, pursuing instead a “business-as-usual” level of energy consumption and energy generation, Stanford is expected to produce 325,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases by 2020 and nearly 400,000 metric tons by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stagner and his team realized early on that energy conservation improvements alone could not achieve substantial greenhouse gas reductions for a campus growing at such a fast clip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had to come up with a comprehensive energy model that includes energy demand on one side and energy supply on the other side to inform how to best prioritize our work, to see what had the best return, environmentally, and the best bang for our buck”, said Stagner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest environmental gains, his team discovered, would come from overhauling the campus’ natural gas-fired power plant which has operated for more than 20 years and accounts for nearly 90 percent of the campus’ greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Stanford is situated in a Mediterranean climate, many of its buildings need simultaneous cooling and heating. Currently, the cooling system pipes chilled water into buildings to cool them and also remove excess heat that builds up inside them. As the water extracts the unwanted heat from buildings, it warms and is piped back to the central energy facility where massive cooling towers exhaust the excess heat from the water into the atmosphere. The loop continues, with the water being re-chilled at the central energy facility and sent back out to the buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conversely, heat and hot water are supplied to buildings in a separate loop. It uses steam, which is made as a byproduct of burning natural gas to generate electricity to power the buildings. The steam cools into hot water after it has been sent to the buildings, and then it is sent back to the central energy facility, where it is reheated and sent back out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2008, during a year-long audit of the campus’ hour-by-hour energy use, Stagner experienced an ‘a-ha moment.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I took a look at the data and saw that the potential for reusing the waste heat to heat the campus was much larger than we had hoped for and got very excited about the possibilities,” said Stagner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stagner realized that nearly half of the campus’ heating needs can be met through bypassing the cooling towers and reusing most of the heat which would otherwise be exhausted into the air. This new scheme of heat recovery is being called “regeneration.” Through it, the campus will also cut its water use by nearly 20 percent since less water would be used by the cooling towers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project won’t happen overnight, however. It will take five to 10 years, and university crews will have to dig up 10 miles of underground pipes that are currently designed to distribute steam – not hot water — to buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When all of that is finished, the campus will be able to burn less natural gas to make electricity and will instead be able to buy electricity from utilities or from direct suppliers using renewables like solar and wind to green up the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The electricity will power up to five new multimillion-dollar “heat recovery chillers.” The machines will form the backbone of the new energy loop, where warm water that would have been sent to the cooling towers instead will now be sent for further reheating and piped back out as 170-degree water to provide heat and hot water to buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the end of this year, Stagner will present to Stanford’s trustees an update of the heat recovery system and the broader energy and climate plan, which is receiving one last peer review to see if further greenhouse gas reductions are possible under it. But he and his team are already moving forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-006b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Stanford’s new heat exchange unit. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://sustainablestanford.stanford.edu/heat_recovery\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/Stanford_steamhot-water-conversion_b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Campus map showing the buildings where pipes carrying steam will need to be replaced by pipes carrying hot water. Photo and image copyright Stanford University\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a patch of land behind Memorial Auditorium, for the past six months, workers have been installing a $750,000 heat exchange station next to Stanford’s new business school, the Knight Management Center, which will open later this year. The station is needed to convert the steam currently made by the campus power plant to hot water, which will then be distributed through new pipes snaking underground that will serve 12 new and existing buildings when it fires up next summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other universities, including the University of Rochester in New York and Auburn University in Alabama, also have converted from steam to hot water to meet their heating needs, but not to the extent Stanford plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the engineering plans, Stanford also is working to change the behavior of its students, professors and staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We live in an eco-minded area,” said Ahmed, whose office worked with students to create a \u003ca href=\"http://sustainable.stanford.edu/sites/sustainable.stanford.edu/files/documents/SustainableLiving_at_Stanford_New.pdf\"> guide to sustainable living\u003c/a> that describes how to reduce water and electricity use and act sustainably beyond the dorms and dining halls. “But for conservation to be a part of daily experience there needs to be incentives that we relate to and feel encouraged about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One Stanford program, for example, establishes an annual baseline of average kilowatt-hours used for an individual school or administrative unit based on past consumption trends. Then, it allows that school or unit to keep whatever money is saved if it falls under its budget for energy spending. In three years, the program yielded a three percent decrease in energy use and $830,000 for the energy-saving participants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, a penalty component was added, so now departments that go over their budgets are supposed to pay back to the university the cost of excess electricity they used. The Office of Sustainability wouldn’t reveal which departments were penalized, pointing out instead that “there are sometimes valid reasons for their energy usage going up” and that the budgets for electricity use “can and will be revised over time as a trend appears.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If an academic department isn’t responsible for its energy expenditures or budget, it is in the same position as a renter in an apartment who isn’t responsible for paying for the utilities. The renter has no incentive for energy efficiency or water efficiency. It’s just human nature,” said Stanley Young, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford junior Ishan Nath wrote an \u003ca href=\"http://www.stanforddaily.com/2009/11/09/editorial-extend-energy-incentives-to-student-residences/\">editorial last fall in \u003cem>The Stanford Daily\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, calling for an expansion of the incentive program so students could pocket some of the cost savings from lower energy use in their dorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems that the double benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while saving money is something we should be taking advantage of in any place we can and I think it’s really important that Stanford is leading in this direction,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another key part of the Stanford plan to reduce greenhouse emissions is to retrofit existing buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are nearly 200 buildings on campus that are larger than 20,000 square feet, roughly the size of a small supermarket. A 2004 study found that 12 buildings accounted for 33% of the campus’ electricity use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We put together a new program to look at a single building in detail and go top to bottom and find energy savings opportunities,” said Scott Gould, a senior energy engineer with the Department of Sustainability and Energy Management who oversees the Whole Building Retrofit Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2007, the campus approved $15 million in funding to retrofit these energy-intensive buildings, many of which contain research labs built in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Some have annual energy bills of $2 million to $3 million each.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two building retrofits are currently taking place, one at Gilbert Hall, which houses the biology department, and the other at the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. The fume hoods in them are being fitted with valves that can more efficiently regulate the flow and exhaust of air, so that instead of 10 air exchanges in an hour, there may only be six or eight. New valves also will control the total amount of air supplied to a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a technology that wasn’t available in the ‘70s”, said Gould, whose job is compounded by the fact that the retrofit work needs to typically take place over short periods of time to minimize the impact to the still-active labs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easier to design super-energy efficient buildings from the start than going back and retrofitting old ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"left\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-026b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>A view of the Y2E2 building. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The greenest building on Stanford’s campus – and a model for future construction – is the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Energy + Environment Building, known as “Y2E2.” Opened in 2008, the four-story, L-shaped building uses 38 percent less energy and 90 percent less total water than older buildings – the latter feat accomplished in part by using recycled water for flushing toilets and rainwater for irrigating landscaping. Four atriums funnel natural light through angled skylights, and they also serve as the building’s lungs, drawing in fresh air and circulating heated air through vents that open and close automatically throughout the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"right\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-010b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>A skylight inside the Y2E2 building. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"right\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/quest\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2010/08/GreenU_Stanford_-007b.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Looking down the atrium inside the Y2E2 building. Photo by Sheraz Sadiq\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford also has solar power demonstration projects at seven locations on campus but they generate enough power currently to meet only two percent of the campus’ energy needs. Ahmed acknowledged that solar power has the potential to meet 10 percent of the sunny campus’ energy needs, but the university is continuing to track progress on solar power technology before committing to its wider use on campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, students seem pleased with the university’s level of planning and implementation around sustainability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a period of tremendous uncertainty in what’s going to happen with California’s climate policy,” said Nath. “Without knowing that, it’s impossible to fairly plan for what type of renewable energy to use, and it’s difficult to compare the financing to see what’s the best decision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Ten Hoeve is president of the \u003ca href=\"http://inversion.stanford.edu/swep/drupal/\">Stanford Solar and Wind Energy Project\u003c/a>, a group run mostly by graduate students trying to promote renewable energy at Stanford. “I believe I speak for the group when I say that we are very pleased with the new climate and energy plan”, Ten Hoeve said, while complimenting its Office of Sustainability for being “open-minded” to opportunities to cut Stanford’s carbon load.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford’s plan focuses on more near-term energy supply and conservation steps to curb campus emissions, but doesn’t fund much renewable energy at the moment. A chart laying out the expected emissions savings as color-coded wedges from building retrofits, heat recovery and other initiatives, has a wedge that corresponds to emissions savings through electricity generated by renewable means, like solar, wind and geothermal power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ten Hoeve pointed out that the ‘green electricity’ wedge doesn’t kick in fully, however, until 2035. “If Stanford were to produce its own renewable energy, through a few well-sited local wind turbines for example, it would be great PR for the university at little to no cost, which is why we hope it will happen sooner than later”, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some students think that an array of solar panels, such as the one adorning the Y2E2 building, do more than just green the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important to have them in places where people can see them and when they come to Stanford, they’ll say, ‘oh, maybe solar panels are developing enough to be used on a wide scale’”, said Nath.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Junior Eli Pollak, a member of \u003ca href=\"http://sustainability.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/index.php\">Students for a Sustainable Stanford\u003c/a>, said he’s impressed by the Stanford plan, but would have liked to have seen more students involved in drafting it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In keeping with Stanford’s educational mission, it would have been beneficial for the administration to have drawn on the intellect of the students and the students could have gained real-world experience to address climate change and see how a large institution approaches climate change and energy planning,” Pollak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford isn’t alone in trying to improve energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/\">American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment\u003c/a> has recruited nearly 700 college and university presidents to cut more than 30 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually across their campuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The niche that we were filling was helping people learn from each other,” said Paul Rowland, executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, an organization that has created a tool to help universities and colleges that have signed the climate commitment measure and report their annual greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first university to have achieved carbon neutrality, Rowland said, is the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, which it did in part by purchasing renewable energy credits to offset its greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford has declined to join the organization ever since 2006 when it was first asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Stanford commits to reductions it can meet. Committing to carbon neutrality without having the solutions at hand must have seemed not very authentic to the administration at the time,” said Ahmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford’s energy and climate plan also does not endorse the use of carbon offsets or renewable energy credits, citing in part their “regulatory uncertainty,” which suggests the university is more focused on projects campus officials can directly observe, control and monitor to track the progress on its emissions reductions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The chancellors of the 10 campuses that make up the \u003ca href=\"http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/\">University of California\u003c/a> system have, however, signed onto the ACUPCC. The UC campuses have set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2014 and to 1990 levels by 2020, while also eliminating all waste sent to landfills by 2020. After these targets have been met, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/documents/policy_sustain_prac.pdf\">UC sustainability policy \u003c/a>directs the campuses to pursue carbon neutrality “as soon as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the past five years, the UC system has saved $15 million by replacing aging lighting, heating and ventilation systems and expanding the monitoring and metering of campus buildings,” said Matthew St. Clair, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sustainability/\">UC sustainability efforts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At UC Berkeley, energy efficiency projects such as changing leaky heating and cooling systems and installing more efficient lighting in its buildings, some of which are more than 100 years old, has cut the campus’ electricity use. At Tang Center, home to the university’s health services, an analysis revealed that the air circulation system was running 24 hours a day. So a new air circulation system was installed, saving the university each year enough electricity to power 46 single family homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC campuses are also exploring projects that will generate a total of 10 megawatts of on-site renewable energy by 2014. To date, three of them – Irvine, Merced and San Diego – have one-megawatt solar panel arrays installed at each of their campuses. The solar array at Merced spans nearly nine acres and provides the campus with nearly 20 percent of its annual energy needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a public institution that includes a mission of public service, we need to demonstrate to the taxpayers and voters of California that we are being good citizens in reducing our environmental impact, cutting costs through efficient resource consumption and modeling sustainability leadership”, said St. Clair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford’s Stagner said he similarly feels that colleges and universities don’t need to wait for a blueprint from the government to start tackling climate change, adding that they have a responsibility to “to help create the scientific, human, cultural, and political solutions to it, and to educate tomorrow’s leaders so that they may continue to work on this challenge and advance civilization toward a sustainable future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "A New Earthquake-Proof Calaveras Dam",
