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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Federal climate scientists say the near-record El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean have peaked and are slowly waning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters now say conditions are likely to flip to their opposite phase, known as \u003ca href=\"http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html\">La Niña\u003c/a> by late summer or early fall, which could set the stage for another drier-than-normal winter and prolonged drought in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are reasonably confident that there will be a La Niña,” says Huug van den Dool, seasonal forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, “but we plead ignorance as to whether this is going to be a small, moderate, or strong La Niña.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as the stronger El Niños tend to favor wetter winters in California, the mirror-image La Niña is sometimes a harbinger of drought. Strength is measured by how much ocean waters deviate from their normal temperatures. Warmer waters provide more moisture to brewing Pacific storms, while colder waters tend to dry things out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shift is \u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/3877#disqus_thread\">not likely to have major implications\u003c/a> for what remains of this winter. California’s weather tends to lag the ocean conditions that influence it by as much as a couple of months, so the possibility still lingers for a soggy spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_537110\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 712px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-537110\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/NOAA3-mo_Feb.gif\" alt=\"NOAA's three-month outlook (which is notoriously iffy) pegs the odds for above-average precipitation at 73% for Southern California and 66% for the state's midsection (map numbers converted to actual percentages).\" width=\"712\" height=\"388\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NOAA’s three-month outlook (which is notoriously iffy) pegs the odds for above-average precipitation at 73% for Southern California and 66% for the state’s midsection (map numbers converted to actual percentages). \u003ccite>(NOAA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The abnormally warm water along the equator that defines El Niño probably peaked in December, van den Dool told reporters in a Thursday conference call, but still has some \u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/3877#disqus_thread\">steam left in the boiler,\u003c/a> seen in the rapid upward movement of warm, moist air over the ocean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Van den Dool points to sea surface temperatures that remain above normal, promoting “very strong convection” over the eastern and central Pacific. Convection is a key driver of storm activity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Van den Dool says it’s too early to say with certainty whether the current El Niño (now about six months old) is the strongest on record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is something that’s going to be debated, of course, for some time,” he predicts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using only the sea surface temperatures in one closely-watched zone of the Pacific, he says this one is “at least on par with 1997-98.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Curiously, though this event \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/01/why-this-el-nino-is-one-for-the-books/\">has not packed nearly the precipitation\u003c/a> punch as the “Godzilla” El Niño of 97-’98, when San Francisco doubled it’s normal rainfall. The \u003ca href=\"http://mashable.com/2016/02/17/el-nino-was-supposed-to-bail-out-parched-california-so-where-are-the-storms/#XDlDYmz7daqO\">complex reasons for that\u003c/a> will be part of the ongoing scientific debate, but so far this winter, many California locations are still at or below their long-term averages for rainfall. San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose remain below normal, as does Santa Rosa, a perennial Bay Area wet spot. Fresno, by contrast, has seen 40 percent more than its usual rainfall at this point in the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/08/californias-water-supply-at-risk-from-warmer-winters/\">Sierra snowpack\u003c/a>, which typically provides about a third of the state’s water supply, was piling up pleasingly in January, but has now \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\">slipped slightly\u003c/a> below seasonal norms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Governor Jerry Brown and 16 other governors say they’ll pull together under a new pact to speed up the transition to clean energy and transportation in their states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Called a “work in process,” the \u003ca href=\"http://www.governorsnewenergyfuture.org/the-accord/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future\u003c/a>, lacks specific, measurable targets. The agreement uses broad language, saying the states will “embrace” and “encourage” clean energy options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown pointed to three of the cooperative’s broad goals that he says will benefit from interstate cooperation: a “highly sophisticated” regional energy grid, combined state purchasing power for zero-emission vehicles and joint lobbying of the federal government for research and development money aimed at energy storage, clean fuels and the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-533129\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Renewable-energy-in-CA-chart.png\" alt=\"Renewable energy in CA chart\" width=\"533\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Renewable-energy-in-CA-chart.png 533w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Renewable-energy-in-CA-chart-400x203.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The participating states did not necessarily commit to signing on to Brown’s \u003ca href=\"http://under2mou.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Under 2 MOU\u003c/a>, under which states and regions that have set specific targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with California. The memorandum is currently signed or “endorsed” by 127 jurisdictions representing 27 nations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nor does the agreement specifically mention climate change. According to Brown, the governors chose to bypass the partisan controversy over the issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to leave that behind and work on what we can work on, and that’s the renewable energy accord,” Brown told reporters in a conference call. “Does it do everything? No. But nothing ever does in politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement includes all of California’s neighboring states except Arizona. All the others are on the East Coast, except for Minnesota and Hawaii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Brown, California has developed some of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the country, aiming to generate half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, California’s utility-scale solar production was more than three times the output of Arizona — the second-ranking state — and more than all other states combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The states that are signed on say they expect to meet “shortly” to discuss specific actions.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Governor Jerry Brown and 16 other governors say they’ll pull together under a new pact to speed up the transition to clean energy and transportation in their states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Called a “work in process,” the \u003ca href=\"http://www.governorsnewenergyfuture.org/the-accord/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future\u003c/a>, lacks specific, measurable targets. The agreement uses broad language, saying the states will “embrace” and “encourage” clean energy options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown pointed to three of the cooperative’s broad goals that he says will benefit from interstate cooperation: a “highly sophisticated” regional energy grid, combined state purchasing power for zero-emission vehicles and joint lobbying of the federal government for research and development money aimed at energy storage, clean fuels and the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-533129\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Renewable-energy-in-CA-chart.png\" alt=\"Renewable energy in CA chart\" width=\"533\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Renewable-energy-in-CA-chart.png 533w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Renewable-energy-in-CA-chart-400x203.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The participating states did not necessarily commit to signing on to Brown’s \u003ca href=\"http://under2mou.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Under 2 MOU\u003c/a>, under which states and regions that have set specific targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with California. The memorandum is currently signed or “endorsed” by 127 jurisdictions representing 27 nations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nor does the agreement specifically mention climate change. According to Brown, the governors chose to bypass the partisan controversy over the issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to leave that behind and work on what we can work on, and that’s the renewable energy accord,” Brown told reporters in a conference call. “Does it do everything? No. But nothing ever does in politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement includes all of California’s neighboring states except Arizona. All the others are on the East Coast, except for Minnesota and Hawaii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Brown, California has developed some of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the country, aiming to generate half of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, California’s utility-scale solar production was more than three times the output of Arizona — the second-ranking state — and more than all other states combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The states that are signed on say they expect to meet “shortly” to discuss specific actions.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Climate Change Could Bring Bigger, Wetter Storms to California, Study Says",
"headTitle": "Climate Change Could Bring Bigger, Wetter Storms to California, Study Says | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The types of storms that have been bringing heavy snow and rain to the West this winter, triggering landslides and floods while easing stubborn droughts, are likely to become stronger and more frequent, according to the results of a new study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drenching storms have been falling from atmospheric rivers — high-altitude streams of moisture that carry much of the West’s water from the Pacific Ocean in sometimes-violent spurts that can lead to floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”BJnVHIn18HVUXBsJbtwYgOnWbIlKMh44″]The latest study to project an increase in the frequency and ferocity with which atmospheric rivers will reach the West Coast was \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2015GL067392/full\">published over the weekend\u003c/a> in Geophysical Research Letters. Scientists described the analysis as more robust than earlier ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days on which atmospheric rivers reach the West Coast each year could increase by a third this century, if greenhouse gas pollution continues to rise sharply, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers concluded after running model simulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the West Coast is likely to receive rain or snow from atmospheric rivers between 25 and 40 days each year, the analysis concluded. By century’s end, that’s expected to rise to between 35 and 55 days annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the number of days each year on which the atmospheric rivers bring “extreme” amounts of rain and snow to the region could increase by more than a quarter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results of the study were “consistent” with findings from earlier modeling-based studies, said Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher \u003ca href=\"http://scrippsscholars.ucsd.edu/mralph\">Marty Ralph\u003c/a>, who wasn’t involved with it. He said the study went further than others in demonstrating that the projections were likely to play out in the real world, rather than being the result of any modeling errors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In California, the majority of the variation from one year to the next in total precipitation is the result of just the few wettest days each year,” said Ralph, who is based in California. “The \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/el-nino-is-here-so-why-is-california-still-in-drought-19975\">drought we’re in\u003c/a> is a result of the absence of the atmospheric rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although storms caused by atmospheric rivers are needed to quench landscapes and fill reservoirs, they can also deliver deadly hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Momentous floods of the early 1860s, which affected several Western states, evacuating Californian lawmakers from Sacramento after the Central Valley filled like a tub, were linked to a series of atmospheric rivers. Scientists warn such floods could again beset the region under a winter storm scenario \u003ca href=\"http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1312/\">they call ARkStorm\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we noticed is that the entire West Coast of North America will experience increased atmospheric river frequency,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnl.gov/science/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=7433\">Samson Hagos\u003c/a>, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory earth system scientist who led the new study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s largely because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. Which would mean worse floods, more often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The strongest atmospheric river events along