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"content": "\u003cp>Since July 2010, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has been hard at work on one of the biggest engineering projects in the nation, the \u003ca href=\"http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=114\">Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program\u003c/a>. At a cost of nearly five billion dollars, the program will seismically upgrade and replace aging infrastructure that brings water from \u003ca href=\"http://www.nps.gov/featurecontent/yose/anniversary/yosemite125th.com/index.html\">Hetchy Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park\u003c/a>, 167 miles away, to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key goal of the voter-approved program, which is scheduled to run through 2018, is to make sure that the taps can keep flowing within 24 hours of a major earthquake for the system’s 2.6 million customers who live in San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74355\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-74355\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197.jpg\" alt=\"Workers with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission inspect the New Irvington Tunnel, which opened in March 2015. Image by Owen Bissell for KQED Science\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>Workers with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission inspect the New Irvington Tunnel, which opened in March 2015. Image by Owen Bissell \u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We have the Calaveras fault, the Hayward fault in the East Bay, and then of course the San Andreas fault on the Peninsula,” said Dan Wade, Director of the Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program. “And our water system crosses all three of those major faults.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/ucerf/\">U.S. Geological Survey\u003c/a>, there is a greater than 60 percent chance of a major earthquake taking place in the Bay Area in the next 20 years. The Hetch Hetchy water system has been operating for more than 80 years, and much of its infrastructure – including pipes, local reservoirs and a 90-year-old rock and earth-filled dam – is in need of a makeover to shield it from earthquakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the construction projects are also intended to provide redundancy and a back-up to structures that are critical to transporting water from the Sierra Nevada watershed to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, the New Irvington Tunnel, which opened in March 2015, transports millions of gallons of water each day alongside the original Irvington Tunnel in Sunol Valley, a few miles east of Fremont.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The older Irvington Tunnel, which has not been taken out of service since 1966, when it was last inspected, lies between the Calaveras and San Andreas faults. The new tunnel, however, is steel-lined and encased with concrete to help it withstand a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both tunnels carry water not only from Hetch Hetchy but also from the nearby San Antonio and Calaveras reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74356\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-74356\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764.jpg\" alt=\"The Calaveras Reservoir is located just 1500 feet from the Calaveras fault, one of three active faults the Hetch Hetchy water system crosses in the Bay Area. Image by Owen Bissell for KQED Science\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>The Calaveras Reservoir is located just 1,500 feet from the Calaveras fault, one of three active faults the Hetch Hetchy water system crosses in the Bay Area. Image by Owen Bissell \u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Calaveras Reservoir, which is the largest of the system’s five local reservoirs, is also in need of a seismic makeover. Its 90-year-old earth and rock-filled dam, which forms the reservoir, is located on the Santa Clara-Alameda county line, and is located only 1,500 feet from the Calaveras fault. Since 2001, state dam regulators have only allowed the reservoir to be filled to 40 percent of its capacity because the dam is prone to liquefaction, which happens when waterlogged loose soil behaves like a liquid during the violent shaking generated by a big earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, construction crews are building a new, 220-foot-tall seismically safe dam a few hundred yards downstream from the original dam in the hills southeast of Fremont. At a cost of $720 million, replacing the Calaveras Dam is the biggest, most expensive and last remaining major project under the Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it will also be made of earth and rock – roughly 10 million cubic yards’ worth – cement grouting is being sprayed between spaces within the rock to create a more water-tight foundation. The reservoir will then be able to fill to capacity – 100,000 acre-feet or 31 billion gallons – when construction on the new dam finishes in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74357\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-74357\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873.jpg\" alt=\"Ten million cubic yards of earth and rock will need to be excavated for the construction of the new Calaveras Dam, located at the Alameda-Santa Clara county line. Image by Owen Bissell for KQED Science\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>Ten million cubic yards of earth and rock will need to be excavated for the construction of the new Calaveras Dam, located at the Alameda-Santa Clara county line. Image by Owen Bissell \u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Dan Wade, filling Calaveras reservoir to full capacity will not only boost water storage but help the regional water system cope with multi-year droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re in the third year of a major drought,” he said. “We need this reservoir for drought carryover storage.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has been hard at work to replace and upgrade aging infrastructure and reservoirs that make up the 80-year-old Hetch Hetchy water system. The most expensive and biggest of the jobs is replacing a 90-year-old earth and rock-filled Calaveras dam.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Since July 2010, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has been hard at work on one of the biggest engineering projects in the nation, the \u003ca href=\"http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=114\">Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program\u003c/a>. At a cost of nearly five billion dollars, the program will seismically upgrade and replace aging infrastructure that brings water from \u003ca href=\"http://www.nps.gov/featurecontent/yose/anniversary/yosemite125th.com/index.html\">Hetchy Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park\u003c/a>, 167 miles away, to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key goal of the voter-approved program, which is scheduled to run through 2018, is to make sure that the taps can keep flowing within 24 hours of a major earthquake for the system’s 2.6 million customers who live in San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74355\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-74355\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197.jpg\" alt=\"Workers with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission inspect the New Irvington Tunnel, which opened in March 2015. Image by Owen Bissell for KQED Science\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2013_0040-e1441243957197-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>Workers with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission inspect the New Irvington Tunnel, which opened in March 2015. Image by Owen Bissell \u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We have the Calaveras fault, the Hayward fault in the East Bay, and then of course the San Andreas fault on the Peninsula,” said Dan Wade, Director of the Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program. “And our water system crosses all three of those major faults.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/ucerf/\">U.S. Geological Survey\u003c/a>, there is a greater than 60 percent chance of a major earthquake taking place in the Bay Area in the next 20 years. The Hetch Hetchy water system has been operating for more than 80 years, and much of its infrastructure – including pipes, local reservoirs and a 90-year-old rock and earth-filled dam – is in need of a makeover to shield it from earthquakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the construction projects are also intended to provide redundancy and a back-up to structures that are critical to transporting water from the Sierra Nevada watershed to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, the New Irvington Tunnel, which opened in March 2015, transports millions of gallons of water each day alongside the original Irvington Tunnel in Sunol Valley, a few miles east of Fremont.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The older Irvington Tunnel, which has not been taken out of service since 1966, when it was last inspected, lies between the Calaveras and San Andreas faults. The new tunnel, however, is steel-lined and encased with concrete to help it withstand a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both tunnels carry water not only from Hetch Hetchy but also from the nearby San Antonio and Calaveras reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74356\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-74356\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764.jpg\" alt=\"The Calaveras Reservoir is located just 1500 feet from the Calaveras fault, one of three active faults the Hetch Hetchy water system crosses in the Bay Area. Image by Owen Bissell for KQED Science\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2015_0145-e1441243887764-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>The Calaveras Reservoir is located just 1,500 feet from the Calaveras fault, one of three active faults the Hetch Hetchy water system crosses in the Bay Area. Image by Owen Bissell \u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Calaveras Reservoir, which is the largest of the system’s five local reservoirs, is also in need of a seismic makeover. Its 90-year-old earth and rock-filled dam, which forms the reservoir, is located on the Santa Clara-Alameda county line, and is located only 1,500 feet from the Calaveras fault. Since 2001, state dam regulators have only allowed the reservoir to be filled to 40 percent of its capacity because the dam is prone to liquefaction, which happens when waterlogged loose soil behaves like a liquid during the violent shaking generated by a big earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, construction crews are building a new, 220-foot-tall seismically safe dam a few hundred yards downstream from the original dam in the hills southeast of Fremont. At a cost of $720 million, replacing the Calaveras Dam is the biggest, most expensive and last remaining major project under the Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it will also be made of earth and rock – roughly 10 million cubic yards’ worth – cement grouting is being sprayed between spaces within the rock to create a more water-tight foundation. The reservoir will then be able to fill to capacity – 100,000 acre-feet or 31 billion gallons – when construction on the new dam finishes in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74357\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-74357\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873.jpg\" alt=\"Ten million cubic yards of earth and rock will need to be excavated for the construction of the new Calaveras Dam, located at the Alameda-Santa Clara county line. Image by Owen Bissell for KQED Science\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/NR_2014_0074-e1441243992873-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>Ten million cubic yards of earth and rock will need to be excavated for the construction of the new Calaveras Dam, located at the Alameda-Santa Clara county line. Image by Owen Bissell \u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Dan Wade, filling Calaveras reservoir to full capacity will not only boost water storage but help the regional water system cope with multi-year droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re in the third year of a major drought,” he said. “We need this reservoir for drought carryover storage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Giant Sequoias Struggle with Drought",
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"content": "\u003cp>In the summer of 2014, biologist Nathan Stephenson was surveying giant sequoias in a clearing in Sequoia National Park. He looked up at the crown of a mature giant sequoia, hundreds of years old, and noticed that half of its leaves had turned brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 35 years studying giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada, Stephenson had never seen a mature giant sequoia with that many brown leaves. He looked in the park’s records, which go back 120 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one had ever reported that before,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97693\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97693\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Half a dozen giant sequoias, like the one in the background, have died in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks since the drought started in California four years ago. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Half a dozen giant sequoias, like this one in the background, have died in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks since the drought started in California four years ago. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year, he and his team surveyed 4,300 of the approximately 160,000 giant sequoias in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. They found that one percent of them had shed half or more of their leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trees lose foliage as a way to cope with drought,” said Stephenson, who works for the U.S. Geological Survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only half a dozen giant sequoias have died in the Sierra Nevada’s Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks since the drought began, said the parks’ science coordinator Koren Nydick. But the fact that some giant sequoias started to show signs of stress last year caused concern among scientists because the trees are normally long-lived, with some known to be more than 3,000 years old. And all around them in the Sierra, some 6 million trees of other species have died, according to a U.S. Forest Service survey in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing firs, pines, incense cedars and oaks are all dying at a rate we’ve never seen before,” said Stephenson. “Even during the 1977 drought in California we didn’t see this many trees dying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97695\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97695\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"In the summer of 2014, U.S. Geological Survey biologist Nathan Stephenson became concerned when he looked up at the crown of a mature giant sequoia, hundreds of years old, and noticed that half of its leaves had turned brown. “No one had ever reported that before,” he said. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the summer of 2014, U.S. Geological Survey biologist Nathan Stephenson became concerned when he looked up at the crown of a mature giant sequoia, hundreds of years old, and noticed that half of its leaves had turned brown. “No one had ever reported that before,” he said. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The severity of the damage on some of the sequoias led him and other biologists to investigate further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, the USGS and the Carnegie Institution for Science counted the number of giant sequoias with brown leaves, climbed 50 of the trees to see if they were having trouble transporting water to their treetops and flew over giant sequoia groves to make images of their water content using special equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers’ conclusion: some giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park are showing signs of stress, but it’s unclear which trees might be at the highest risk of dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Giant sequoias require more water than any other tree, said tree biologist Anthony Ambrose, of the University of California, Berkeley. On a hot summer day, they can suck up 500 to 800 gallons. That’s twice as much water as a California household uses in a day. And it’s not just any water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That water comes primarily from snow that slowly melts during the spring and recharges the groundwater,” said Ambrose, “so that during the summer months they have sufficient water to sustain their growth and physiology.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem is that during California’s historic drought, little snow has been available to the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The last two winters here have been by far the warmest on record,” said Stephenson, “and what that’s meant is there’s been almost no snow on the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In August and September, Ambrose and Wendy Baxter, another UC biologist, climbed 50 giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest. They collected leaves from their treetops –sometimes the equivalent of 30 stories up-- using a simple rig that allows them to hoist themselves up on a rope while hardly touching the bark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97698\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97698\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Biologist Wendy Baxter, of the University of California, Berkeley, climbed a giant sequoia in September. She used a simple rig that allowed her to hoist herself up on a rope while hardly touching the bark. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Biologist Wendy Baxter, of the University of California, Berkeley, climbed a giant sequoia in September. She used a simple rig that allowed her to hoist herself up on a rope while hardly touching the bark. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There’s a beautiful view up here,” said Baxter, as she looked out over the top of the forest from her vantage point 300 feet up. She used small shears to cut a clump of leaves from the treetop and stuffed them in plastic bags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even at great heights, giant sequoias are able to draw water up to leaves at their treetops. Inside each of the trees’ cells, water gets pulled up to the top of the tree as if it were being sucked up through a straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we clip it, the water retracts back into the stem, kind of like a rubber band,” said Baxter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97697\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97697\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Biologist Wendy Baxter and a colleague from the University of California, Berkeley, climbed 50 giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park in August and September to get a sense of whether the trees were having trouble transporting water to their treetops.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Biologist Wendy Baxter and a colleague from the University of California, Berkeley, climbed 50 giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park in August and September to get a sense of whether the trees were having trouble transporting water to their treetops. \u003ccite>(Lincoln Else/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Back on the ground, she handed the bags to UC Berkeley technician Ken Schwab, who placed a group of leaves inside a round metal device called a pressure chamber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we put our stem into the pressure chamber,” said Baxter, “the amount of pressure that it takes to force the water back out is an indication of how much tension it was under.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The higher the pressure required to push the water out, the more stressed the tree is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of the trees are definitely as stressed as we’ve ever measured giant sequoia,” said Ambrose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, Ambrose and Baxter took measurements in two sites in the forest where some of the giant sequoias had lost half of their leaves in 2014 and in two sites where trees had looked healthier. They found that the most water-stressed trees and the least stressed ones could be found in all sites. Perhaps, Ambrose said, some trees within a particular site have more access to groundwater, their roots reaching deep underground into cracks and crevices that other trees can’t get to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97691\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97691\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"University of California, Berkeley, biologist Anthony Ambrose cuts leaves from the top of a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park at daybreak on Sept. 2.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of California, Berkeley, biologist Anthony Ambrose cuts leaves from the top of a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park at daybreak on Sept. 2. \u003ccite>(Lincoln Else/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In comparison with the summer of 2014, fewer giant sequoias lost half of their leaves this summer, said Stephenson. He thinks that perhaps the trees “did all the hard work of adjusting to the drought last year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Figuring out what trees will succumb to drought is a difficult business, said Greg Asner, of Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution for Science. Sometimes, Asner said, trees lose lots of leaves and later rebound when they have access to water. Other times, trees look healthy, but are in fact water-stressed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asner designed the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a plane with instruments that measure water, nitrogen and sugars in trees using a technology called laser-guided spectral imaging. This summer he flew over and made images of the giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest. On the resulting map, the sequoias on the west side of Giant Forest appear orange and red, a sign that they’re doing worst in terms of their water content. The trees on the east side of the forest appear in blue, a sign that they have more water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97706\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97706\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Greg Asner, of the Carnegie Institution for Science, created this map of giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest this summer, after imaging the trees with the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a plane with instruments that measure water, nitrogen and sugars. The trees that appear in blue are getting the most water. The yellow, orange and red trees are getting the least. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Greg Asner, of the Carnegie Institution for Science, created this map of giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest this summer, after imaging the trees with the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a plane with instruments that measure water, nitrogen and sugars. The trees that appear in blue are getting the most water. The yellow, orange and red trees are getting the least. \u003ccite>(Greg Asner/Carnegie Institution for Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But only repeated flights can accurately pinpoint the most vulnerable giant sequoias, said Asner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We cannot tell if a tree is improving or declining in a single mapping,” he said. “By re-flying we can see the total amount of water change in each canopy, and that will be the best possible measure of how each tree is doing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, scientists say, they can’t draw conclusions about just how stressed the iconic giant sequoia trees are after four years of severe drought, or how many might be at risk of dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists say the research, however, is important in establishing a baseline that will allow them to monitor giant sequoias for years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our main concern isn’t necessarily the current drought right now; it’s looking to the future,” said Stephenson. “If the climate continues to warm, it will put more stress on the giant sequoias.