the West Coast during the 20th century are strongly linked to flood events of historical significance,” said \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/daniel-swain\">Daniel Swain\u003c/a>, a PhD candidate at Stanford who researches extreme weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A reasonable inference to draw from these studies is that the risk of severe flood events along the West Coast will likely increase,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings may also have implications for projecting tempestuous conditions in other regions as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This paper provides a nice framework for exploring storm variability in other regions of the world,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/sarah-kapnicks-homepage\">Sarah Kapnick\u003c/a>, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate change scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s harder to say what such findings might mean for the frequency or severity of droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent research has suggested that higher temperatures linked to global warming exacerbated the intensity of California’s ongoing drought, by drying out the state. It’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/hints-of-climate-change-in-californias-drought-18109\">far less clear\u003c/a> what effect climate change had on the likelihood that such a drought would occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The role of anthropogenic influences on the lack of precipitation is still an open question,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.u.arizona.edu/~kanchukaitis/people.html\">Kevin Anchukaitis\u003c/a>, a paleoclimatologist and earth systems geographer at the University of Arizona. “Different research groups have come to different conclusions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rising temperatures are expected to accelerate evaporation and lead to drier conditions across the West — producing what scientists call hot droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anchukaitis said atmospheric rivers don’t necessarily affect the conditions that produce hot droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the “severity and duration” of droughts, Anchukaitis said, “will depend on a complex interplay between temperature increases, uncertain long-term precipitation trends and the punctuated role of drought-busting atmospheric rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The types of storms that have been bringing heavy snow and rain to the West this winter, triggering landslides and floods while easing stubborn droughts, are likely to become stronger and more frequent, according to the results of a new study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drenching storms have been falling from atmospheric rivers — high-altitude streams of moisture that carry much of the West’s water from the Pacific Ocean in sometimes-violent spurts that can lead to floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>The latest study to project an increase in the frequency and ferocity with which atmospheric rivers will reach the West Coast was \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2015GL067392/full\">published over the weekend\u003c/a> in Geophysical Research Letters. Scientists described the analysis as more robust than earlier ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days on which atmospheric rivers reach the West Coast each year could increase by a third this century, if greenhouse gas pollution continues to rise sharply, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers concluded after running model simulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the West Coast is likely to receive rain or snow from atmospheric rivers between 25 and 40 days each year, the analysis concluded. By century’s end, that’s expected to rise to between 35 and 55 days annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the number of days each year on which the atmospheric rivers bring “extreme” amounts of rain and snow to the region could increase by more than a quarter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results of the study were “consistent” with findings from earlier modeling-based studies, said Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher \u003ca href=\"http://scrippsscholars.ucsd.edu/mralph\">Marty Ralph\u003c/a>, who wasn’t involved with it. He said the study went further than others in demonstrating that the projections were likely to play out in the real world, rather than being the result of any modeling errors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In California, the majority of the variation from one year to the next in total precipitation is the result of just the few wettest days each year,” said Ralph, who is based in California. “The \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/el-nino-is-here-so-why-is-california-still-in-drought-19975\">drought we’re in\u003c/a> is a result of the absence of the atmospheric rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although storms caused by atmospheric rivers are needed to quench landscapes and fill reservoirs, they can also deliver deadly hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Momentous floods of the early 1860s, which affected several Western states, evacuating Californian lawmakers from Sacramento after the Central Valley filled like a tub, were linked to a series of atmospheric rivers. Scientists warn such floods could again beset the region under a winter storm scenario \u003ca href=\"http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1312/\">they call ARkStorm\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we noticed is that the entire West Coast of North America will experience increased atmospheric river frequency,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnl.gov/science/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=7433\">Samson Hagos\u003c/a>, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory earth system scientist who led the new study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s largely because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. Which would mean worse floods, more often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The strongest atmospheric river events along the West Coast during the 20th century are strongly linked to flood events of historical significance,” said \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/daniel-swain\">Daniel Swain\u003c/a>, a PhD candidate at Stanford who researches extreme weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A reasonable inference to draw from these studies is that the risk of severe flood events along the West Coast will likely increase,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The findings may also have implications for projecting tempestuous conditions in other regions as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This paper provides a nice framework for exploring storm variability in other regions of the world,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/sarah-kapnicks-homepage\">Sarah Kapnick\u003c/a>, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate change scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s harder to say what such findings might mean for the frequency or severity of droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent research has suggested that higher temperatures linked to global warming exacerbated the intensity of California’s ongoing drought, by drying out the state. It’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/hints-of-climate-change-in-californias-drought-18109\">far less clear\u003c/a> what effect climate change had on the likelihood that such a drought would occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The role of anthropogenic influences on the lack of precipitation is still an open question,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.u.arizona.edu/~kanchukaitis/people.html\">Kevin Anchukaitis\u003c/a>, a paleoclimatologist and earth systems geographer at the University of Arizona. “Different research groups have come to different conclusions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rising temperatures are expected to accelerate evaporation and lead to drier conditions across the West — producing what scientists call hot droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anchukaitis said atmospheric rivers don’t necessarily affect the conditions that produce hot droughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the “severity and duration” of droughts, Anchukaitis said, “will depend on a complex interplay between temperature increases, uncertain long-term precipitation trends and the punctuated role of drought-busting atmospheric rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Supreme Court Puts Obama's Clean Power Plan on Hold",
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"content": "\u003cp>A divided \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Supreme\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Court\u003c/span> agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama’s sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The surprising move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations “an unprecedented power grab.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”KhfrftL96N9dt5tgPTQfjAfNmkRXIpvz”]By temporarily freezing the rule the high \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court’s\u003c/span> order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan, which aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. A federal appeals \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> last month refused to put it on hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appeals \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> is not likely to issue a ruling on the plan until months after it hears oral arguments begin on June 2. But any decision likely would be appealed to the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Supreme\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Court\u003c/span>, meaning resolution of the legal fight is not likely to happen until Obama leaves office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The high \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court’s\u003c/span> four liberal justices said Tuesday they would have denied the request for delay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compliance with the new rules isn’t required until 2022, but states must submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that power plants will have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that may end up being overturned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, whose coal-dependent state is helping lead the legal fight, hailed the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court’s\u003c/span> decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are thrilled that the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Supreme\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Court\u003c/span> realized the rule’s immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues,” Morrisey said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Implementation of the rules is considered essential to the United States meeting emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris last month. The Obama administration and environmental groups also say the plan will spur new clean-energy jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To convince the high \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> to temporarily halt the plan, opponents had to convince the justices that there was a “fair prospect” the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> would strike down the rule. The \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> also had to consider whether denying a stay would cause irreparable harm to the states and utility companies affected.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A divided \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Supreme\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Court\u003c/span> agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama’s sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The surprising move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations “an unprecedented power grab.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>By temporarily freezing the rule the high \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court’s\u003c/span> order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan, which aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. A federal appeals \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> last month refused to put it on hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appeals \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> is not likely to issue a ruling on the plan until months after it hears oral arguments begin on June 2. But any decision likely would be appealed to the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Supreme\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Court\u003c/span>, meaning resolution of the legal fight is not likely to happen until Obama leaves office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The high \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court’s\u003c/span> four liberal justices said Tuesday they would have denied the request for delay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compliance with the new rules isn’t required until 2022, but states must submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that power plants will have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that may end up being overturned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, whose coal-dependent state is helping lead the legal fight, hailed the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court’s\u003c/span> decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are thrilled that the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Supreme\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">Court\u003c/span> realized the rule’s immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues,” Morrisey said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Implementation of the rules is considered essential to the United States meeting emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris last month. The Obama administration and environmental groups also say the plan will spur new clean-energy jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To convince the high \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> to temporarily halt the plan, opponents had to convince the justices that there was a “fair prospect” the \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> would strike down the rule. The \u003cspan style=\"color: red\">court\u003c/span> also had to consider whether denying a stay would cause irreparable harm to the states and utility companies affected.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Climate Change Is Leaving Native Plants Behind",