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97694\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97694\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"The General Sherman, in the middle, is billed as the largest tree in the world. If conditions for giant sequoias worsened in the future, Sequoia National Park officials might consider irrigating the General Sherman and other famous giant sequoias. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The General Sherman, in the middle, is billed as the largest tree in the world. If conditions for giant sequoias worsened in the future, Sequoia National Park officials might consider irrigating the General Sherman and other famous giant sequoias. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If the drought continues, or if the trees show significant decline as the climate continues to warm, giant sequoias might need some human intervention in the future to survive climate change. That could take the form of prescribed burns to reduce competition for water from surrounding trees. Parks officials could even decide to irrigate some of their most famous giant sequoias, such as the General Sherman, billed as the world’s largest tree, said Nydick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If temperatures continue to increase, as they’re almost certain to,” said Ambrose, “at what point will they reach a threshold where they can’t recover?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the summer of 2014, biologist Nathan Stephenson was surveying giant sequoias in a clearing in Sequoia National Park. He looked up at the crown of a mature giant sequoia, hundreds of years old, and noticed that half of its leaves had turned brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 35 years studying giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada, Stephenson had never seen a mature giant sequoia with that many brown leaves. He looked in the park’s records, which go back 120 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one had ever reported that before,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97693\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97693\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Half a dozen giant sequoias, like the one in the background, have died in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks since the drought started in California four years ago. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Dead_giant_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Half a dozen giant sequoias, like this one in the background, have died in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks since the drought started in California four years ago. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year, he and his team surveyed 4,300 of the approximately 160,000 giant sequoias in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. They found that one percent of them had shed half or more of their leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trees lose foliage as a way to cope with drought,” said Stephenson, who works for the U.S. Geological Survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only half a dozen giant sequoias have died in the Sierra Nevada’s Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks since the drought began, said the parks’ science coordinator Koren Nydick. But the fact that some giant sequoias started to show signs of stress last year caused concern among scientists because the trees are normally long-lived, with some known to be more than 3,000 years old. And all around them in the Sierra, some 6 million trees of other species have died, according to a U.S. Forest Service survey in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing firs, pines, incense cedars and oaks are all dying at a rate we’ve never seen before,” said Stephenson. “Even during the 1977 drought in California we didn’t see this many trees dying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97695\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97695\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"In the summer of 2014, U.S. Geological Survey biologist Nathan Stephenson became concerned when he looked up at the crown of a mature giant sequoia, hundreds of years old, and noticed that half of its leaves had turned brown. “No one had ever reported that before,” he said. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Nathan_Stephenson-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the summer of 2014, U.S. Geological Survey biologist Nathan Stephenson became concerned when he looked up at the crown of a mature giant sequoia, hundreds of years old, and noticed that half of its leaves had turned brown. “No one had ever reported that before,” he said. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The severity of the damage on some of the sequoias led him and other biologists to investigate further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, the USGS and the Carnegie Institution for Science counted the number of giant sequoias with brown leaves, climbed 50 of the trees to see if they were having trouble transporting water to their treetops and flew over giant sequoia groves to make images of their water content using special equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers’ conclusion: some giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park are showing signs of stress, but it’s unclear which trees might be at the highest risk of dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Giant sequoias require more water than any other tree, said tree biologist Anthony Ambrose, of the University of California, Berkeley. On a hot summer day, they can suck up 500 to 800 gallons. That’s twice as much water as a California household uses in a day. And it’s not just any water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That water comes primarily from snow that slowly melts during the spring and recharges the groundwater,” said Ambrose, “so that during the summer months they have sufficient water to sustain their growth and physiology.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem is that during California’s historic drought, little snow has been available to the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The last two winters here have been by far the warmest on record,” said Stephenson, “and what that’s meant is there’s been almost no snow on the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In August and September, Ambrose and Wendy Baxter, another UC biologist, climbed 50 giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest. They collected leaves from their treetops –sometimes the equivalent of 30 stories up-- using a simple rig that allows them to hoist themselves up on a rope while hardly touching the bark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97698\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97698\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Biologist Wendy Baxter, of the University of California, Berkeley, climbed a giant sequoia in September. She used a simple rig that allowed her to hoist herself up on a rope while hardly touching the bark. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_climbs_giant_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Biologist Wendy Baxter, of the University of California, Berkeley, climbed a giant sequoia in September. She used a simple rig that allowed her to hoist herself up on a rope while hardly touching the bark. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There’s a beautiful view up here,” said Baxter, as she looked out over the top of the forest from her vantage point 300 feet up. She used small shears to cut a clump of leaves from the treetop and stuffed them in plastic bags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even at great heights, giant sequoias are able to draw water up to leaves at their treetops. Inside each of the trees’ cells, water gets pulled up to the top of the tree as if it were being sucked up through a straw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we clip it, the water retracts back into the stem, kind of like a rubber band,” said Baxter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97697\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97697\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Biologist Wendy Baxter and a colleague from the University of California, Berkeley, climbed 50 giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park in August and September to get a sense of whether the trees were having trouble transporting water to their treetops.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Wendy_Baxter_atop_sequoia_02-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Biologist Wendy Baxter and a colleague from the University of California, Berkeley, climbed 50 giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park in August and September to get a sense of whether the trees were having trouble transporting water to their treetops. \u003ccite>(Lincoln Else/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Back on the ground, she handed the bags to UC Berkeley technician Ken Schwab, who placed a group of leaves inside a round metal device called a pressure chamber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we put our stem into the pressure chamber,” said Baxter, “the amount of pressure that it takes to force the water back out is an indication of how much tension it was under.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The higher the pressure required to push the water out, the more stressed the tree is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of the trees are definitely as stressed as we’ve ever measured giant sequoia,” said Ambrose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, Ambrose and Baxter took measurements in two sites in the forest where some of the giant sequoias had lost half of their leaves in 2014 and in two sites where trees had looked healthier. They found that the most water-stressed trees and the least stressed ones could be found in all sites. Perhaps, Ambrose said, some trees within a particular site have more access to groundwater, their roots reaching deep underground into cracks and crevices that other trees can’t get to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97691\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97691\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"University of California, Berkeley, biologist Anthony Ambrose cuts leaves from the top of a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park at daybreak on Sept. 2.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Anthony_Ambrose_atop_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of California, Berkeley, biologist Anthony Ambrose cuts leaves from the top of a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park at daybreak on Sept. 2. \u003ccite>(Lincoln Else/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In comparison with the summer of 2014, fewer giant sequoias lost half of their leaves this summer, said Stephenson. He thinks that perhaps the trees “did all the hard work of adjusting to the drought last year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Figuring out what trees will succumb to drought is a difficult business, said Greg Asner, of Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution for Science. Sometimes, Asner said, trees lose lots of leaves and later rebound when they have access to water. Other times, trees look healthy, but are in fact water-stressed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asner designed the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a plane with instruments that measure water, nitrogen and sugars in trees using a technology called laser-guided spectral imaging. This summer he flew over and made images of the giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest. On the resulting map, the sequoias on the west side of Giant Forest appear orange and red, a sign that they’re doing worst in terms of their water content. The trees on the east side of the forest appear in blue, a sign that they have more water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97706\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97706\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Greg Asner, of the Carnegie Institution for Science, created this map of giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest this summer, after imaging the trees with the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a plane with instruments that measure water, nitrogen and sugars. The trees that appear in blue are getting the most water. The yellow, orange and red trees are getting the least. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Asner_Screenshot5-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Greg Asner, of the Carnegie Institution for Science, created this map of giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest this summer, after imaging the trees with the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a plane with instruments that measure water, nitrogen and sugars. The trees that appear in blue are getting the most water. The yellow, orange and red trees are getting the least. \u003ccite>(Greg Asner/Carnegie Institution for Science)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But only repeated flights can accurately pinpoint the most vulnerable giant sequoias, said Asner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We cannot tell if a tree is improving or declining in a single mapping,” he said. “By re-flying we can see the total amount of water change in each canopy, and that will be the best possible measure of how each tree is doing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, scientists say, they can’t draw conclusions about just how stressed the iconic giant sequoia trees are after four years of severe drought, or how many might be at risk of dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists say the research, however, is important in establishing a baseline that will allow them to monitor giant sequoias for years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our main concern isn’t necessarily the current drought right now; it’s looking to the future,” said Stephenson. “If the climate continues to warm, it will put more stress on the giant sequoias.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_97694\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-97694\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"The General Sherman, in the middle, is billed as the largest tree in the world. If conditions for giant sequoias worsened in the future, Sequoia National Park officials might consider irrigating the General Sherman and other famous giant sequoias. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/General_Sherman_giant_sequoia-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The General Sherman, in the middle, is billed as the largest tree in the world. If conditions for giant sequoias worsened in the future, Sequoia National Park officials might consider irrigating the General Sherman and other famous giant sequoias. \u003ccite>(Gabriela Quirós/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If the drought continues, or if the trees show significant decline as the climate continues to warm, giant sequoias might need some human intervention in the future to survive climate change. That could take the form of prescribed burns to reduce competition for water from surrounding trees. Parks officials could even decide to irrigate some of their most famous giant sequoias, such as the General Sherman, billed as the world’s largest tree, said Nydick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "The Secret Life of a Raindrop",
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"content": "\u003cp>[contextly_auto_sidebar id=\"ngqJALTleeosh2JhvSQygf3ACavDlNee\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a widely held belief, you can’t squeeze water from a rock. But researchers from UC Berkeley who are trying to better understand where water is stored in nature are challenging that old adage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After nearly ten years of studying a steep, 20-square-mile area near the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Fork_Eel_River\" target=\"_blank\">South Fork Eel River\u003c/a> in coastal Mendocino County, the scientists have shown that for trees and other plants, deep and highly fractured rock formations beneath the Earth’s surface are a much larger water reservoir than was previously known.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94852\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-94852\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto.jpg\" alt=\"LiDAR image illustrating a deep seated landslide underneath vegetative cover at the South Fork Eel River confluence with Tenmile Creek.\" width=\"900\" height=\"678\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto-400x301.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto-800x603.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LiDAR image illustrating a deep seated landslide underneath vegetative cover at the South Fork Eel River confluence with Tenmile Creek. \u003ccite>(Credit: Collin Bode, 2010)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The work to understand the role that “rock water” plays in the hydrologic cycle began in 2006 when researchers from UC Berkeley embarked on a multi-year study sponsored by the \u003ca href=\"http://www.wmkeck.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Keck Foundation \u003c/a>called the Hydrowatch project. It was designed to precisely monitor and measure the pathways of water in Mendocino County’s \u003ca href=\"http://angelo.berkeley.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Angelo Coast Range Reserve \u003c/a>as it cycles from the groundwater table to the tops of trees and into the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were really interested in learning the fate of precipitation in the land surface,” explains \u003ca href=\"http://nature.berkeley.edu/dawsonlab/people/todd-dawson/\" target=\"_blank\">Todd Dawson\u003c/a>, professor of \u003ca href=\"https://ib.berkeley.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley\u003c/a>. “So really trying to figure out when precipitation arrives at the site, where does it get into the rock, where does it get into the stream, how does is recharge the ground water, how much of it is used by the vegetation, and ultimately, how much of it ends up in the streams and going back out to the Pacific Ocean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learning more about where water consumed by forests, or flowing through streams actually comes from is important, the scientists say, in better understanding the impact of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, the project expanded to become part of a landmark study sponsored by the National Science Foundation called the \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/national/\" target=\"_blank\">Critical Zone Observatories Program\u003c/a>. Today, the site is called the \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/eel/\" target=\"_blank\">Eel River CZO\u003c/a> and it’s part of a national network of ten similar watershed observation sites across the United States - each with unique climate, geology and vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94854\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94854\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-1440x812.jpg\" alt=\"The ten environmental observatories within the CZO Network study the Earth's outer skin - where water, atmosphere, soil, ecosystems interact.\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-1440x812.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-1180x665.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-960x541.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ten environmental observatories within the CZO Network study the Earth's outer skin - where water, atmosphere, soil, ecosystems interact. \u003ccite>(Credit: National Critical Zone Observatories)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The term “critical zone” is relatively new and is being used by scientists to define the zone that is tectonically, geologically and biologically active across the Earth’s surface. It represents a groundbreaking new approach to studying the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle\" target=\"_blank\">hydrologic cycle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The critical zone really tries to capture this idea of the zone between bedrock beneath our feet, and the top of the vegetation where the trees are interacting with the atmosphere,” explains Dawson. “So it’s everything in between. It’s rock, it’s soil, it’s the vegetation, and it’s the atmosphere that’s coupled to that vegetation. That’s the critical zone. It’s where life meets rock.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94858\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94858\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-1440x1667.jpg\" alt=\"The critical zone is defined as the zone that is tectonically, geologically and biologically active across the Earth’s surface.\" width=\"640\" height=\"741\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-1440x1667.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-400x463.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-800x926.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-1180x1366.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-960x1112.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The critical zone is defined as the zone that is tectonically, geologically and biologically active across the Earth’s surface. \u003ccite>(Credit: Chorover et al., Catalina Jemez CZO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists across a broad range of earth, life and computer sciences – from microbiologists to geologists to electrical engineers - are now working together to conduct research and share data within the most comprehensive hydrologic science network in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve rarely studied all those things together at one site,” says \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/eel/people/person/dietrich-william/\" target=\"_blank\">William Dietrich\u003c/a>, professor of Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley and lead Investigator at the Eel River CZO. “Geologists rarely work with microbiologists, and now all of us are working together at the same site to merge our information to see how each of the pieces work interdependently and impact the other pieces.