"headTitle": "Climate Change Is Leaving Native Plants Behind | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Willis Linn Jepson encountered a squat shrub while he was collecting botanical specimens on California’s Mount Tamalpais in the fall of 1936. He trimmed off a few branches and jotted down the location along the ridge trail where the manzanita grew, 2,255 feet above sea level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The desiccated specimen is now part of an \u003ca href=\"http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/\">herbarium here\u003c/a> that’s named for the famed botanist. It was among hundreds of thousands of specimens of thousands of different species that were used recently to track the movement of plant species up the state’s many hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”7swK7Qp0JuUh8gyefXT0ZWzUlphgkOLV”]The results of the analysis warn that native plants are struggling to keep up with changes around them as pollution from fuel burning and deforestation continues to warm the planet. Earlier research into the movement of Californian animals shows they’re shifting more quickly than the native plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The big takeaway is that species are on the move, and they’re moving at different rates,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.environment.ucla.edu/people/jon-christensen\">Jon Christensen\u003c/a>, a scientist and historian at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucla.edu/\">University of California, Los Angeles\u003c/a>. “Which raises the concern that the ecosystems of California could be unraveling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christensen and four other scientists analyzed a database of 2 million specimens from a network of \u003ca href=\"http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/consortium/participants.html\">35 Californian herbariums\u003c/a>. Herbariums are like little-known natural history museums that store vast collections of ferns, mosses, algae and other plants. They found 681,609 specimen records to include in their analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discovered that the range of the Eastwood’s manzanita, which was the type of plant Jepson trimmed on the mountain trail in 1936, hasn’t budged — even as temperatures have risen around it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Temperatures have been rising around the world because of the heat-trapping effects of carbon dioxide, methane and other types of atmospheric pollution. The combined effects of global warming and phases in ocean cycles contributed to \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/2015-hottest-year-2016-could-surpass-19929\">record-breaking warmth\u003c/a> globally in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More warming is anticipated in the years and decades ahead, yet ecologists remain unsure how wildlife will be affected. The discovery that the Eastwood’s manzanita range has been locked in its original range “raises questions” about whether it will be able to adapt as the climate changes around it, Christensen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, just one in eight native Californian species shifted their ranges significantly upward during more than a century of specimen collecting in California, during which time temperatures rose by about 1°C (nearly 2°F), the researchers \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.12423/abstract\">concluded in a paper\u003c/a> published in Global Ecology and Biogeography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Plants and animals aren’t moving together in sync,” University of Connecticut ornithologist \u003ca href=\"http://www.morgantingley.com/\">Morgan Tingley\u003c/a>, who has studied the \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/106/Supplement_2/19637.full.pdf\">shifting ranges of native birds\u003c/a> in parts of California, said after reading the new paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This leads us to suspect that ecological communities are breaking down and disassembling,” Tingley said. “It’s a worrying possibility, and one that we don’t yet know the consequences of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The native plants were also found to be moving more slowly into higher altitudes than their invasive counterparts, one in four of which were found to be spreading uphill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the planet warms, ideal climatic conditions for different species of wildlife tend to shift to higher latitudes and greater altitudes. Not all species are expected to be able to keep pace with the changes underway. Of those that do, some will encounter mountaintops, shorelines and freeways that prevent them from going any further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the climate changes too quickly, and species can’t keep up with it, they might be left behind in a climate that’s completely unsuitable for them,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/person.aspx?personid=138\">Nate Stephenson\u003c/a>, a federal forest ecologist who researches climate change. “Then their population numbers may go down. In extreme cases, they might even blink out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While animals can fly or clamber to new grounds, most plants expand their ranges only when they cast their seeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a legitimate concern that many plant species are simply not evolved to be able to shift their population distributions as fast as the current climate-change event will require,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, a bioclimatologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams described the new paper, with which he was not involved, as the “culmination of an incredible amount of work.” He said its conclusions are also “broadly relevant” outside California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is a great place to study species’ range responses to climate,” Williams said. “They have a great dataset, and also a lot of diversity in terms of elevation and climate type.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new study relied on the results of the ongoing digitization of the specimens at the Californian herbariums. Digitization involves shooting digital photographs of samples and noting the coordinates and other details of the sites where they were collected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a quarter of more than 2 million specimens stored in manilla folders in long rows of tall cabinets in a large herbarium at the University of California, Berkeley have been digitized so far. “Big data is a big thing on our campus,” said \u003ca href=\"http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/people/mishler.html\">Brent Mishler\u003c/a>, a biology professor who oversees the collection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The potential power of each piece of data is limited by the amount of information recorded when the specimen was collected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The older ones — they may not have as much data,” Mishler said. “But it still tells you where it was collected and when.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The analysis of the big herbarium data showed small-seeded native plant species, such as grasses, are moving more quickly and more often up California’s hills than those with larger seeds — such as manzanita. Small seeds travel further than large ones, making it easier for those types of plants to spread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s huge variation in the species distribution shifts, depending on whether a plant is endemic, native or invasive,” said \u003ca href=\"https://adamwolf.princeton.edu/about/\">Adam Wolf\u003c/a>, a former Princeton University scientist who led the study. “On top of that, there’s huge variation, depending on whether they have little seeds, medium seeds or big seeds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Invasive species were more likely to be stretching their ranges upward than native species, and the ranges are moving or expanding more quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unwanted weeds aren’t necessarily growing their Californian footprints because of climate change, although it may be helping some of them. Many would still be conquering new territory as they continued to invade after finding footholds in the state in decades past, regardless of climatic changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The expanding ranges of unwanted weeds is putting extra pressures on native plants, which are already struggling to withstand the effects climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that non-native plant species have been shifting upslope faster than native plant species is worrisome,” Lamont-Doherty’s Williams said. “In the time required for some slow-migrating native plant species to shift their distributions to locations where the climate is more suitable, those locations may already be colonized by invasive plants.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Willis Linn Jepson encountered a squat shrub while he was collecting botanical specimens on California’s Mount Tamalpais in the fall of 1936. He trimmed off a few branches and jotted down the location along the ridge trail where the manzanita grew, 2,255 feet above sea level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The desiccated specimen is now part of an \u003ca href=\"http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/\">herbarium here\u003c/a> that’s named for the famed botanist. It was among hundreds of thousands of specimens of thousands of different species that were used recently to track the movement of plant species up the state’s many hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>The results of the analysis warn that native plants are struggling to keep up with changes around them as pollution from fuel burning and deforestation continues to warm the planet. Earlier research into the movement of Californian animals shows they’re shifting more quickly than the native plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The big takeaway is that species are on the move, and they’re moving at different rates,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.environment.ucla.edu/people/jon-christensen\">Jon Christensen\u003c/a>, a scientist and historian at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucla.edu/\">University of California, Los Angeles\u003c/a>. “Which raises the concern that the ecosystems of California could be unraveling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christensen and four other scientists analyzed a database of 2 million specimens from a network of \u003ca href=\"http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/consortium/participants.html\">35 Californian herbariums\u003c/a>. Herbariums are like little-known natural history museums that store vast collections of ferns, mosses, algae and other plants. They found 681,609 specimen records to include in their analysis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discovered that the range of the Eastwood’s manzanita, which was the type of plant Jepson trimmed on the mountain trail in 1936, hasn’t budged — even as temperatures have risen around it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Temperatures have been rising around the world because of the heat-trapping effects of carbon dioxide, methane and other types of atmospheric pollution. The combined effects of global warming and phases in ocean cycles contributed to \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/2015-hottest-year-2016-could-surpass-19929\">record-breaking warmth\u003c/a> globally in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More warming is anticipated in the years and decades ahead, yet ecologists remain unsure how wildlife will be affected. The discovery that the Eastwood’s manzanita range has been locked in its original range “raises questions” about whether it will be able to adapt as the climate changes around it, Christensen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, just one in eight native Californian species shifted their ranges significantly upward during more than a century of specimen collecting in California, during which time temperatures rose by about 1°C (nearly 2°F), the researchers \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.12423/abstract\">concluded in a paper\u003c/a> published in Global Ecology and Biogeography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Plants and animals aren’t moving together in sync,” University of Connecticut ornithologist \u003ca href=\"http://www.morgantingley.com/\">Morgan Tingley\u003c/a>, who has studied the \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/106/Supplement_2/19637.full.pdf\">shifting ranges of native birds\u003c/a> in parts of California, said after reading the new paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This leads us to suspect that ecological communities are breaking down and disassembling,” Tingley said. “It’s a worrying possibility, and one that we don’t yet know the consequences of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The native plants were also found to be moving more slowly into higher altitudes than their invasive counterparts, one in four of which were found to be spreading uphill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the planet warms, ideal climatic conditions for different species of wildlife tend to shift to higher latitudes and greater altitudes. Not all species are expected to be able to keep pace with the changes underway. Of those that do, some will encounter mountaintops, shorelines and freeways that prevent them from going any further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the climate changes too quickly, and species can’t keep up with it, they might be left behind in a climate that’s completely unsuitable for them,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.werc.usgs.gov/person.aspx?personid=138\">Nate Stephenson\u003c/a>, a federal forest ecologist who researches climate change. “Then their population numbers may go down. In extreme cases, they might even blink out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While animals can fly or clamber to new grounds, most plants expand their ranges only when they cast their seeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a legitimate concern that many plant species are simply not evolved to be able to shift their population distributions as fast as the current climate-change event will require,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, a bioclimatologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams described the new paper, with which he was not involved, as the “culmination of an incredible amount of work.” He said its conclusions are also “broadly relevant” outside California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is a great place to study species’ range responses to climate,” Williams said. “They have a great dataset, and also a lot of diversity in terms of elevation and climate type.