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94856\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Researchers collect soil and rock samples at the Eel River CZO.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Researchers collect soil and rock samples at the Eel River CZO. \u003ccite>(Credit: William Dietrich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To gather information, researchers at the ten national sites scale trees and towers hundreds of feet tall and drill deep into bedrock to place sensors that collect climate information. Their instruments transmit real-time measurements of things like air temperature, rock moisture, soil, air and water content and stream flow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the sites have so many instruments that the vegetation and landscapes look almost bionic. One tree in UC Merced’s \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/sierra/\" target=\"_blank\">Southern Sierra CZO\u003c/a> on the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Fork_Kings_River\" target=\"_blank\">North Fork Kings River\u003c/a> in Fresno County has been dubbed the “critical zone tree” because it’s adorned with nearly 200 sensors that measure things like humidity, temperature, and water movement through the tree via sap flux.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94860\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94860\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-1440x1080.jpg\" alt='The \"critical zone tree\" in UC Merced’s Southern Sierra CZO has nearly 200 sensors.' width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The \"critical zone tree\" in UC Merced’s Southern Sierra CZO has nearly 200 sensors. \u003ccite>(Credit: Southern Sierra CZO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a plant physiologist, Dawson’s part in the project is to provide information on the role that plants and trees are playing in how water moves through the Eel River watershed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seventy-five to eighty percent of the water on this planet is recycled through agriculture, through forests, through the plants,” he explains. “You take those plants away, you remove that straw in the Earth, that conduit for water to move out of the soil and back into the atmosphere, and that eventually can lead to deserts expanding. It changes the climate. We know for example when trees were cut down in the Amazon, there was less precipitation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the team’s main discoveries was that large amounts of water in the Eel River watershed is stored in the massive network of fractures in the rock that can be tens to hundreds of feet thick. This “rock water reservoir” is hidden deep inside the Earth, away from the influence of evaporation. It sits beneath the soil and above the saturated layer commonly called ground water and occupies the deepest part of what hydrologists call the “unsaturated zone”. Many trees reach their deep roots into this matrix of water-filled rock fissures and use the water stored there when other water sources dry out or become unavailable. Different types of rock store water in different ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are thinking of them as different types of sponges in the subsurface in the way they take up and retain moisture and give back that moisture to the vegetation that is rooted into them,” says Dietrich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In additional to discovering the amount of water stored in underground rock fractures, Dawson and his team have learned that different types of trees actually use the “rock water” in very different ways depending on climate conditions. For example, the rock matrix inside slopes of hills is a key water resource for the largest trees in the watershed, like Douglas firs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hardwood trees like tanoak, madrone and live oaks rely largely on precipitation. But when drier times come, they shift to using the more stable groundwater below the surface and then may draw on some \"rock water\" in later summer and fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94861\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-94861\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto.jpg\" alt=\"Todd Dawson trapping water vapor in the Eel River CZO.\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Todd Dawson trapping water vapor in the Eel River CZO. \u003ccite>(Credit: Anthony Ambrose)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Conifers play a larger role in moving water out of the subsurface areas in winter and early spring, Dawson says. And hardwoods are playing a larger role in summer and fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As climate and the forest change over time,” he adds, “this will lead to changes in how water enters and leaves these ecosystems because of what the vegetation on the land surface is composed of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work being done within the National Critical Zone Observatories Program is timely because of a growing sense of urgency within the scientific community that as climate is changing and lands are changing because of human use of the land surface, we’re permanently disturbing the way the Earth works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we don’t put a singular focus on understanding the critical zone,” explains Dawson, “as we march into the future and climate continues to change we’re not going to know how to mitigate for the kinds of impacts that humans and climate are actually having on resource balance on planet Earth.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "How old is the water in the stream? The answer could help us endure the dry times ahead. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>[contextly_auto_sidebar id=\"ngqJALTleeosh2JhvSQygf3ACavDlNee\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a widely held belief, you can’t squeeze water from a rock. But researchers from UC Berkeley who are trying to better understand where water is stored in nature are challenging that old adage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After nearly ten years of studying a steep, 20-square-mile area near the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Fork_Eel_River\" target=\"_blank\">South Fork Eel River\u003c/a> in coastal Mendocino County, the scientists have shown that for trees and other plants, deep and highly fractured rock formations beneath the Earth’s surface are a much larger water reservoir than was previously known.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94852\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-94852\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto.jpg\" alt=\"LiDAR image illustrating a deep seated landslide underneath vegetative cover at the South Fork Eel River confluence with Tenmile Creek.\" width=\"900\" height=\"678\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto-400x301.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/LiDAR3D_Landslide_Tenmile_900_678_80auto-800x603.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LiDAR image illustrating a deep seated landslide underneath vegetative cover at the South Fork Eel River confluence with Tenmile Creek. \u003ccite>(Credit: Collin Bode, 2010)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The work to understand the role that “rock water” plays in the hydrologic cycle began in 2006 when researchers from UC Berkeley embarked on a multi-year study sponsored by the \u003ca href=\"http://www.wmkeck.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Keck Foundation \u003c/a>called the Hydrowatch project. It was designed to precisely monitor and measure the pathways of water in Mendocino County’s \u003ca href=\"http://angelo.berkeley.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Angelo Coast Range Reserve \u003c/a>as it cycles from the groundwater table to the tops of trees and into the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were really interested in learning the fate of precipitation in the land surface,” explains \u003ca href=\"http://nature.berkeley.edu/dawsonlab/people/todd-dawson/\" target=\"_blank\">Todd Dawson\u003c/a>, professor of \u003ca href=\"https://ib.berkeley.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley\u003c/a>. “So really trying to figure out when precipitation arrives at the site, where does it get into the rock, where does it get into the stream, how does is recharge the ground water, how much of it is used by the vegetation, and ultimately, how much of it ends up in the streams and going back out to the Pacific Ocean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learning more about where water consumed by forests, or flowing through streams actually comes from is important, the scientists say, in better understanding the impact of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, the project expanded to become part of a landmark study sponsored by the National Science Foundation called the \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/national/\" target=\"_blank\">Critical Zone Observatories Program\u003c/a>. Today, the site is called the \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/eel/\" target=\"_blank\">Eel River CZO\u003c/a> and it’s part of a national network of ten similar watershed observation sites across the United States - each with unique climate, geology and vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94854\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94854\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-1440x812.jpg\" alt=\"The ten environmental observatories within the CZO Network study the Earth's outer skin - where water, atmosphere, soil, ecosystems interact.\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-1440x812.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-1180x665.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/CZONationalMap-960x541.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ten environmental observatories within the CZO Network study the Earth's outer skin - where water, atmosphere, soil, ecosystems interact. \u003ccite>(Credit: National Critical Zone Observatories)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The term “critical zone” is relatively new and is being used by scientists to define the zone that is tectonically, geologically and biologically active across the Earth’s surface. It represents a groundbreaking new approach to studying the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle\" target=\"_blank\">hydrologic cycle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The critical zone really tries to capture this idea of the zone between bedrock beneath our feet, and the top of the vegetation where the trees are interacting with the atmosphere,” explains Dawson. “So it’s everything in between. It’s rock, it’s soil, it’s the vegetation, and it’s the atmosphere that’s coupled to that vegetation. That’s the critical zone. It’s where life meets rock.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94858\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94858\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-1440x1667.jpg\" alt=\"The critical zone is defined as the zone that is tectonically, geologically and biologically active across the Earth’s surface.\" width=\"640\" height=\"741\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-1440x1667.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-400x463.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-800x926.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-1180x1366.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/czone_chorover_et_al_catalina_jemez_czo-960x1112.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The critical zone is defined as the zone that is tectonically, geologically and biologically active across the Earth’s surface. \u003ccite>(Credit: Chorover et al., Catalina Jemez CZO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists across a broad range of earth, life and computer sciences – from microbiologists to geologists to electrical engineers - are now working together to conduct research and share data within the most comprehensive hydrologic science network in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve rarely studied all those things together at one site,” says \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/eel/people/person/dietrich-william/\" target=\"_blank\">William Dietrich\u003c/a>, professor of Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley and lead Investigator at the Eel River CZO. “Geologists rarely work with microbiologists, and now all of us are working together at the same site to merge our information to see how each of the pieces work interdependently and impact the other pieces.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94856\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Researchers collect soil and rock samples at the Eel River CZO.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/IMG_3788-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Researchers collect soil and rock samples at the Eel River CZO. \u003ccite>(Credit: William Dietrich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To gather information, researchers at the ten national sites scale trees and towers hundreds of feet tall and drill deep into bedrock to place sensors that collect climate information. Their instruments transmit real-time measurements of things like air temperature, rock moisture, soil, air and water content and stream flow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the sites have so many instruments that the vegetation and landscapes look almost bionic. One tree in UC Merced’s \u003ca href=\"http://criticalzone.org/sierra/\" target=\"_blank\">Southern Sierra CZO\u003c/a> on the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Fork_Kings_River\" target=\"_blank\">North Fork Kings River\u003c/a> in Fresno County has been dubbed the “critical zone tree” because it’s adorned with nearly 200 sensors that measure things like humidity, temperature, and water movement through the tree via sap flux.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94860\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-94860\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-1440x1080.jpg\" alt='The \"critical zone tree\" in UC Merced’s Southern Sierra CZO has nearly 200 sensors.' width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/critical_zone_tree_1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The \"critical zone tree\" in UC Merced’s Southern Sierra CZO has nearly 200 sensors. \u003ccite>(Credit: Southern Sierra CZO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a plant physiologist, Dawson’s part in the project is to provide information on the role that plants and trees are playing in how water moves through the Eel River watershed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seventy-five to eighty percent of the water on this planet is recycled through agriculture, through forests, through the plants,” he explains. “You take those plants away, you remove that straw in the Earth, that conduit for water to move out of the soil and back into the atmosphere, and that eventually can lead to deserts expanding. It changes the climate. We know for example when trees were cut down in the Amazon, there was less precipitation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the team’s main discoveries was that large amounts of water in the Eel River watershed is stored in the massive network of fractures in the rock that can be tens to hundreds of feet thick. This “rock water reservoir” is hidden deep inside the Earth, away from the influence of evaporation. It sits beneath the soil and above the saturated layer commonly called ground water and occupies the deepest part of what hydrologists call the “unsaturated zone”. Many trees reach their deep roots into this matrix of water-filled rock fissures and use the water stored there when other water sources dry out or become unavailable. Different types of rock store water in different ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are thinking of them as different types of sponges in the subsurface in the way they take up and retain moisture and give back that moisture to the vegetation that is rooted into them,” says Dietrich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In additional to discovering the amount of water stored in underground rock fractures, Dawson and his team have learned that different types of trees actually use the “rock water” in very different ways depending on climate conditions. For example, the rock matrix inside slopes of hills is a key water resource for the largest trees in the watershed, like Douglas firs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hardwood trees like tanoak, madrone and live oaks rely largely on precipitation. But when drier times come, they shift to using the more stable groundwater below the surface and then may draw on some \"rock water\" in later summer and fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_94861\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-94861\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto.jpg\" alt=\"Todd Dawson trapping water vapor in the Eel River CZO.\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/todd_dawson_trapping_vapor_900_675_80auto-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Todd Dawson trapping water vapor in the Eel River CZO. \u003ccite>(Credit: Anthony Ambrose)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Conifers play a larger role in moving water out of the subsurface areas in winter and early spring, Dawson says. And hardwoods are playing a larger role in summer and fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As climate and the forest change over time,” he adds, “this will lead to changes in how water enters and leaves these ecosystems because of what the vegetation on the land surface is composed of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work being done within the National Critical Zone Observatories Program is timely because of a growing sense of urgency within the scientific community that as climate is changing and lands are changing because of human use of the land surface, we’re permanently disturbing the way the Earth works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Mercury in San Francisco Bay",
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"content": "\u003cp>Dr. Jane Hightower’s sick patients weren’t getting better, and she wanted to know why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the California Pacific Medical Center physician’s well-heeled patients were coming into her clinic complaining of fatigue, or trouble thinking – an on-and-off feeling of not being well. Sometimes it was problems with vision, hearing, nausea and vomiting, or a metallic taste in the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1999, she began keeping a tally of what they ate. Fish, it turned out – a lot of it. Specifically large fish, like shark, tuna, swordfish, cod and ahi tuna.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A possible cause began to emerge for their ailments: mercury, a potent neurotoxin that builds up in fish and can cause serious illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a Pacific Heights practice,” said Hightower. “They’re not fishing in Martinez. They’re fishing at Bryans and Whole Foods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But another at-risk population in the Bay Area, she said, are lower income folks, who do spend time fishing out on the piers in Martinez, Berkeley, Pinole and other East Bay cities every season not only for recreation, but to supplement the family dinner table. The striped bass, sturgeon and halibut they bring home can be loaded with mercury, which is widespread in the bay but impossible to detect with the naked eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82595\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82595\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-800x451.jpg\" alt=\"Fishermen cast for a catch at the Berkeley Pier.\" width=\"800\" height=\"451\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-1440x812.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-1180x665.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-960x541.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fishermen cast for a catch at the Berkeley Pier. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Mercury is invisible and prevalent throughout the bay system,” said Sejal Choksi, executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/\">San Francisco Baykeeper\u003c/a>, an environmental group that works to reduce pollution in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once known as “mad hatter disease” after the afflicted Victorian hatmakers who used mercury to produce the felt in their wares, the creeping symptoms of mercury include tremors, problems with vision, hearing, nausea and vomiting, as well as stranger effects like pathological shyness and irritability. The toxin can cause permanent damage to the central nervous system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone with an immune-compromised system is at greater risk for deleterious effects of mercury, which is also neurotoxic to developing brains, making it especially dangerous for pregnant and nursing women, babies, and small children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mercury is found primarily around the bay in a red rock known as cinnabar. When it settles in waterways, bacteria transform it into a highly toxic form known as methyl mercury, which is easily absorbed by marine plants and the tiny aquatic organisms that eat them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82596\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82596\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-800x451.jpg\" alt=\"Mercury is found primarily in a red rock known as cinnabar, which was mined extensively in the South Bay.\" width=\"800\" height=\"451\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-1440x812.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-1180x665.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-960x541.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mercury is found primarily in a red rock known as cinnabar, which was mined extensively in the South Bay. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In wildlife, mercury in high concentrations can cause developmental problems, just as it does in humans,” said Choksi. “If you’ve got mercury impairing wildlife and their immune systems, then they’re more susceptible to infectious diseases; they can have cancerous growths. It’s pretty much the same as in the human population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t take much to constitute a problem. Mercury pollution is measured in parts per billion – the amount contained in a drop of water in a backyard swimming pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So the amount you might find in an old thermometer is enough to cause significant contamination,” said Bruce Wolfe, executive officer with the \u003ca href=\"http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterboards_map.shtml\">San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board\u003c/a>, the state agency that oversees water pollution in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So where does all this mercury come from? Mercury enters the bay watershed from a number of sources, including stormwater and wastewater runoff from local oil refineries and cement kilns. Significant quantities also drift through the air from coal-burning power plants in China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the biggest culprit can be found \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2008/04/18/mercury-in-the-bay-part-1/\">at very root of California’s history and prosperity\u003c/a>. In the 19\u003csup>th\u003c/sup> century, Gold Rush miners also mined mercury in copious amounts in the cinnabar-rich hills just south of San Jose. To extract mercury, crushed ore was heated in furnaces and transformed into a vapor. As the gas cooled and condensed, it turned into a liquid form known as quicksilver, which is naturally attracted to gold. Sierra miners used it to separate gold from crushed rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82597\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82597\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Sierra miners used quicksilver to separate gold from crushed rock. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra miners used quicksilver to separate gold from crushed rock. \u003ccite>(Painting by Charles Christian Nahl and August Wenderoth, 1851/1852. Photograph by Ad Meskens.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the early 1900s, miners had switched to cyanide to extract gold, but mercury still had many uses – in industry, medicine, dentistry (it was used for fillings) and common household products. Even though the mines in the Almaden Hills near San Jose closed decades ago, all that mining left behind a legacy -- rocky deposits from the old furnaces are still leaching mercury into the surrounding creeks and rivers, which eventually drain into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82598\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82598\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Mercury, or quicksilver, was mined extensively during the Gold Rush in mines like this one in New Almaden. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-1440x809.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-1180x663.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mercury, or quicksilver, was mined extensively during the Gold Rush in mines like this one in New Almaden. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Roughly 2,000 pounds of mercury enter the bay each year from all these different sources. The bay is slowly cleaning itself, washing an estimated 3,100 pounds a year out to sea. But at the present rate, it will take generations for the bay to flush out so much mercury that fish are no longer contaminated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To speed up the process, in 2008 the regional water board launched an ambitious, multi-billion dollar cleanup plan called a Total Daily Maximum Load. \u003ca href=\"http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb2/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/sfbaymercury/sfbaymercurytmdl_info_sheet.pdf\">The multifaceted plan\u003c/a> aimed to reduce both the mercury entering the bay and the amount of the toxin that converts to its poisonous methylmercury form. The plan also provided for advanced monitoring to better understand how mercury makes its way through the watershed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seven years after the TMDL plan went into effect, progress has been made in reducing urban wastewater runoff. Most of the contaminated South Bay mining waste sites have been, or are being, cleaned up, and efforts are underway to remove toxic sediment within the Guadalupe River and its tributaries and reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82599\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82599\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-800x452.jpg\" alt=\"A sign warns visitors about the danger of mercury contamination in the Guadalupe River watershed. \" width=\"800\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-800x452.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-400x226.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-1440x813.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-1180x666.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-960x542.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign warns visitors about the danger of mercury contamination in the Guadalupe River watershed. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But this accounts for only a small fraction of the total load entering the Bay. The greatest source is the legacy poison on the bay floor, which steadily erodes over time and is nearly impossible to clean up. Seven years after the TMDL went into effect, toxic levels in fish and wildlife remain as high as ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a tentative revision of the TMDL planned for 2018. In the meantime, the Water Board estimates that it will take more than 100 years for the Bay to recover. At a minimum, three generations will be impacted by the potent and long-lasting poison still lingering in the bay mud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups say that’s too long to wait for cleaner waters. They want to see enforceable urban stormwater limits for mercury, an accounting of mercury pollution from crude oil refineries, and a full inventory of old mining sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This process gets you a lot of planning and paperwork but not tangible reduction of mercury in the bay,” said Choksi. “We want to see zero mercury in the bay and we want to see it soon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Click \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://oehha.ca.gov/fish/nor_cal/2011SFbay.html\">\u003cem>here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the state’s advisory on eating fish from the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Click \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2008/04/24/mercury-poisoning-interview-with-dr-jane-hightower-web-only/\">\u003cem>here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> to listen to tips from Dr. Jane Hightower about how to avoid mercury in your diet. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Click \u003ca href=\"http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/nor_cal/pdf/SFBayAdvisory21May2011.pdf\">here\u003c/a> to learn more about mercury contamination in the bay. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "There's a hidden danger that has been lurking in the San Francisco Bay since the days of Gold Rush mining: mercury. In 2008, the regional Water Board launched a multi-billion-dollar plan to clean up this potent neurotoxin, but mercury levels in fish and wildlife remain as high as ever.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Dr. Jane Hightower’s sick patients weren’t getting better, and she wanted to know why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the California Pacific Medical Center physician’s well-heeled patients were coming into her clinic complaining of fatigue, or trouble thinking – an on-and-off feeling of not being well. Sometimes it was problems with vision, hearing, nausea and vomiting, or a metallic taste in the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1999, she began keeping a tally of what they ate. Fish, it turned out – a lot of it. Specifically large fish, like shark, tuna, swordfish, cod and ahi tuna.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A possible cause began to emerge for their ailments: mercury, a potent neurotoxin that builds up in fish and can cause serious illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a Pacific Heights practice,” said Hightower. “They’re not fishing in Martinez. They’re fishing at Bryans and Whole Foods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But another at-risk population in the Bay Area, she said, are lower income folks, who do spend time fishing out on the piers in Martinez, Berkeley, Pinole and other East Bay cities every season not only for recreation, but to supplement the family dinner table. The striped bass, sturgeon and halibut they bring home can be loaded with mercury, which is widespread in the bay but impossible to detect with the naked eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82595\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82595\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-800x451.jpg\" alt=\"Fishermen cast for a catch at the Berkeley Pier.\" width=\"800\" height=\"451\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-1440x812.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-1180x665.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/902C_MERCURY_Fishermen-11-960x541.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fishermen cast for a catch at the Berkeley Pier. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Mercury is invisible and prevalent throughout the bay system,” said Sejal Choksi, executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/\">San Francisco Baykeeper\u003c/a>, an environmental group that works to reduce pollution in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once known as “mad hatter disease” after the afflicted Victorian hatmakers who used mercury to produce the felt in their wares, the creeping symptoms of mercury include tremors, problems with vision, hearing, nausea and vomiting, as well as stranger effects like pathological shyness and irritability. The toxin can cause permanent damage to the central nervous system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone with an immune-compromised system is at greater risk for deleterious effects of mercury, which is also neurotoxic to developing brains, making it especially dangerous for pregnant and nursing women, babies, and small children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mercury is found primarily around the bay in a red rock known as cinnabar. When it settles in waterways, bacteria transform it into a highly toxic form known as methyl mercury, which is easily absorbed by marine plants and the tiny aquatic organisms that eat them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82596\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82596\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-800x451.jpg\" alt=\"Mercury is found primarily in a red rock known as cinnabar, which was mined extensively in the South Bay.\" width=\"800\" height=\"451\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-1440x812.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-1180x665.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-7-960x541.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mercury is found primarily in a red rock known as cinnabar, which was mined extensively in the South Bay. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In wildlife, mercury in high concentrations can cause developmental problems, just as it does in humans,” said Choksi. “If you’ve got mercury impairing wildlife and their immune systems, then they’re more susceptible to infectious diseases; they can have cancerous growths. It’s pretty much the same as in the human population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t take much to constitute a problem. Mercury pollution is measured in parts per billion – the amount contained in a drop of water in a backyard swimming pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So the amount you might find in an old thermometer is enough to cause significant contamination,” said Bruce Wolfe, executive officer with the \u003ca href=\"http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterboards_map.shtml\">San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board\u003c/a>, the state agency that oversees water pollution in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So where does all this mercury come from? Mercury enters the bay watershed from a number of sources, including stormwater and wastewater runoff from local oil refineries and cement kilns. Significant quantities also drift through the air from coal-burning power plants in China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the biggest culprit can be found \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2008/04/18/mercury-in-the-bay-part-1/\">at very root of California’s history and prosperity\u003c/a>. In the 19\u003csup>th\u003c/sup> century, Gold Rush miners also mined mercury in copious amounts in the cinnabar-rich hills just south of San Jose. To extract mercury, crushed ore was heated in furnaces and transformed into a vapor. As the gas cooled and condensed, it turned into a liquid form known as quicksilver, which is naturally attracted to gold. Sierra miners used it to separate gold from crushed rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82597\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82597\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Sierra miners used quicksilver to separate gold from crushed rock. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/Miners_in_the_Sierras-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra miners used quicksilver to separate gold from crushed rock. \u003ccite>(Painting by Charles Christian Nahl and August Wenderoth, 1851/1852. Photograph by Ad Meskens.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the early 1900s, miners had switched to cyanide to extract gold, but mercury still had many uses – in industry, medicine, dentistry (it was used for fillings) and common household products. Even though the mines in the Almaden Hills near San Jose closed decades ago, all that mining left behind a legacy -- rocky deposits from the old furnaces are still leaching mercury into the surrounding creeks and rivers, which eventually drain into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82598\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82598\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Mercury, or quicksilver, was mined extensively during the Gold Rush in mines like this one in New Almaden. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-1440x809.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-1180x663.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/319B_Mercury-8.3.09-24-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mercury, or quicksilver, was mined extensively during the Gold Rush in mines like this one in New Almaden. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Roughly 2,000 pounds of mercury enter the bay each year from all these different sources. The bay is slowly cleaning itself, washing an estimated 3,100 pounds a year out to sea. But at the present rate, it will take generations for the bay to flush out so much mercury that fish are no longer contaminated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To speed up the process, in 2008 the regional water board launched an ambitious, multi-billion dollar cleanup plan called a Total Daily Maximum Load. \u003ca href=\"http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb2/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/sfbaymercury/sfbaymercurytmdl_info_sheet.pdf\">The multifaceted plan\u003c/a> aimed to reduce both the mercury entering the bay and the amount of the toxin that converts to its poisonous methylmercury form. The plan also provided for advanced monitoring to better understand how mercury makes its way through the watershed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seven years after the TMDL plan went into effect, progress has been made in reducing urban wastewater runoff. Most of the contaminated South Bay mining waste sites have been, or are being, cleaned up, and efforts are underway to remove toxic sediment within the Guadalupe River and its tributaries and reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82599\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-82599\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-800x452.jpg\" alt=\"A sign warns visitors about the danger of mercury contamination in the Guadalupe River watershed. \" width=\"800\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-800x452.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-400x226.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-1440x813.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-1180x666.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/11/mercury-slide-show-Radio-Still-Image-Originals_Drury-11-960x542.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign warns visitors about the danger of mercury contamination in the Guadalupe River watershed. \u003ccite>(Photo by KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But this accounts for only a small fraction of the total load entering the Bay. The greatest source is the legacy poison on the bay floor, which steadily erodes over time and is nearly impossible to clean up. Seven years after the TMDL went into effect, toxic levels in fish and wildlife remain as high as ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a tentative revision of the TMDL planned for 2018. In the meantime, the Water Board estimates that it will take more than 100 years for the Bay to recover. At a minimum, three generations will be impacted by the potent and long-lasting poison still lingering in the bay mud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups say that’s too long to wait for cleaner waters. They want to see enforceable urban stormwater limits for mercury, an accounting of mercury pollution from crude oil refineries, and a full inventory of old mining sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This process gets you a lot of planning and paperwork but not tangible reduction of mercury in the bay,” said Choksi. “We want to see zero mercury in the bay and we want to see it soon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Click \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://oehha.ca.gov/fish/nor_cal/2011SFbay.html\">\u003cem>here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the state’s advisory on eating fish from the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Click \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2008/04/24/mercury-poisoning-interview-with-dr-jane-hightower-web-only/\">\u003cem>here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> to listen to tips from Dr. Jane Hightower about how to avoid mercury in your diet. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-74407\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Clean-Water-640x360-cover.png\" alt=\"Clean Water-640x360-cover\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Clean-Water-640x360-cover.png 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Clean-Water-640x360-cover-400x225.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>View the E-book\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 700 million people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water. For residents of Dhaka, Bangladesh, this is because sewage seeps into the city’s old, cracked pipes that transport their drinking water. The invasion of sewage into the water means that waterborne diseases spread easily, sickening many people. Without overhauling the city’s water transportation infrastructure, how could residents have access to safe water? By cleaning it where it’s collected--at the communal hand pumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, media-rich e-book from QUEST, \u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Engineering Is Cleaning Poop from Drinking Water\u003c/a>, tells the story of how a team of scientists and engineers at Stanford University designed an inexpensive water purification device that attaches to the water pumps used by people in Dhaka. The device dispenses chlorine in just the right amount, killing microbes and making the water safe to drink. The book explains the team’s process of researching solutions, designing the device, testing it and making improvements (using a 3D printer!). The book also contains a career spotlight video of Amy Pickering, the lead engineer on the project. And, there’s a look at the various ways water treatment plants in the United States treat water so that it’s safe for us to drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Engineering Is Cleaning Poop from Drinking Water\u003c/a> is the fourth e-book in our \u003cstrong>Engineering Is...\u003c/strong> series and is available to view on your computer, tablet and smartphone, for free. You can find links to all of KQED's e-books at \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.kqed.org/education/e-books/\" target=\"_blank\">kqed.org/ebooks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-74408\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Lotus-Water-Project-Cover-105x136.png\" alt=\"Lotus Water Project Cover 105x136\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn how a 3D-printed device made it possible for people in Dhaka, Bangladesh to have access to clean drinking water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-16316\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"View it on QUEST\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-74407\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Clean-Water-640x360-cover.png\" alt=\"Clean Water-640x360-cover\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Clean-Water-640x360-cover.png 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Clean-Water-640x360-cover-400x225.