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new study relied on the results of the ongoing digitization of the specimens at the Californian herbariums. Digitization involves shooting digital photographs of samples and noting the coordinates and other details of the sites where they were collected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a quarter of more than 2 million specimens stored in manilla folders in long rows of tall cabinets in a large herbarium at the University of California, Berkeley have been digitized so far. “Big data is a big thing on our campus,” said \u003ca href=\"http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/people/mishler.html\">Brent Mishler\u003c/a>, a biology professor who oversees the collection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The potential power of each piece of data is limited by the amount of information recorded when the specimen was collected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The older ones — they may not have as much data,” Mishler said. “But it still tells you where it was collected and when.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The analysis of the big herbarium data showed small-seeded native plant species, such as grasses, are moving more quickly and more often up California’s hills than those with larger seeds — such as manzanita. Small seeds travel further than large ones, making it easier for those types of plants to spread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s huge variation in the species distribution shifts, depending on whether a plant is endemic, native or invasive,” said \u003ca href=\"https://adamwolf.princeton.edu/about/\">Adam Wolf\u003c/a>, a former Princeton University scientist who led the study. “On top of that, there’s huge variation, depending on whether they have little seeds, medium seeds or big seeds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Invasive species were more likely to be stretching their ranges upward than native species, and the ranges are moving or expanding more quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unwanted weeds aren’t necessarily growing their Californian footprints because of climate change, although it may be helping some of them. Many would still be conquering new territory as they continued to invade after finding footholds in the state in decades past, regardless of climatic changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The expanding ranges of unwanted weeds is putting extra pressures on native plants, which are already struggling to withstand the effects climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that non-native plant species have been shifting upslope faster than native plant species is worrisome,” Lamont-Doherty’s Williams said. “In the time required for some slow-migrating native plant species to shift their distributions to locations where the climate is more suitable, those locations may already be colonized by invasive plants.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Any sign of precipitation in the forecast is a welcome sight for Californians these days. But with temperatures \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expected to be above normal\u003c/a> this winter, California’s snowpack may not reach the heights it could.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is crucial to the state’s water supply. But scientists say as the climate continues to warm, more precipitation will fall as rain instead of snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>All in the Timing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not all precipitation is created equal,” said Kelly Redmond, who studies the snowpack at the Desert Research Institute in Reno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both snow and rainfall end up in the same place in California, feeding its \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2015/09/21/now-that-summers-over-what-do-californias-reservoirs-look-like-a-real-time-visualization/\">network rivers and reservoirs\u003c/a>. The key difference is timing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it falls as snow, it stays there,” said Redmond. “It’s like a free reservoir. It doesn’t run off, doesn’t cause floods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Listen to the story:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nhttp://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2016/02/20160208ScienceWarmerWinters.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra snowpack melts just as California’s dry season begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It releases slowly in the spring, and shows up in the rivers and in our faucets in the summer months,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This timing is critical, Redmond says. The snowpack feeds about a third of the California’s water supply. If it fell as rain instead, water managers would need to find a way to store it in reservoirs in the winter until the dry summer months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Record Warm Winter\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials, understandably, keep a very close eye on snow levels, doing \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/02/good-news-sierra-snowpack-is-above-average/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">monthly snow surveys\u003c/a> in the Sierra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the snowpack is its best in years – \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">110 percent of normal\u003c/a>. But last year at this time, it was just 21 percent. Dry weather was the main culprit to blame, but so was record-breaking warmth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, for the first time ever recorded in the Sierra, the coldest winter temperatures were above freezing on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http://kroodsma.com/charts/california_water/snow.php?width=700&height=350\" width=\"700\" height=\"350\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t take much warming to switch from rain to snow,” said Redmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s snow is already nicknamed “Sierra cement,” because it’s known for being wet and heavy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s almost ready to turn to rain,” Redmond said. “It’s not like the powder you get in Utah and Montana and Colorado, which are at higher altitudes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For every five degrees of warming, the freezing point of a storm, or the altitude of the “snow level” as it’s called, will rise by a thousand feet, driving the snowpack higher into the mountains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If rain falls on top of snow, it diminishes the snowpack further by melting it and producing heaving runoff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Overall the freezing level in the Sierra Nevada has been going up,” said Redmond. “It’s been more in the spring. What this means is that melting is starting to occur earlier at higher altitudes and runoff is starting earlier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Future of Warming\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this has been kind of a wake up call,” said Dan Cayan, who studies climate change at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the US Geological Survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘The last couple years were extraordinarily warm and I think to some extent those are models for what we might expect in the future.’\u003ccite>Dan Cayan, USGS\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“The last couple years were extraordinarily warm and I think to some extent those are models for what we might expect in the future,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cayan says California’s snowpack has already shrunk by 10 percent on average since World War II, a trend that is likely to continue as the climate warms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the end of the century, if we’re lucky, we’ll only lose half,” said Cayan. “And if we’re unlucky, we could lose more than that. We’re in an era of unprecedented changes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether California will get more or less precipitation overall with climate change is something that’s been debated, but a \u003ca href=\"https://news.agu.org/press-release/southwest-sliding-into-a-drier-normal-weather-patterns-that-bring-rain-are-becoming-less-frequent/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study released on Thursday\u003c/a> indicates that periods of dryness could increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers found that the low-pressure weather systems that typically bring rain to the Southwestern US \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpr.org/news/newsbeat/wet-weather-less-likely-southwest-us-ncar-study-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have formed less often\u003c/a> during the last three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Droughts in the Southwest, specifically in California, are getting more intense and can last longer than in the past,” said Andreas Prein of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who led the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Preparing for More Runoff\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big deal,” said Mark Cowin, director of California’s Department of Water Resources. “It really does change the dynamic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To prepare for a future with more extreme winter runoff, some have called for expanding California’s system of reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_510440\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-510440\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A snow survey last April in the Sierra Nevada turned up only dry ground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A snow survey last April in the Sierra Nevada turned up only dry ground. \u003ccite>(Max Whittaker/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Of course, there’s always been interest in dams,” said Cowin. “They’re big. You can see them. But the fact is we’re not going to appreciably change the amount of reservoir capacity we have in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from a handful of proposed projects, there are not many good locations left for dams, he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Cowin says the state will need to look at other options, like storing more water underground through groundwater banking, preparing for floods and using water more efficiently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those options will also take substantial financial investment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We could spend a hundred billion dollars over the next decade or two pretty easily,” Cowin said. “Even more than that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s recent water bond could help with that, but at just $7 billion dollars, it’s really (and here comes the water metaphor) only a drop in the bucket.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Any sign of precipitation in the forecast is a welcome sight for Californians these days. But with temperatures \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expected to be above normal\u003c/a> this winter, California’s snowpack may not reach the heights it could.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is crucial to the state’s water supply. But scientists say as the climate continues to warm, more precipitation will fall as rain instead of snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>All in the Timing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not all precipitation is created equal,” said Kelly Redmond, who studies the snowpack at the Desert Research Institute in Reno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both snow and rainfall end up in the same place in California, feeding its \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2015/09/21/now-that-summers-over-what-do-californias-reservoirs-look-like-a-real-time-visualization/\">network rivers and reservoirs\u003c/a>. The key difference is timing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it falls as snow, it stays there,” said Redmond. “It’s like a free reservoir. It doesn’t run off, doesn’t cause floods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Listen to the story:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Sierra snowpack melts just as California’s dry season begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It releases slowly in the spring, and shows up in the rivers and in our faucets in the summer months,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This timing is critical, Redmond says. The snowpack feeds about a third of the California’s water supply. If it fell as rain instead, water managers would need to find a way to store it in reservoirs in the winter until the dry summer months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Record Warm Winter\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials, understandably, keep a very close eye on snow levels, doing \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/02/02/good-news-sierra-snowpack-is-above-average/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">monthly snow surveys\u003c/a> in the Sierra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the snowpack is its best in years – \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">110 percent of normal\u003c/a>. But last year at this time, it was just 21 percent. Dry weather was the main culprit to blame, but so was record-breaking warmth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, for the first time ever recorded in the Sierra, the coldest winter temperatures were above freezing on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http://kroodsma.com/charts/california_water/snow.php?width=700&height=350\" width=\"700\" height=\"350\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t take much warming to switch from rain to snow,” said Redmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s snow is already nicknamed “Sierra cement,” because it’s known for being wet and heavy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s almost ready to turn to rain,” Redmond said. “It’s not like the powder you get in Utah and Montana and Colorado, which are at higher altitudes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For every five degrees of warming, the freezing point of a storm, or the altitude of the “snow level” as it’s called, will rise by a thousand feet, driving the snowpack higher into the mountains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If rain falls on top of snow, it diminishes the snowpack further by melting it and producing heaving runoff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Overall the freezing level in the Sierra Nevada has been going up,” said Redmond. “It’s been more in the spring. What this means is that melting is starting to occur earlier at higher altitudes and runoff is starting earlier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Future of Warming\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this has been kind of a wake up call,” said Dan Cayan, who studies climate change at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the US Geological Survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘The last couple years were extraordinarily warm and I think to some extent those are models for what we might expect in the future.’\u003ccite>Dan Cayan, USGS\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“The last couple years were extraordinarily warm and I think to some extent those are models for what we might expect in the future,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cayan says California’s snowpack has already shrunk by 10 percent on average since World War II, a trend that is likely to continue as the climate warms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the end of the century, if we’re lucky, we’ll only lose half,” said Cayan. “And if we’re unlucky, we could lose more than that. We’re in an era of unprecedented changes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether California will get more or less precipitation overall with climate change is something that’s been debated, but a \u003ca href=\"https://news.agu.org/press-release/southwest-sliding-into-a-drier-normal-weather-patterns-that-bring-rain-are-becoming-less-frequent/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study released on Thursday\u003c/a> indicates that periods of dryness could increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers found that the low-pressure weather systems that typically bring rain to the Southwestern US \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpr.org/news/newsbeat/wet-weather-less-likely-southwest-us-ncar-study-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have formed less often\u003c/a> during the last three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Droughts in the Southwest, specifically in California, are getting more intense and can last longer than in the past,” said Andreas Prein of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who led the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Preparing for More Runoff\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big deal,” said Mark Cowin, director of California’s Department of Water Resources. “It really does change the dynamic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To prepare for a future with more extreme winter runoff, some have called for expanding California’s system of reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_510440\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-510440\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A snow survey last April in the Sierra Nevada turned up only dry ground.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/02/Survey-April15-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A snow survey last April in the Sierra Nevada turned up only dry ground. \u003ccite>(Max Whittaker/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Of course, there’s always been interest in dams,” said Cowin. “They’re big. You can see them. But the fact is we’re not going to appreciably change the amount of reservoir capacity we have in California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from a handful of proposed projects, there are not many good locations left for dams, he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Cowin says the state will need to look at other options, like storing more water underground through groundwater banking, preparing for floods and using water more efficiently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those options will also take substantial financial investment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We could spend a hundred billion dollars over the next decade or two pretty easily,” Cowin said. “Even more than that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s recent water bond could help with that, but at just $7 billion dollars, it’s really (and here comes the water metaphor) only a drop in the bucket.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "El Niño: It's One For the Books -- But Not Behaving As Expected",
"headTitle": "El Niño: It’s One For the Books — But Not Behaving As Expected | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The prospect of an El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean always generates a stew of excitement, dread, and speculation in California. This largely stems from the fact that two of California’s wettest winters on record — 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 — occurred during the strongest El Niño years in living memory. The popular perception that El Niño always brings a lot of water to the Golden State, though, is not particularly accurate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The key message here: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/09/01/drought-myth-busting-why-el-nino-wont-save-california/\">strong El Niño events are the ones to watch\u003c/a> out for from a California weather perspective, and it’s reasonable to expect that such events greatly increase the odds of wet conditions throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_502362\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 565px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-502362\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fig1.gif\" alt=\"Subtropical ridging between Hawaii and California has been more prominent so far during 2015-2016 than during the 82/83 or 97/98 events.\" width=\"565\" height=\"437\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Subtropical “ridging” between Hawaii and California has been more prominent so far during 2015-2016 than during the 82/83 or 97/98 events. \u003ccite>(NCEP via ESRL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How is this El Niño different from other ‘Big Ones?’\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on how you measure it, the present El Niño is either the strongest or among the strongest events in the observed record going back to at least 1950. Ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean — the most traditional measure of El Niño’s amplitude — have been at or above record-high values for at least several months now. So despite assertions to the contrary, the 2015-2016 El Niño is not “a bust” by any means.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But absolute sea surface temperatures don’t always tell the whole story. While the present El Niño is indeed among the strongest ever recorded, the atmospheric response to the warm ocean temperatures this year has been a bit different than we have observed during other big historical events. Over the northeastern Pacific, El Niño acts to deepen the \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=13718\">semi-permanent Gulf of Alaska low-pressure\u003c/a> zone while simultaneously strengthening (and, literally, straightening) the \u003ca href=\"http://www.livescience.com/27825-jet-stream.html\">jet stream\u003c/a> over the eastern Pacific Ocean. This enhanced and “more zonal” (i.e. more west-to-east) jet stream is what tends to bring increased winter precipitation to California (and, sometimes, as we’re seeing now, even the Pacific Northwest) during strong El Niño years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_502363\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 565px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-502363\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fig2.gif\" alt=\"Tropical convection associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño has been centered further north than in previous big events, with subsidence (downward motion) occurring closer to California on its northern flank.\" width=\"565\" height=\"437\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tropical convection associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño has been centered farther north than in previous big events, with subsidence (downward motion) occurring closer to California on its northern flank. \u003ccite>(NCEP via ESRL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tropical convection associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño has been centered further north than in previous big events, with subsidence (downward motion; yellow/red colors) occurring closer to California on its northern flank\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These atmospheric effects are the product of a fairly complex chain of events that link the tropical to the mid-latitude atmosphere. Warmer-than-usual ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific increase thunderstorm activity there, which pumps vast quantities of heat into the upper atmosphere. This tropically warm air at upper levels eventually flows northward and drops back toward the surface of the Earth in the subtropics (at a latitude roughly equivalent to that of Hawaii). This enhanced “\u003ca href=\"https://www.seas.harvard.edu/climate/eli/research/equable/hadley.html\">Hadley circulation\u003c/a>” during El Niño years increases the temperature differential between the warm tropics and cool Gulf of Alaska, which is what causes the jet stream to strengthen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Skipping the Southland\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late 2015 and early 2016, the atmosphere has responded to the ongoing powerful El Niño much in the way that meteorologists have come to expect. The Pacific warmed; tropical thunderstorms increased; the Hadley cell strengthened; the Pacific jet began to roar. But this year, the Hadley cell has actually strengthened a bit more than expected. The descending air on its northern side has occurred closer to California, which means that enhanced temperature differential is occurring farther to the north than during previous big El Niño events. Subtropical ridging between Hawaii and California has been more pronounced, and the El Niño-strengthened jet stream has set up shop primarily across Northern California and \u003ca href=\"http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/flooding-landslides-after-record-rainfall-pounds-pacific-northwest-n475966\">even the Pacific Northwest\u003c/a>, rather than Southern California. From a global climate perspective, this is a relatively minor detail; if you happen to live in Los Angeles, though, it makes all the difference in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The net effect so far in 2015-2016: Northern California and the Pacific Northwest have gotten soaked, while Southern California has been left pretty dry (with a few notable exceptions). While a veritable “parade of storms” has indeed inundated the northern reaches of the state with very heavy precipitation, bringing the best \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/30/sierra-snowpack-survey-drought\">Sierra Nevada snowpack\u003c/a> in years, leading to huge \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2015/09/21/now-that-summers-over-what-do-californias-reservoirs-look-like-a-real-time-visualization/\">inflows to large reservoirs\u003c/a> in critical watersheds, and even leading to some minor flooding at times, many of California’s most populous cities haven’t witnessed an especially remarkable winter to date. The San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento region have seen “Water Year” precipitation to date that is pretty close to the long-term average (which seems like a lot relative to the extremely dry years witnessed as of late). The densely populated greater Los Angeles region, on the other hand, is well below average for the season to date (though with significant precipitation this past weekend, its January total may well end up near or above average). From a long-term drought relief perspective, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/awipsProducts/RNOWRKCLI.php\">season to date\u003c/a> looks pretty good—precipitation is near or above average in most of California’s largest watersheds, and the water stored in the \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\">critical Sierra Nevada snowpack\u003c/a> is uniformly above average. So far, though, this isn’t quite the blockbuster year that many had hoped for (especially in the south).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_502364\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 531px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-502364\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fig3.gif\" alt=\"While nearly all of California is expected to be above average in terms of season-to-date precipitation after this weekend’s Southern California storm, only the northern 2/3 of the state is above average for the full season to date.\" width=\"531\" height=\"688\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">While nearly all of California is expected to be above average in terms of season-to-date precipitation after this weekend’s Southern California storm, only the northern 2/3 of the state is above average for the full season to date.? \u003ccite>(NOAA via WRCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So, What Now?