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>View the E-book\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 700 million people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water. For residents of Dhaka, Bangladesh, this is because sewage seeps into the city’s old, cracked pipes that transport their drinking water. The invasion of sewage into the water means that waterborne diseases spread easily, sickening many people. Without overhauling the city’s water transportation infrastructure, how could residents have access to safe water? By cleaning it where it’s collected--at the communal hand pumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, media-rich e-book from QUEST, \u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Engineering Is Cleaning Poop from Drinking Water\u003c/a>, tells the story of how a team of scientists and engineers at Stanford University designed an inexpensive water purification device that attaches to the water pumps used by people in Dhaka. The device dispenses chlorine in just the right amount, killing microbes and making the water safe to drink. The book explains the team’s process of researching solutions, designing the device, testing it and making improvements (using a 3D printer!). The book also contains a career spotlight video of Amy Pickering, the lead engineer on the project. And, there’s a look at the various ways water treatment plants in the United States treat water so that it’s safe for us to drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Engineering Is Cleaning Poop from Drinking Water\u003c/a> is the fourth e-book in our \u003cstrong>Engineering Is...\u003c/strong> series and is available to view on your computer, tablet and smartphone, for free. You can find links to all of KQED's e-books at \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.kqed.org/education/e-books/\" target=\"_blank\">kqed.org/ebooks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\">\u003cimg class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-74408\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/09/Lotus-Water-Project-Cover-105x136.png\" alt=\"Lotus Water Project Cover 105x136\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn how a 3D-printed device made it possible for people in Dhaka, Bangladesh to have access to clean drinking water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-16316\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"View it on QUEST\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Amy Pickering is an environmental health engineer. She works as a research associate at Stanford University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and at Woods Institute for the Environment. Her work combines social science, microbiology and engineering to study ways people in low-income countries can access safer water and better sanitation. People living in developing countries are often exposed to higher levels of bacteria and other germs, usually because of contaminated water and poor sanitation conditions. Pickering tries to reduce the spread of disease by coming up with low-cost and low-tech solutions that can help minimize illnesses in areas with poor water quality. She also runs research studies to test and evaluate how effective various interventions are at preventing the spread of disease. Pickering spends about 20% of her time traveling and the rest at Stanford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pickering did not always know she wanted to do this type of work. In high school, one of her math teachers suggested that she go into a career involving numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I knew that I loved the outdoors and the environment so I decided to do engineering, and specifically environmental engineering. And I also wanted to do something that challenged me and I thought that engineering would provide that challenge,\" explains Pickering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After she graduated from college with a degree in biological and environmental engineering from Cornell University, she went on to get a master's degree in environmental engineering with an emphasis on water quality from University of California, Berkeley. There, she worked on a low-cost UV water disinfection device used in Mexico to help clean contaminated water. After graduate school, Pickering wanted to work at the intersection of science and policy, so she began a job at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I liked working at the EPA a lot, but I was in a cubicle and I quickly became restless just sitting in a cubicle all day,\" says Pickering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Pickering was growing restless with cubicle work, a tsunami struck and destroyed large parts of South Asia. She and some colleagues from graduate school decided to go to Sri Lanka to help with the tsunami relief effort. To provide residents with clean drinking water, they installed the UV water disinfection devices that they had worked on at UC Berkeley. That's when she realized she wanted to work on global water quality. She then received a Fulbright scholarship to teach English, math and photography, and completed a photo essay about how people in different parts of the world interact with water. She eventually ended up completing a Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at Stanford University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This video is featured in our \u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Engineering Is: Cleaning Poop from Drinking Water\u003c/a> e-book. The e-book explores the science and engineering principles behind one of Amy Pickering's projects - a device that purifies drinking water in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The e-book includes videos, interactives and media making opportunities. You can find all of our e-books at \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.kqed.org/education/e-books/\">kqed.org/ebooks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Amy Pickering is an environmental health engineer. She works as a research associate at Stanford University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and at Woods Institute for the Environment. Her work combines social science, microbiology and engineering to study ways people in low-income countries can access safer water and better sanitation. People living in developing countries are often exposed to higher levels of bacteria and other germs, usually because of contaminated water and poor sanitation conditions. Pickering tries to reduce the spread of disease by coming up with low-cost and low-tech solutions that can help minimize illnesses in areas with poor water quality. She also runs research studies to test and evaluate how effective various interventions are at preventing the spread of disease. Pickering spends about 20% of her time traveling and the rest at Stanford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pickering did not always know she wanted to do this type of work. In high school, one of her math teachers suggested that she go into a career involving numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I knew that I loved the outdoors and the environment so I decided to do engineering, and specifically environmental engineering. And I also wanted to do something that challenged me and I thought that engineering would provide that challenge,\" explains Pickering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After she graduated from college with a degree in biological and environmental engineering from Cornell University, she went on to get a master's degree in environmental engineering with an emphasis on water quality from University of California, Berkeley. There, she worked on a low-cost UV water disinfection device used in Mexico to help clean contaminated water. After graduate school, Pickering wanted to work at the intersection of science and policy, so she began a job at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I liked working at the EPA a lot, but I was in a cubicle and I quickly became restless just sitting in a cubicle all day,\" says Pickering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Pickering was growing restless with cubicle work, a tsunami struck and destroyed large parts of South Asia. She and some colleagues from graduate school decided to go to Sri Lanka to help with the tsunami relief effort. To provide residents with clean drinking water, they installed the UV water disinfection devices that they had worked on at UC Berkeley. That's when she realized she wanted to work on global water quality. She then received a Fulbright scholarship to teach English, math and photography, and completed a photo essay about how people in different parts of the world interact with water. She eventually ended up completing a Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at Stanford University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This video is featured in our \u003ca href=\"http://water.woop.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Engineering Is: Cleaning Poop from Drinking Water\u003c/a> e-book. The e-book explores the science and engineering principles behind one of Amy Pickering's projects - a device that purifies drinking water in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The e-book includes videos, interactives and media making opportunities. You can find all of our e-books at \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.kqed.org/education/e-books/\">kqed.org/ebooks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Bangladesh -- a country just east of India on the Bay of Bengal -- is known for its lush, tropical environment and extensive river system. It’s capital, Dhaka, is the tenth largest city in the world and travel by boat and Rickshaw is a common way to get around town. While the waterways are an inviting lure to this populated city, water is also the source of many diseases, particularly in Dhaka’s crowded slums. Here, sewage can seep into low-pressure, old, leaky pipes that transport the town’s drinking water, exposing residents to harmful bacteria and viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drinking contaminated water can lead to diarrheal disease and sometimes even death. In fact, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs330/en/\"> World Health Organization\u003c/a>, diarrhea is the second leading killer of children under five years of age worldwide, and it is often caused by contaminated water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Stephen Luby, a professor of medicine at Stanford University and senior fellow at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, wanted to change that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Luby was working at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Bangladesh, and he was all too familiar with the number of people who were getting sick and dying from preventable waterborne diseases. In the developed world, big expensive water treatment plants clean drinking water. However, poorer countries, like Bangladesh, don’t have the resources to implement these treatment plants. Instead, residents have to clean their drinking water themselves using expensive or fragile filters, chlorine tablets or boiling the water. These types of strategies often prove difficult and cumbersome for residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What that model asks, is to say ‘Let’s have the poorest people in the world each set up a water treatment plant in their home.’ That’s actually a big undertaking. And these are the folks who are already trying to figure out ‘How am I going to get enough money to pay rent and to feed my family?’” explains Luby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74261\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 214px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/142277422.IiJWNDQF.e_amy_hp.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-74261\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/142277422.IiJWNDQF.e_amy_hp-214x360.jpg\" alt=\"Amy Pickering with a handpump\" width=\"214\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amy Pickering, a research associate at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University, posing with a hand pump. Courtesy of Amy Pickering/ Stanford University\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Luby enlisted the help of Amy Pickering, a research associate at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Along with Jenna Davis, a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, they were hoping to come up with a solution to clean contaminated water that was much cheaper than traditional centralized water treatment plants, but that didn’t require users to do any extra work. They call their effort the \u003ca href=\"http://www.lotuswater.org/\"> Lotus Water Project\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pickering went to Dhaka to investigate possible solutions. She observed that women in the slums in Dhaka were using communal hand pumps to collect water in containers and store for later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"What we realized is that we needed a technology that could be compatible with these manual hand pumps that people are using to extract water from the systems,\" said Pickering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They thought that if there was a device that attached to the hand pump that would clean the water as it was pumped out, then residents would have easy access to clean water. Learning that nothing like this already existed, the team realized they were going to have to develop something themselves. So Pickering packed a 70-pound hand pump in her suitcase and brought it back to Stanford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the guidance of Luby and Davis, Pickering and a team of students at Stanford began developing a solution. They needed to create a device that would be cheap, easy to maintain and robust to hot temperatures and monsoons. It also couldn't rely on electricity since electricity can be hard to come by in Dhaka’s slums.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They decided to use liquid chlorine as the way to clean the water because it’s cheap and readily available in household bleach throughout Dhaka and in many places throughout the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how were they going to inject the chlorine into the water without using electricity? They turned to a physics principle called the Venturi effect to accomplish this. The Venturi effect explains that when water is forced through a constricted pipe, like a funnel, the pressure of the water decreases. Pickering and her team created a system that uses the drop in water pressure caused by the Venturi effect to create a suction, which in turn sucks in chlorine stored in an attached tank. At the heart of the system is a funnel-like device that attaches to the outflow of the hand pump. They call the device \"the Venturi\" and they actually design and 3D print it themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74260\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/Labelled_device.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-74260\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/Labelled_device-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"Venturi device\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A funnel-like device attaches directly to the hand pump and is connected to a tank that holds chlorine. When the water starts flowing through the funnel, the drop in water pressure causes the chlorine from the attached tank to be sucked into the water stream, thereby cleaning the water.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They prototyped many different designs both in the lab and in the field in Dhaka. They tested for durability, leaks, ease of use and functionality which included testing water samples for chlorine and bacteria levels. They also interviewed and spoke with residents to understand what they liked and didn’t like about their system. They would then incorporate what they learned from user feedback and field testing by modifying their designs, often 3-D printing new devices throughout the night in their rented apartments in Bangladesh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They now have proof of concept that their device can work in Dhaka, and they are currently looking at possible business models and talking with companies to try to begin implementing in the field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, we’re in conversations with for-profit companies that might be interested in taking this technology and commercializing it, and we’re really excited about that. 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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Bangladesh -- a country just east of India on the Bay of Bengal -- is known for its lush, tropical environment and extensive river system. It’s capital, Dhaka, is the tenth largest city in the world and travel by boat and Rickshaw is a common way to get around town. While the waterways are an inviting lure to this populated city, water is also the source of many diseases, particularly in Dhaka’s crowded slums. Here, sewage can seep into low-pressure, old, leaky pipes that transport the town’s drinking water, exposing residents to harmful bacteria and viruses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drinking contaminated water can lead to diarrheal disease and sometimes even death. In fact, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs330/en/\"> World Health Organization\u003c/a>, diarrhea is the second leading killer of children under five years of age worldwide, and it is often caused by contaminated water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Stephen Luby, a professor of medicine at Stanford University and senior fellow at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, wanted to change that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Luby was working at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Bangladesh, and he was all too familiar with the number of people who were getting sick and dying from preventable waterborne diseases. In the developed world, big expensive water treatment plants clean drinking water. However, poorer countries, like Bangladesh, don’t have the resources to implement these treatment plants. Instead, residents have to clean their drinking water themselves using expensive or fragile filters, chlorine tablets or boiling the water. These types of strategies often prove difficult and cumbersome for residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What that model asks, is to say ‘Let’s have the poorest people in the world each set up a water treatment plant in their home.’ That’s actually a big undertaking. And these are the folks who are already trying to figure out ‘How am I going to get enough money to pay rent and to feed my family?’” explains Luby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74261\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 214px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/142277422.IiJWNDQF.e_amy_hp.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-74261\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/142277422.IiJWNDQF.e_amy_hp-214x360.jpg\" alt=\"Amy Pickering with a handpump\" width=\"214\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amy Pickering, a research associate at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University, posing with a hand pump. Courtesy of Amy Pickering/ Stanford University\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Luby enlisted the help of Amy Pickering, a research associate at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Along with Jenna Davis, a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, they were hoping to come up with a solution to clean contaminated water that was much cheaper than traditional centralized water treatment plants, but that didn’t require users to do any extra work. They call their effort the \u003ca href=\"http://www.lotuswater.org/\"> Lotus Water Project\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pickering went to Dhaka to investigate possible solutions. She observed that women in the slums in Dhaka were using communal hand pumps to collect water in containers and store for later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"What we realized is that we needed a technology that could be compatible with these manual hand pumps that people are using to extract water from the systems,\" said Pickering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They thought that if there was a device that attached to the hand pump that would clean the water as it was pumped out, then residents would have easy access to clean water. Learning that nothing like this already existed, the team realized they were going to have to develop something themselves. So Pickering packed a 70-pound hand pump in her suitcase and brought it back to Stanford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the guidance of Luby and Davis, Pickering and a team of students at Stanford began developing a solution. They needed to create a device that would be cheap, easy to maintain and robust to hot temperatures and monsoons. It also couldn't rely on electricity since electricity can be hard to come by in Dhaka’s slums.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They decided to use liquid chlorine as the way to clean the water because it’s cheap and readily available in household bleach throughout Dhaka and in many places throughout the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how were they going to inject the chlorine into the water without using electricity? They turned to a physics principle called the Venturi effect to accomplish this. The Venturi effect explains that when water is forced through a constricted pipe, like a funnel, the pressure of the water decreases. Pickering and her team created a system that uses the drop in water pressure caused by the Venturi effect to create a suction, which in turn sucks in chlorine stored in an attached tank. At the heart of the system is a funnel-like device that attaches to the outflow of the hand pump. They call the device \"the Venturi\" and they actually design and 3D print it themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_74260\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/Labelled_device.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-large wp-image-74260\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/07/Labelled_device-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"Venturi device\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A funnel-like device attaches directly to the hand pump and is connected to a tank that holds chlorine. When the water starts flowing through the funnel, the drop in water pressure causes the chlorine from the attached tank to be sucked into the water stream, thereby cleaning the water.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They prototyped many different designs both in the lab and in the field in Dhaka. They tested for durability, leaks, ease of use and functionality which included testing water samples for chlorine and bacteria levels. They also interviewed and spoke with residents to understand what they liked and didn’t like about their system. They would then incorporate what they learned from user feedback and field testing by modifying their designs, often 3-D printing new devices throughout the night in their rented apartments in Bangladesh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They now have proof of concept that their device can work in Dhaka, and they are currently looking at possible business models and talking with companies to try to begin implementing in the field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, we’re in conversations with for-profit companies that might be interested in taking this technology and commercializing it, and we’re really excited about that. Because what we want to see is this technology being scaled up and distributed throughout the world,” says Pickering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They estimate the device capital to cost $20 or less when produced at scale. The eventual goal is that their system will not only be used in Dhaka, but in other places in the developing world where contaminated water is often found at shared water points.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "SkyTEM Aquifer Mapping",