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El Niño is certainly still with us, and it’s still a top-tier event. For that reason, the smart money’s still on a wetter-than-average season for California on balance. This is especially true since the precipitation during strong El Niño years is often heavily “back-weighted,” with an unusually large fraction of seasonal totals occurring during the second half of the rainy season from February to April. What is less clear, at this point, is whether the northerly-shifted atmospheric response to this El Niño will persist — and whether Southern California will start to make up for lost time. It’s certainly possible, and it’s easy to forget that a surprisingly large fraction of precipitation in the Southland occurs during a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/11/23/flying-into-the-heart-of-the-wests-biggest-storms/\">handful of intense storms\u003c/a> each year (even in strong El Niño years). From a statewide perspective, some substantial drought relief has already occurred this year, but there remain large regions in the southern part of the state that are still extremely dry. The refrain from earlier in the autumn is now more relevant than ever: while El Niño is likely to bring some degree of drought relief, California will likely still be facing long-term drought conditions by the coming summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Big Picture\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, there has been considerable discussion lately regarding why the atmospheric response to El Niño this year has been different than historically observed (and also than foreseen by some of the flagship seasonal forecast models). It’s impossible to ignore the fact that global temperatures in late 2015 and early 2016 have reached their \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/01/20/2015-was-the-warmest-year-on-record-globally-but-not-in-california/\">highest levels in recorded human history\u003c/a>. Part of this very recent warming is likely a product of our record El Niño event, but the rest is pretty clearly attributable to the long-term warming trend associated the with human emission of greenhouse gases. While global mean temperature doesn’t directly affect El Niño teleconnections, per se, the Earth hasn’t been warming in a spatially uniform way. This year in particular, the subtropics and the polar regions have been especially warm relative to other parts of the world. It is possible that this spatial pattern of warming may be playing a role in the particular atmospheric configuration that has resulted from the 2015-2016 El Niño event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to say more than that right now. The pace of climate change attribution science is much slower than that of the atmosphere itself, and it’s hard to make causal inferences from observations alone. Climate models are often the best tool available for climate scientists to test the counterfactual: what would this year have looked like without global warming? Such experiments take a considerable amount of time, so we’ll probably have to wait a while to find out. Stay tuned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Daniel Swain is an atmospheric scientist at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. A version of this post also appears on his \u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/\">California Weather\u003c/a> blog.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The prospect of an El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean always generates a stew of excitement, dread, and speculation in California. This largely stems from the fact that two of California’s wettest winters on record — 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 — occurred during the strongest El Niño years in living memory. The popular perception that El Niño always brings a lot of water to the Golden State, though, is not particularly accurate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The key message here: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/09/01/drought-myth-busting-why-el-nino-wont-save-california/\">strong El Niño events are the ones to watch\u003c/a> out for from a California weather perspective, and it’s reasonable to expect that such events greatly increase the odds of wet conditions throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_502362\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 565px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-502362\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fig1.gif\" alt=\"Subtropical ridging between Hawaii and California has been more prominent so far during 2015-2016 than during the 82/83 or 97/98 events.\" width=\"565\" height=\"437\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Subtropical “ridging” between Hawaii and California has been more prominent so far during 2015-2016 than during the 82/83 or 97/98 events. \u003ccite>(NCEP via ESRL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How is this El Niño different from other ‘Big Ones?’\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on how you measure it, the present El Niño is either the strongest or among the strongest events in the observed record going back to at least 1950. Ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean — the most traditional measure of El Niño’s amplitude — have been at or above record-high values for at least several months now. So despite assertions to the contrary, the 2015-2016 El Niño is not “a bust” by any means.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But absolute sea surface temperatures don’t always tell the whole story. While the present El Niño is indeed among the strongest ever recorded, the atmospheric response to the warm ocean temperatures this year has been a bit different than we have observed during other big historical events. Over the northeastern Pacific, El Niño acts to deepen the \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=13718\">semi-permanent Gulf of Alaska low-pressure\u003c/a> zone while simultaneously strengthening (and, literally, straightening) the \u003ca href=\"http://www.livescience.com/27825-jet-stream.html\">jet stream\u003c/a> over the eastern Pacific Ocean. This enhanced and “more zonal” (i.e. more west-to-east) jet stream is what tends to bring increased winter precipitation to California (and, sometimes, as we’re seeing now, even the Pacific Northwest) during strong El Niño years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_502363\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 565px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-502363\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fig2.gif\" alt=\"Tropical convection associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño has been centered further north than in previous big events, with subsidence (downward motion) occurring closer to California on its northern flank.\" width=\"565\" height=\"437\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tropical convection associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño has been centered farther north than in previous big events, with subsidence (downward motion) occurring closer to California on its northern flank. \u003ccite>(NCEP via ESRL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tropical convection associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño has been centered further north than in previous big events, with subsidence (downward motion; yellow/red colors) occurring closer to California on its northern flank\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These atmospheric effects are the product of a fairly complex chain of events that link the tropical to the mid-latitude atmosphere. Warmer-than-usual ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific increase thunderstorm activity there, which pumps vast quantities of heat into the upper atmosphere. This tropically warm air at upper levels eventually flows northward and drops back toward the surface of the Earth in the subtropics (at a latitude roughly equivalent to that of Hawaii). This enhanced “\u003ca href=\"https://www.seas.harvard.edu/climate/eli/research/equable/hadley.html\">Hadley circulation\u003c/a>” during El Niño years increases the temperature differential between the warm tropics and cool Gulf of Alaska, which is what causes the jet stream to strengthen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Skipping the Southland\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In late 2015 and early 2016, the atmosphere has responded to the ongoing powerful El Niño much in the way that meteorologists have come to expect. The Pacific warmed; tropical thunderstorms increased; the Hadley cell strengthened; the Pacific jet began to roar. But this year, the Hadley cell has actually strengthened a bit more than expected. The descending air on its northern side has occurred closer to California, which means that enhanced temperature differential is occurring farther to the north than during previous big El Niño events. Subtropical ridging between Hawaii and California has been more pronounced, and the El Niño-strengthened jet stream has set up shop primarily across Northern California and \u003ca href=\"http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/flooding-landslides-after-record-rainfall-pounds-pacific-northwest-n475966\">even the Pacific Northwest\u003c/a>, rather than Southern California. From a global climate perspective, this is a relatively minor detail; if you happen to live in Los Angeles, though, it makes all the difference in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The net effect so far in 2015-2016: Northern California and the Pacific Northwest have gotten soaked, while Southern California has been left pretty dry (with a few notable exceptions). While a veritable “parade of storms” has indeed inundated the northern reaches of the state with very heavy precipitation, bringing the best \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/30/sierra-snowpack-survey-drought\">Sierra Nevada snowpack\u003c/a> in years, leading to huge \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2015/09/21/now-that-summers-over-what-do-californias-reservoirs-look-like-a-real-time-visualization/\">inflows to large reservoirs\u003c/a> in critical watersheds, and even leading to some minor flooding at times, many of California’s most populous cities haven’t witnessed an especially remarkable winter to date. The San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento region have seen “Water Year” precipitation to date that is pretty close to the long-term average (which seems like a lot relative to the extremely dry years witnessed as of late). The densely populated greater Los Angeles region, on the other hand, is well below average for the season to date (though with significant precipitation this past weekend, its January total may well end up near or above average). From a long-term drought relief perspective, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/awipsProducts/RNOWRKCLI.php\">season to date\u003c/a> looks pretty good—precipitation is near or above average in most of California’s largest watersheds, and the water stored in the \u003ca href=\"http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action\">critical Sierra Nevada snowpack\u003c/a> is uniformly above average. So far, though, this isn’t quite the blockbuster year that many had hoped for (especially in the south).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_502364\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 531px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-502364\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fig3.gif\" alt=\"While nearly all of California is expected to be above average in terms of season-to-date precipitation after this weekend’s Southern California storm, only the northern 2/3 of the state is above average for the full season to date.\" width=\"531\" height=\"688\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">While nearly all of California is expected to be above average in terms of season-to-date precipitation after this weekend’s Southern California storm, only the northern 2/3 of the state is above average for the full season to date.? \u003ccite>(NOAA via WRCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So, What Now?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El Niño is certainly still with us, and it’s still a top-tier event. For that reason, the smart money’s still on a wetter-than-average season for California on balance. This is especially true since the precipitation during strong El Niño years is often heavily “back-weighted,” with an unusually large fraction of seasonal totals occurring during the second half of the rainy season from February to April. What is less clear, at this point, is whether the northerly-shifted atmospheric response to this El Niño will persist — and whether Southern California will start to make up for lost time. It’s certainly possible, and it’s easy to forget that a surprisingly large fraction of precipitation in the Southland occurs during a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/11/23/flying-into-the-heart-of-the-wests-biggest-storms/\">handful of intense storms\u003c/a> each year (even in strong El Niño years). From a statewide perspective, some substantial drought relief has already occurred this year, but there remain large regions in the southern part of the state that are still extremely dry. The refrain from earlier in the autumn is now more relevant than ever: while El Niño is likely to bring some degree of drought relief, California will likely still be facing long-term drought conditions by the coming summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Big Picture\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, there has been considerable discussion lately regarding why the atmospheric response to El Niño this year has been different than historically observed (and also than foreseen by some of the flagship seasonal forecast models). It’s impossible to ignore the fact that global temperatures in late 2015 and early 2016 have reached their \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/01/20/2015-was-the-warmest-year-on-record-globally-but-not-in-california/\">highest levels in recorded human history\u003c/a>. Part of this very recent warming is likely a product of our record El Niño event, but the rest is pretty clearly attributable to the long-term warming trend associated the with human emission of greenhouse gases. While global mean temperature doesn’t directly affect El Niño teleconnections, per se, the Earth hasn’t been warming in a spatially uniform way. This year in particular, the subtropics and the polar regions have been especially warm relative to other parts of the world. It is possible that this spatial pattern of warming may be playing a role in the particular atmospheric configuration that has resulted from the 2015-2016 El Niño event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to say more than that right now. The pace of climate change attribution science is much slower than that of the atmosphere itself, and it’s hard to make causal inferences from observations alone. Climate models are often the best tool available for climate scientists to test the counterfactual: what would this year have looked like without global warming? Such experiments take a considerable amount of time, so we’ll probably have to wait a while to find out. Stay tuned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Daniel Swain is an atmospheric scientist at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. A version of this post also appears on his \u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/\">California Weather\u003c/a> blog.