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"content": "\u003cp>Fill up a glass of water to quench your thirst. Wonder where it comes from? Chances are it’s from underground water sources called aquifers, which provide fresh water for most people on Earth. Unlike highly visible rivers and streams or lakes and ponds, aquifers are beneath the surface, so finding them is tricky\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71469\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Goeke.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71469\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71469 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Goeke-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Jim Goeke\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of Nebraska hydrogeologist Jim Goeke shows how a rocky outcrop is a model for understanding an aquifer.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But water scientists, like University of Nebraska hydrogeologist Jim Goeke, know where to look for clues to groundwater deposits. Goeke took us to a rocky outcrop along a rural highway to see exposed layers of rock, sand, and gravel. “Aquifers are water-saturated layers of gravels and sands,” he said. “The open spaces between these grains store and transmit water. These outcrops give us an idea of what aquifers look like below the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beneath the Great Plains is one of the world’s largest aquifer systems, stretching from the Dakotas to Texas. Other regions in the U.S. contain a patchwork of aquifers, so locating them is no easy task. And as more states grapple with prolonged drought, it’s become critical for leaders of natural resource districts to map and manage aquifers that provide water for people and agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71472\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/DrillingWS.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71472\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71472\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/DrillingWS-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drilling core samples is how hydrogeologists map aquifers.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, Jim Goeke and his colleagues have had only one practical option to find aquifers. They drill a series of test holes in search of samples of sediments that store and transmit water. “Depending on where you are, you can find sands and gravels and silts and clays,” explained Goeke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71490\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 150px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Drill-Core-Samples.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71490\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71490\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Drill-Core-Samples-187x169.jpg\" alt=\"Drill Core Samples\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hydrogeologist Jim Goeke examines drill core samples.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At each drill hole, geologists analyze the samples, layer by layer, to map the water-bearing sands and gravels that form aquifers. But drilling is costly and time consuming, so test holes are only drilled every three to six miles. And since they are so far apart, geologists can only estimate the shape of an aquifer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71501\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71501\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71501\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1.jpg\" alt=\"Jim Cannia\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jim Cannia is a geologist for Exploration Resources International.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Jim Cannia, a geologist for Exploration Resources International, “Our method has been analyzing a series of drill holes and using our training and imagination to fill in the dots between sites to define aquifers.” So, getting results from drill surveys may take months or years to complete. That’s been the practice for 150 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Cannia is meeting with leaders of Nebraska’s Lower Platte South Natural Resources District to use a new option. Cannia’s company is pioneering a high-tech device to detect groundwater reserves that can map aquifers in a matter of days or weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71492\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Rig.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71492\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71492 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Rig-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"SkyTEM Rig\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Technicians prepare the SkyTEM rig for aerial mapping.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new tool is called SkyTEM. It’s an aerial geophysical survey system -- towed by helicopter -- that measures aquifers electronically. SkyTEM uses electromagnetics, a global positioning system, lasers, loggers, and a computer strapped to a giant hexagon-shaped frame. Constructed from nonconductive fiberglass and wood, the frame will not interfere with SkyTEM’s electronics as they probe the ground for electrically conductive layers. Ringing the bottom of the frame is a cable of wound copper wires that acts as a transmitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71474\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-POV1.jpg.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71479\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71474\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-POV1.jpg-450x253.jpg\" alt=\"in flight, the SkyTEM rig electronically maps aquifers. \" width=\"400\" height=\"225\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The SkyTEM rig electronically maps aquifers from 100 feet in the air.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As the helicopter flies 50 miles per hour, it pulls the SkyTEM rig 100 feet above the ground, traveling back and forth in parallel lines along a predetermined mapped grid. The target for this survey is a 150-square-mile area in southeast Nebraska’s Lower Platte South Natural Resources District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cannia explained that SkyTEM creates precise records by shooting rapid-fire electromagnetic waves, similar to radio signals, into the ground every 9 feet -- to a depth of 900 feet -- all the way to bedrock. “The rocks feel that radio signal and then get a little energy and send energy back out,” said Cannia. “It says, ‘I’m a sandstone’ or ‘I’m a sand and gravel body’ or ‘I’m clay and silt.’ And that’s what we’re mapping.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71478\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Radar1.jpg.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71478\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71478 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Radar1.jpg-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"SkyTEM \" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SkyTEM sends electromagnetic waves into the ground to map sands and gravels that make up aquifers. Graphic: Scott Beachler/NET Television.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>SkyTEM measures electrical conductivity and electrical resistivity. The sand and gravel aquifer materials resist. “So, that’s what we want to see if you want to know where the aquifer is,” he added. But clays and silts are electrically conductive, like putty. Cannia explained, “Not much water gets through putty, so that tells us where the aquifer isn’t. Between those two we map that difference and we make a map of where everything is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along each flight line, the SkyTEM signals are averaged together to produce a virtual borehole that displays in vivid colors. Blue and green mark silts and clays, while yellow and red reveal the sands and gravels that make up aquifers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71476\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Grid-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71476\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71476 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Grid-1-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"SkyTEM mapping produces colorful displays of aquifers.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SkyTEM mapping produces colorful displays of aquifers.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>SkyTEM images portray detailed 3-D maps of the area’s geology, showing the size and shape of aquifers, how much water they hold, and whether they're connected to other aquifers or surface water streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71509\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 350px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Aquifer-3D-2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71509\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71509\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Aquifer-3D-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"3-D SkyTEM aquifer map.\" width=\"350\" height=\"197\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">3-D SkyTEM aquifer map.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When it’s all done,” said Cannia, “you’ll look at a picture sideways through that map and see what geologists always want to see. We want to know what’s real, knowing where we have aquifer material and where we don’t.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What makes SkyTEM a good alternative to traditional aquifer mapping using drill holes? SkyTEM maps reduce the number of drill holes required to understand an aquifer. And to ensure SkyTEM images are accurate, geologists compare them to existing drill-hole sediment samples.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a time of uncertain climate future, SkyTEM maps are an invaluable asset for natural resource districts, precisely identifying the location of aquifers and helping to manage groundwater use for the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The broadcast version of this story is titled \"Mapping Hidden Waters.\"\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Fill up a glass of water to quench your thirst. Wonder where it comes from? Chances are it’s from underground water sources called aquifers, which provide fresh water for most people on Earth. Unlike highly visible rivers and streams or lakes and ponds, aquifers are beneath the surface, so finding them is tricky\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71469\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Goeke.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71469\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71469 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Goeke-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Jim Goeke\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of Nebraska hydrogeologist Jim Goeke shows how a rocky outcrop is a model for understanding an aquifer.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But water scientists, like University of Nebraska hydrogeologist Jim Goeke, know where to look for clues to groundwater deposits. Goeke took us to a rocky outcrop along a rural highway to see exposed layers of rock, sand, and gravel. “Aquifers are water-saturated layers of gravels and sands,” he said. “The open spaces between these grains store and transmit water. These outcrops give us an idea of what aquifers look like below the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beneath the Great Plains is one of the world’s largest aquifer systems, stretching from the Dakotas to Texas. Other regions in the U.S. contain a patchwork of aquifers, so locating them is no easy task. And as more states grapple with prolonged drought, it’s become critical for leaders of natural resource districts to map and manage aquifers that provide water for people and agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71472\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/DrillingWS.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71472\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71472\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/DrillingWS-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drilling core samples is how hydrogeologists map aquifers.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, Jim Goeke and his colleagues have had only one practical option to find aquifers. They drill a series of test holes in search of samples of sediments that store and transmit water. “Depending on where you are, you can find sands and gravels and silts and clays,” explained Goeke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71490\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 150px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Drill-Core-Samples.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71490\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71490\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Drill-Core-Samples-187x169.jpg\" alt=\"Drill Core Samples\" width=\"150\" height=\"135\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hydrogeologist Jim Goeke examines drill core samples.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At each drill hole, geologists analyze the samples, layer by layer, to map the water-bearing sands and gravels that form aquifers. But drilling is costly and time consuming, so test holes are only drilled every three to six miles. And since they are so far apart, geologists can only estimate the shape of an aquifer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71501\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 200px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71501\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71501\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1.jpg\" alt=\"Jim Cannia\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Jim-Cania1-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jim Cannia is a geologist for Exploration Resources International.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Jim Cannia, a geologist for Exploration Resources International, “Our method has been analyzing a series of drill holes and using our training and imagination to fill in the dots between sites to define aquifers.” So, getting results from drill surveys may take months or years to complete. That’s been the practice for 150 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Cannia is meeting with leaders of Nebraska’s Lower Platte South Natural Resources District to use a new option. Cannia’s company is pioneering a high-tech device to detect groundwater reserves that can map aquifers in a matter of days or weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71492\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Rig.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71492\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71492 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Rig-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"SkyTEM Rig\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Technicians prepare the SkyTEM rig for aerial mapping.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new tool is called SkyTEM. It’s an aerial geophysical survey system -- towed by helicopter -- that measures aquifers electronically. SkyTEM uses electromagnetics, a global positioning system, lasers, loggers, and a computer strapped to a giant hexagon-shaped frame. Constructed from nonconductive fiberglass and wood, the frame will not interfere with SkyTEM’s electronics as they probe the ground for electrically conductive layers. Ringing the bottom of the frame is a cable of wound copper wires that acts as a transmitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71474\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-POV1.jpg.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71479\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71474\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-POV1.jpg-450x253.jpg\" alt=\"in flight, the SkyTEM rig electronically maps aquifers. \" width=\"400\" height=\"225\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The SkyTEM rig electronically maps aquifers from 100 feet in the air.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As the helicopter flies 50 miles per hour, it pulls the SkyTEM rig 100 feet above the ground, traveling back and forth in parallel lines along a predetermined mapped grid. The target for this survey is a 150-square-mile area in southeast Nebraska’s Lower Platte South Natural Resources District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cannia explained that SkyTEM creates precise records by shooting rapid-fire electromagnetic waves, similar to radio signals, into the ground every 9 feet -- to a depth of 900 feet -- all the way to bedrock. “The rocks feel that radio signal and then get a little energy and send energy back out,” said Cannia. “It says, ‘I’m a sandstone’ or ‘I’m a sand and gravel body’ or ‘I’m clay and silt.’ And that’s what we’re mapping.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71478\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Radar1.jpg.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71478\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71478 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Radar1.jpg-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"SkyTEM \" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SkyTEM sends electromagnetic waves into the ground to map sands and gravels that make up aquifers. Graphic: Scott Beachler/NET Television.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>SkyTEM measures electrical conductivity and electrical resistivity. The sand and gravel aquifer materials resist. “So, that’s what we want to see if you want to know where the aquifer is,” he added. But clays and silts are electrically conductive, like putty. Cannia explained, “Not much water gets through putty, so that tells us where the aquifer isn’t. Between those two we map that difference and we make a map of where everything is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along each flight line, the SkyTEM signals are averaged together to produce a virtual borehole that displays in vivid colors. Blue and green mark silts and clays, while yellow and red reveal the sands and gravels that make up aquifers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71476\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Grid-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71476\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71476 size-large\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/Grid-1-640x360.jpg\" alt=\"SkyTEM mapping produces colorful displays of aquifers.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SkyTEM mapping produces colorful displays of aquifers.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>SkyTEM images portray detailed 3-D maps of the area’s geology, showing the size and shape of aquifers, how much water they hold, and whether they're connected to other aquifers or surface water streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71509\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 350px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Aquifer-3D-2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-71509\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-71509\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/08/SkyTEM-Aquifer-3D-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"3-D SkyTEM aquifer map.\" width=\"350\" height=\"197\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">3-D SkyTEM aquifer map.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When it’s all done,” said Cannia, “you’ll look at a picture sideways through that map and see what geologists always want to see. We want to know what’s real, knowing where we have aquifer material and where we don’t.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What makes SkyTEM a good alternative to traditional aquifer mapping using drill holes? SkyTEM maps reduce the number of drill holes required to understand an aquifer. And to ensure SkyTEM images are accurate, geologists compare them to existing drill-hole sediment samples.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a time of uncertain climate future, SkyTEM maps are an invaluable asset for natural resource districts, precisely identifying the location of aquifers and helping to manage groundwater use for the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The broadcast version of this story is titled \"Mapping Hidden Waters.\"\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Ten years ago this week, a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Six years later, another huge quake - with a magnitude 9.0, the fourth largest in the world since 1900 - erupted off the east coast of Japan. It caused another devastating tsunami that generated waves rising to more than 100 feet tall. Buildings and homes were toppled and hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated as the flooding water caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 16,000 people died in that disaster. And the effects were felt as far away as California and Oregon, where surging waves caused an estimated $50 million in damage to six coastal California counties, including Santa Cruz, where docks were smashed and boats that were pried loose from their moorings were wrecked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_72521\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-72521\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906.jpg\" alt=\"Just after a devastating tsunami struck the coast of Japan in March 2011, the tsunami waves struck the coast of California, where they damaged harbors, including the Santa Cruz harbor. Image courtesy Matt Corley\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just after a devastating tsunami struck the coast of Japan in March 2011, the tsunami waves struck the coast of California, where they damaged harbors, including the Santa Cruz harbor. Image courtesy Matt Corley\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The two tragedies ratcheted up the pressure to shore up California’s tsunami preparedness and response efforts. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/earthquakes/Pages/index.aspx\">California Geological Survey\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.calema.ca.gov/PlanningandPreparedness/Pages/Earthquakes-and-Tsunamis.aspx\">California Office of Emergency Services\u003c/a>, along with federal assistance from\u003ca href=\"http://www.fema.gov/\"> FEMA\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/\">NOAA\u003c/a>, began creating “playbooks” for California coastal communities, such as Alameda, that are vulnerable to tsunamis. The playbooks model the strength of the currents and the amount of flooding possible from mild, moderate and severe tsunamis, which would help coastal communities update evacuation plans and minimize the damage to harbors and boats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, there are now more than 6,000 tsunami hazard signs posted along the California coast help direct residents to higher ground in the event of this potentially deadly natural disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it’s not possible to predict when the next big earthquake will erupt on the ocean floor and generate another massive tsunami, monitoring signs of tsunami activity in the ocean can yield precious minutes to alert residents to move to higher ground, scientists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A tsunami will actually travel at hundreds of miles per hour,” said Tom Evans, a meteorologist and the Director of Operations at the National Weather Service in Honolulu. “So a warning system in place is very necessary,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, a real-time tsunami monitoring system already exists through the \u003ca href=\"http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/Dart/\">Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) program\u003c/a> which is operated by NOAA. In all, 39 buoys that ring the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean measure signs of early tsunami waves and relay the measurements to warning centers in Hawaii and Alaska.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_72523\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-72523\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2.jpg\" alt=\"Although rare, massive tsunamis such as the ones that have struck the coasts of Banda Aceh, Japan and Chile, could also strike the California coast. \" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Although rare, massive tsunamis such as the ones that have struck the coasts of Banda Aceh, Japan and Chile, could also strike the California coast.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the system has been hampered by malfunctions and legislative inaction on bills that would fund tsunami preparedness and outreach to vulnerable coastal communities. At the end of July 2014, 10 of the 39 DART buoy stations were “non-operational due to some sort of failure,” according to Michael Angove, the NOAA / National Weather Service Tsunami Program Manager. Maintenance work to fix the malfunctioning buoys would not begin until spring 2015, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tsunamis do occur along the (California) coast here, in San Francisco, we’ve had them in the bay. So yes, they are a real threat,” said Evans. “Nature is very powerful. And we have to respect it,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This video story was originally produced by Christopher Bauer and updated by Sheraz Sadiq.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Ten years ago this week, a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Six years later, another huge quake - with a magnitude 9.0, the fourth largest in the world since 1900 - erupted off the east coast of Japan. It caused another devastating tsunami that generated waves rising to more than 100 feet tall. Buildings and homes were toppled and hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated as the flooding water caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 16,000 people died in that disaster. And the effects were felt as far away as California and Oregon, where surging waves caused an estimated $50 million in damage to six coastal California counties, including Santa Cruz, where docks were smashed and boats that were pried loose from their moorings were wrecked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_72521\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-72521\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906.jpg\" alt=\"Just after a devastating tsunami struck the coast of Japan in March 2011, the tsunami waves struck the coast of California, where they damaged harbors, including the Santa Cruz harbor. Image courtesy Matt Corley\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Tsunamis_MCorley_2_IMG_3906-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just after a devastating tsunami struck the coast of Japan in March 2011, the tsunami waves struck the coast of California, where they damaged harbors, including the Santa Cruz harbor. Image courtesy Matt Corley\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The two tragedies ratcheted up the pressure to shore up California’s tsunami preparedness and response efforts. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/earthquakes/Pages/index.aspx\">California Geological Survey\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.calema.ca.gov/PlanningandPreparedness/Pages/Earthquakes-and-Tsunamis.aspx\">California Office of Emergency Services\u003c/a>, along with federal assistance from\u003ca href=\"http://www.fema.gov/\"> FEMA\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/\">NOAA\u003c/a>, began creating “playbooks” for California coastal communities, such as Alameda, that are vulnerable to tsunamis. The playbooks model the strength of the currents and the amount of flooding possible from mild, moderate and severe tsunamis, which would help coastal communities update evacuation plans and minimize the damage to harbors and boats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, there are now more than 6,000 tsunami hazard signs posted along the California coast help direct residents to higher ground in the event of this potentially deadly natural disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it’s not possible to predict when the next big earthquake will erupt on the ocean floor and generate another massive tsunami, monitoring signs of tsunami activity in the ocean can yield precious minutes to alert residents to move to higher ground, scientists say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A tsunami will actually travel at hundreds of miles per hour,” said Tom Evans, a meteorologist and the Director of Operations at the National Weather Service in Honolulu. “So a warning system in place is very necessary,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, a real-time tsunami monitoring system already exists through the \u003ca href=\"http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/Dart/\">Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) program\u003c/a> which is operated by NOAA. In all, 39 buoys that ring the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean measure signs of early tsunami waves and relay the measurements to warning centers in Hawaii and Alaska.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_72523\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-72523\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2.jpg\" alt=\"Although rare, massive tsunamis such as the ones that have struck the coasts of Banda Aceh, Japan and Chile, could also strike the California coast. \" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2.jpg 640w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/807_tsunamis_update_2-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Although rare, massive tsunamis such as the ones that have struck the coasts of Banda Aceh, Japan and Chile, could also strike the California coast.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the system has been hampered by malfunctions and legislative inaction on bills that would fund tsunami preparedness and outreach to vulnerable coastal communities. At the end of July 2014, 10 of the 39 DART buoy stations were “non-operational due to some sort of failure,” according to Michael Angove, the NOAA / National Weather Service Tsunami Program Manager. Maintenance work to fix the malfunctioning buoys would not begin until spring 2015, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tsunamis do occur along the (California) coast here, in San Francisco, we’ve had them in the bay. So yes, they are a real threat,” said Evans. “Nature is very powerful. And we have to respect it,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This video story was originally produced by Christopher Bauer and updated by Sheraz Sadiq.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Water Vapor's Role in Climate Change",
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"content": "\u003cp>Water covers nearly three-quarters of Earth. It is continuously moving above, on and below Earth’s surface, cycling among ice, liquid water and vapor. This cycling of water shapes the climate by delivering rain and snow, and it supports life on Earth. Water and climate are deeply interconnected, and as the climate changes so does the distribution and cycling of Earth’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Discover how water and climate affect each other by watching the video in the graphic above.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With climate change, Earth is getting warmer as greenhouse gases build up and trap more heat in the atmosphere. These warmer temperatures cause increased evaporation of water from places like oceans, lakes, streams and soil. This leads to higher levels of water vapor in the atmosphere, which means that precipitation events tend to be heavier. Whether the water falls as rain or snow depends on temperature. Therefore, if winter temperatures remain below freezing in areas like the northeastern United States, the increased moisture in the air could mean heavier snow storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Increased water vapor in the air can also further increase warming. Water vapor is actually a greenhouse gas, which traps heat in the atmosphere and causes temperatures to rise. But unlike other greenhouse gases that can linger in the atmosphere for years, water vapor usually stays in the air for a few days before falling back to Earth as precipitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, as warm temperatures lead to more water vapor in the air, more water vapor in the air leads to warmer temperatures, which creates a positive feedback loop. A positive feedback loop is called “positive” not because it’s a good thing, but rather because the effects of one process enhance the effects of another, which in turn positively reinforce the effects of the original.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Discussion Questions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Why is water vapor considered a “greenhouse gas?”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>How does water vapor differ from other greenhouse gases?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Using water vapor as an example, describe what is meant by a “positive feedback loop.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>How can heavier snow events be explained in terms of climate change?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>This video explainer is part of our \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/collections/clue-into-climate/\">Clue into Climate\u003c/a> collection of resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An interactive version of this explainer is featured in our \u003cstrong>Clue into Climate\u003c/strong> e-book series. Click on the tabs below to download our free e-books and subscribe to our iTunes U course. You can also visit our \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.kqed.org/education/e-books/\">e-books page\u003c/a> to view our other offerings.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-11944\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-1-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 1\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Look into the causes of climate change, and discover how scientists develop and use climate models.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/ee/book/clue-into-climate-causes-change/id927517681?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14724\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-2-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 2 web\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn about how climate change influences precipitation patterns and how it impacts our frozen landscape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/clue-into-climate-changing/id930719116?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14735\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-3-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 3 updated web\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Investigate shifts in the distribution of plant and animal species due to climate change, and the effects of increased carbon dioxide emissions on the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/clue-into-climate-changing/id932195900?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14737\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-4-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 4 web\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See how communities are preparing for sea level rise and other impacts of climate change, and ways we can help minimize future climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/clue-into-climate-facing-our/id932658240?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Learn how water and the Earth's climate directly affect each other in this interactive graphic.",
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"title": "Water Vapor's Role in Climate Change | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Water covers nearly three-quarters of Earth. It is continuously moving above, on and below Earth’s surface, cycling among ice, liquid water and vapor. This cycling of water shapes the climate by delivering rain and snow, and it supports life on Earth. Water and climate are deeply interconnected, and as the climate changes so does the distribution and cycling of Earth’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Discover how water and climate affect each other by watching the video in the graphic above.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With climate change, Earth is getting warmer as greenhouse gases build up and trap more heat in the atmosphere. These warmer temperatures cause increased evaporation of water from places like oceans, lakes, streams and soil. This leads to higher levels of water vapor in the atmosphere, which means that precipitation events tend to be heavier. Whether the water falls as rain or snow depends on temperature. Therefore, if winter temperatures remain below freezing in areas like the northeastern United States, the increased moisture in the air could mean heavier snow storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Increased water vapor in the air can also further increase warming. Water vapor is actually a greenhouse gas, which traps heat in the atmosphere and causes temperatures to rise. But unlike other greenhouse gases that can linger in the atmosphere for years, water vapor usually stays in the air for a few days before falling back to Earth as precipitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, as warm temperatures lead to more water vapor in the air, more water vapor in the air leads to warmer temperatures, which creates a positive feedback loop. A positive feedback loop is called “positive” not because it’s a good thing, but rather because the effects of one process enhance the effects of another, which in turn positively reinforce the effects of the original.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Discussion Questions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Why is water vapor considered a “greenhouse gas?”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>How does water vapor differ from other greenhouse gases?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Using water vapor as an example, describe what is meant by a “positive feedback loop.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>How can heavier snow events be explained in terms of climate change?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>This video explainer is part of our \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/collections/clue-into-climate/\">Clue into Climate\u003c/a> collection of resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An interactive version of this explainer is featured in our \u003cstrong>Clue into Climate\u003c/strong> e-book series. Click on the tabs below to download our free e-books and subscribe to our iTunes U course. You can also visit our \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.kqed.org/education/e-books/\">e-books page\u003c/a> to view our other offerings.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-11944\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-1-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 1\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Look into the causes of climate change, and discover how scientists develop and use climate models.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/ee/book/clue-into-climate-causes-change/id927517681?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14724\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-2-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 2 web\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn about how climate change influences precipitation patterns and how it impacts our frozen landscape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/clue-into-climate-changing/id930719116?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14735\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-3-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 3 updated web\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Investigate shifts in the distribution of plant and animal species due to climate change, and the effects of increased carbon dioxide emissions on the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/clue-into-climate-changing/id932195900?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14737\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Climate-e-book-cover-4-150x194.png\" alt=\"Climate e-book cover 4 web\" width=\"105\" height=\"136\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See how communities are preparing for sea level rise and other impacts of climate change, and ways we can help minimize future climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/clue-into-climate-facing-our/id932658240?mt=13\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11945\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/Download_on_iTunes_Badge_US-UK_110x40_1004.png\" alt=\"Download on iBooks\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/clue-into-climate/id944516910\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/12/E-book-button-for-Web.png\" alt=\"Subscribe on iTunes\" width=\"110\" height=\"40\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"clearfix\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"order": 9
},
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
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