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Bay Area Landslide Risk Goes Up as Rains Pour Down",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Listen to the Story:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nhttp://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio//2016/01/WEBLandslideRiskVenton.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The winter rains have brought sweet relief to California after four years of punishing drought. But as one El Nino-fueled storm follows another, the heavy precipitation can cause its own set of hazards. That includes the potential for landslides. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How bad this year will be for landslides all depends upon how intense the rains will be,” says Brian Collins, a researcher at the U. S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. “The water has been pretty constant so there is a danger.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During most years, many small landslides affect the Bay Area. Catastrophic slides, causing loss of property and life, aren’t common, but they do happen. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Night the Mountain Fell at Love Creek \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early January of 1982, a \u003ca href=\"http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/ZZ/20120106/NEWS/120108207\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">heavy storm slammed\u003c/a> into the Santa Cruz mountains. Though it was not an El Niño year, the storm dropped 20 inches of rain in just 32 hours—nearly half the area’s annual rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Stephen Sanders was a fire captain for the Ben Lomond Volunteer Fire Department. On January 5, the morning after the storm, Sanders was at the fire station when an elderly couple walked in. They’d had to pick their way through debris to get there and were worried about their neighbors living further up the mountain along Love Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So the Chief sent myself and my brother and another gentlemen up here, ‘Hey, go up there, find out what’s going on.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, Sanders and I revisited the gully where, shortly after midnight on Jan. 5, a huge swath of hillside, about a quarter of a mile across, had broken away. A punishing river of mud, rocks and debris smothered the trees, houses and land below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We got here about 8 o’clock in the morning, after the sun came out, just like this,” Sanders recalls, standing at the site. “And it was just all—just boulders and clay, mud, and you’re sliding all over. It was terrible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of people volunteered to search the rubble by hand for bodies. The National Guard came out to help. In the end, 10 people died. Longtime Ben Lomond residents don’t talk about it much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very tough for us. These were our friends and neighbors,” Sanders says. “I knew everybody up here. We all did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county designated it a hazardous area, and other homes there were torn down. There’s not much left but rubble and twisted metal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Landslides Are Hard to Predict\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike other catastrophes–like floods or fires–people hardly ever evacuate for landslides. That’s because they are very difficult to predict. Scientists don’t have the tools to know where they’ll strike. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_499381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1730px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-499381\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129.jpg\" alt=\"Mountainous areas, even though they have steep slopes, require more rain to trigger a landslide risk because they've got a soil structure that's been absorbing rain effectively for centuries.\" width=\"1730\" height=\"1780\" class=\"size-full wp-image-499381\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129.jpg 1730w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-400x412.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-800x823.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-768x790.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-1440x1482.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-1180x1214.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-960x988.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-32x32.jpg 32w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1730px) 100vw, 1730px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mountainous areas, even though they have steep slopes, require more rain to trigger a landslide risk because they’ve got a soil structure that’s been absorbing rain effectively for centuries. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A lot of factors contribute to the potential for a landslide, things like the steepness of the slope, the construction of the soil, how wet it is, and how loose or tightly packed. These conditions change dramatically from one location to another and from one day to another. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there is one thing scientists know for certain raises the risk a landslide will happen: intense rainfall on saturated ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why we’re measuring the soil moisture,” says Collins of the USGS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency monitors soil moisture in the Bay Area to get a sense of how saturated the region is, but it’s a new area of research and they only have sensors at four sites. If the project goes well, more could be installed in the future, but for now it’s a broad look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll probably be able to predict the timing a little bit better than the exact location,” says Collins, “You can’t step on a location and say, ‘This is the next one to go,’ mainly because of variability in the soil.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Variability not just in the type of soil, but in whether it’s had a chance to dry out between storms. If it has, a heavy rainfall isn’t as hazardous. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, Collins says their sensors show soil moisture levels that are high and staying high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There hasn’t really been too many drying out periods in between storms; we’re getting storms every couple of days,” he says. “The next part of the equation is, will there be a storm with high enough rainfall intensities to actually do something?” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the risk of landslides is related to how much rain falls in a 24-hour period, people wanting to prepare can check the National Weather Service \u003ca href=\"http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hazard warnings\u003c/a> for detailed information on major storms and other weather events. Experts also recommend having an emergency plan for yourself and your family. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The winter rains have brought sweet relief to California after four years of punishing drought. But as one El Nino-fueled storm follows another, the heavy precipitation can cause its own set of hazards. That includes the potential for landslides. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How bad this year will be for landslides all depends upon how intense the rains will be,” says Brian Collins, a researcher at the U. S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. “The water has been pretty constant so there is a danger.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During most years, many small landslides affect the Bay Area. Catastrophic slides, causing loss of property and life, aren’t common, but they do happen. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Night the Mountain Fell at Love Creek \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early January of 1982, a \u003ca href=\"http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/ZZ/20120106/NEWS/120108207\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">heavy storm slammed\u003c/a> into the Santa Cruz mountains. Though it was not an El Niño year, the storm dropped 20 inches of rain in just 32 hours—nearly half the area’s annual rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Stephen Sanders was a fire captain for the Ben Lomond Volunteer Fire Department. On January 5, the morning after the storm, Sanders was at the fire station when an elderly couple walked in. They’d had to pick their way through debris to get there and were worried about their neighbors living further up the mountain along Love Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So the Chief sent myself and my brother and another gentlemen up here, ‘Hey, go up there, find out what’s going on.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, Sanders and I revisited the gully where, shortly after midnight on Jan. 5, a huge swath of hillside, about a quarter of a mile across, had broken away. A punishing river of mud, rocks and debris smothered the trees, houses and land below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We got here about 8 o’clock in the morning, after the sun came out, just like this,” Sanders recalls, standing at the site. “And it was just all—just boulders and clay, mud, and you’re sliding all over. It was terrible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of people volunteered to search the rubble by hand for bodies. The National Guard came out to help. In the end, 10 people died. Longtime Ben Lomond residents don’t talk about it much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very tough for us. These were our friends and neighbors,” Sanders says. “I knew everybody up here. We all did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county designated it a hazardous area, and other homes there were torn down. There’s not much left but rubble and twisted metal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Landslides Are Hard to Predict\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike other catastrophes–like floods or fires–people hardly ever evacuate for landslides. That’s because they are very difficult to predict. Scientists don’t have the tools to know where they’ll strike. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_499381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1730px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-499381\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129.jpg\" alt=\"Mountainous areas, even though they have steep slopes, require more rain to trigger a landslide risk because they've got a soil structure that's been absorbing rain effectively for centuries.\" width=\"1730\" height=\"1780\" class=\"size-full wp-image-499381\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129.jpg 1730w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-400x412.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-800x823.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-768x790.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-1440x1482.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-1180x1214.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-960x988.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/LandslideMap_V06_160129-32x32.jpg 32w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1730px) 100vw, 1730px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mountainous areas, even though they have steep slopes, require more rain to trigger a landslide risk because they’ve got a soil structure that’s been absorbing rain effectively for centuries. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A lot of factors contribute to the potential for a landslide, things like the steepness of the slope, the construction of the soil, how wet it is, and how loose or tightly packed. These conditions change dramatically from one location to another and from one day to another. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there is one thing scientists know for certain raises the risk a landslide will happen: intense rainfall on saturated ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why we’re measuring the soil moisture,” says Collins of the USGS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency monitors soil moisture in the Bay Area to get a sense of how saturated the region is, but it’s a new area of research and they only have sensors at four sites. If the project goes well, more could be installed in the future, but for now it’s a broad look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll probably be able to predict the timing a little bit better than the exact location,” says Collins, “You can’t step on a location and say, ‘This is the next one to go,’ mainly because of variability in the soil.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Variability not just in the type of soil, but in whether it’s had a chance to dry out between storms. If it has, a heavy rainfall isn’t as hazardous. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, Collins says their sensors show soil moisture levels that are high and staying high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There hasn’t really been too many drying out periods in between storms; we’re getting storms every couple of days,” he says. “The next part of the equation is, will there be a storm with high enough rainfall intensities to actually do something?” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the risk of landslides is related to how much rain falls in a 24-hour period, people wanting to prepare can check the National Weather Service \u003ca href=\"http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hazard warnings\u003c/a> for detailed information on major storms and other weather events. Experts also recommend having an emergency plan for yourself and your family. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"headTitle": "Hope for Supporting Polar Science Brightens at the Bottom of the World | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>The seventh and concluding post in a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/series/breaking-the-ice/\">series of dispatches\u003c/a> from freelance writer Brandon Reynolds aboard the USCG icebreaker Polar Star, on its annual resupply mission to the research base, McMurdo Station. It’s a critical task imperiled by the nation’s aging, shrinking fleet of ice-breaking ships.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone must inevitably deal, at some point, with “the break-up.” It wears different disguises in different places — the surprise invitation, the unexpected pregnancy, the phone call late in the night — but you know it simply as that which changes your direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In McMurdo Sound the break-up is what happens to the \u003ca href=\"https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glossary/term/fast-ice\">fast ice\u003c/a> that stretches from \u003ca href=\"http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/mount-erebus/judson-text\">volcanic Mt. Erebus\u003c/a> on the east all the way west to the edge of the continent. Just about every year the ice around McMurdo breaks up late in the season. Wind force, melting caused by seawater and the actions of a certain plucky icebreaker destabilize the whole giant ice sheet where once we ran around with penguins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498653\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498653 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2.jpg\" alt=\"The fast ice breaks away from land all the way to Mt. Erebus and begins floating north.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The fast ice breaks away from land all the way to Mt. Erebus and begins floating north. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Thursday afternoon the captain mentioned that a crack had formed across the whole channel. By midnight a 147-square-mile section of the fast ice had broken off and begun floating away north. In a few hours, weeks of work spent grooming the channel all just blew away. Once, there was a path through ice. Now there’s open water. Imagine building a bridge every year, and every year it gets washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We spent three days at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/support/mcmurdo.jsp\">McMurdo Station\u003c/a>, which is a little like a mining town, or a moon colony. It feels very far from the rest of the world. The people are an interesting bunch, scientists and contractors, exactly the kind of people who wish to live very far from the rest of the world. There is pizza 24/7. Just down the road is New Zealand’s \u003ca href=\"http://antarcticanz.govt.nz/scott-base\">Scott Base\u003c/a>, which is smaller and uniformly painted a delightful shade of pea green.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498647\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-498647\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2.jpg\" alt=\"Lt. Junior Grade Jack Hall and Lt. Junior Grade Cyrus Unvala check the distance between the Ocean Giant and Polar Star.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lts. Junior Grade Jack Hall and Cyrus Unvala check the distance between the Ocean Giant and Polar Star. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We’re now in the midst of McMurdo’s annual resupply. The freighter \u003ca href=\"http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/Ocean-Giant-9437335.html\">Ocean Giant\u003c/a> is docked, offloading a year’s worth of supplies and collecting a year’s worth of trash and freeze-dried poop, or so I hear. We’ll escort the Giant out, meet up with the fuel ship, bring it in. Once it’s offloaded its fuel, McMurdo will be supplied for the next year. Through McMurdo, the rest of the continent will be, too, because, as Capt. Matt Walker points out, “McMurdo is the major port in Antarctica, so all of Antarctica feeds off of McMurdo for its supplies and logistics.” It’s no exaggeration to say that the survival of the continent, meaning other U.S. bases but also many of the bases belonging to other nations, relies on McMurdo. It’s run by the National Science Foundation, which means, in a way, that NSF runs the continent. And NSF relies on Polar Star carving its thin lifeline in the ice, which nature, presently, will erase.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We might save the world through some scientific discovery that they find in Antarctica.’\u003ccite>Capt. Matt Walker\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Soon we’ll get the hell out of here and the people at McMurdo will get the hell out of here, too, piling into ski-equipped C-130 turboprops and flying to Christchurch and points north. Then winter arrives to turn endless day into endless night, to blot out the sky with 200 mile-per-hour winds, and to replace the sheet of ice in McMurdo Sound as though none of us were ever here. Whatever memory this place has is carried deeper than the few meters of frozen water the ship plows through every year. We will be remembered by no one save a few photobombed penguins and the odd startled seal. Leave no trace, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498643\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498643 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft.jpg\" alt=\"Executive Officer Cmdr. Mary Ellen Durley and Capt. Matt Walker look back at the turning basin as Walker breaks Polar Star into the pier at McMurdo Station.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Executive Officer Cmdr. Mary Ellen Durley and Capt. Matt Walker look back at the turning basin as Walker breaks Polar Star into the pier at McMurdo Station. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Back in the world, with a nudge from President Obama, the Coast Guard this month put out the call for \u003ca href=\"http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-coastguard-icebreaker-idUSKCN0UR25R20160114\">two new icebreakers\u003c/a>, saying it plans to award a contract in late 2018 or ’19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the forces in play are going in the right direction,” says Walker, “and now that the public is aware of [the icebreaker mission] more so than it ever has been before, we might get some of the funding required.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of this mission, a good chunk of the Engineering department, which holds a lot of the institutional memory of the ship, will move on or retire. On next year’s \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/01/06/dispatches-from-a-polar-icebreaker-and-whats-at-stake-for-science/\">Deep Freeze\u003c/a>, many new folks will receive surprise invitations from Polar Star herself, possibly in the middle of the night, to come on down and repair something that’s gone totally sideways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498646\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498646 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker.jpg\" alt=\"Capt. Matt Walker explains the route around Antarctica.\" width=\"853\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker-400x600.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Capt. Matt Walker explains the route around Antarctica. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Walker is leaving, too, not just Polar Star, but the organization. This is his last sail for the Coast Guard. He’s retiring in 2017 after a year in Saudi Arabia. That’ll be 30 years in the Coast Guard, 21 of which he has spent at sea, which is a tremendous amount of time to be underway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not a gray flannel cubicle kind of guy,” he says. “I’m an adventurous kind of guy, I like to get out and see the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walker’s happy that his \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/11/06/life-aboard-a-polar-roller-americas-last-heavy-icebreaker/\">last mission underway was Polar Star\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’ve achieved a lot of significant milestones in the last few years after we brought the Polar Star back to life,” he says. “Even though she is old and she breaks down a lot. We’ve proven to the world that we’re \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/11/03/aging-u-s-icebreaker-fleet-may-imperil-polar-science/\">the only vessel\u003c/a> really that can dependably break out McMurdo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What I’ve figured out that means is that the icebreaker supports scientific experiments, but also the American experiment. The mission, says Walker, “is essential to mankind and distinguishes us from the animals in that search for science and knowledge. And why would we forfeit that?” On a strategic level, “it’s critical for us to be able to navigate all the waters of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down here, science and politics and national priorities converge along with all the other lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498654\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-498654\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill.jpg\" alt=\"View of McMurdo Station from Observation Hill, where a cross has been erected to the Robert Falcon Scott expedition, whose members died on their return from the South Pole. Polar Star is docked. Note the turning basin at left and the channel, dimly visible, which runs out to open water in the distance.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">View of McMurdo Station from Observation Hill, where a cross commemorates the Robert Falcon Scott expedition, whose members died on their return from the South Pole. Polar Star is docked in the distance. Note the turning basin at left and the channel, dimly visible, which runs out to open water in the distance. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Everything about this place tells the average shivering, possibly dying human that \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/europe/henry-worsley-british-explorer.html?_r=0\">we’re the unnatural element\u003c/a>. This has worked out remarkably well for the continent. “One of the most dramatic things about Antarctica is that there is no smog,” says Walker. “You see a mountain range that is 50 to 100 miles away, It’s crystal clear, not like anywhere where humans occupy. There’s pure air down here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That it’s unspoiled makes it desirable for scientists who want to get an unobstructed view of the history of the Earth by looking down and the universe by looking up. It also, of course, makes it desirable for many nations, who see \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/29/world/countries-rush-for-upper-hand-antarctica.html?_r=0\">opportunity in the possible wealth\u003c/a> of resources beneath the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So in the laboratory of Antarctica, what’s revealed about \u003ca href=\"http://www.ats.aq/e/ats.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">international cooperation\u003c/a> may be as important as any other discovery. None of this will be readily apparent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the young kids, when we sail, they’re down there sweeping the decks, cleaning dishes in the scullery — they don’t get to see the big picture,” Walker says. “It’s very similar to the deck hands on Magellan’s crew or Columbus’ crew: They were just steaming along doing their daily job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498642\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498642 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent.jpg\" alt=\"In just a few hours, the fast ice covering McMurdo Sound begins breaking up, taking the channel with it.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In just a few hours, the fast ice covering McMurdo Sound begins breaking up, taking the channel with it. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“But breaking out McMurdo — we might save the world through some scientific discovery that they find in Antarctica,” ventures Walker. “We might not know it today or tomorrow, but maybe, in 10 years, 20 years from now, we might be able to say, ‘Hey, I participated in that, I contributed to that, by washing dishes on the Polar Star.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe someday they will realize how they’re participating in this experiment for the future of Earth, or whatever’s beyond Earth. Maybe they’ll turn on the holographic TV we’ve all had genetically wired into our brains, and watch the first Earthlings plant a future flag on a distant planet, and they’ll connect themselves to that moment, from alien soils back through cold space, from space down through the aurora at the bottom of the world, and across a peaceful continent, and through the ice, to where they were once underway, making a way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s a whole other story, but that’s for later. For now, there’s a continent to save for one more year and, a world away, the world we want to hurry up and return to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brandon R. Reynolds lives in Los Angeles but currently summers in the Antarctic Circle. He has written for San Francisco Magazine, SF Weekly, The Atlantic, and Oxford American. On Twitter @sonnyborderland.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "With a push from the president, prospects may be improving for updating the worn-out tools that support Antarctic research.",
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"description": "With a push from the president, prospects may be improving for updating the worn-out tools that support Antarctic research.",
"title": "Hope for Supporting Polar Science Brightens at the Bottom of the World | KQED",
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"headline": "Hope for Supporting Polar Science Brightens at the Bottom of the World",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>The seventh and concluding post in a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/series/breaking-the-ice/\">series of dispatches\u003c/a> from freelance writer Brandon Reynolds aboard the USCG icebreaker Polar Star, on its annual resupply mission to the research base, McMurdo Station. It’s a critical task imperiled by the nation’s aging, shrinking fleet of ice-breaking ships.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone must inevitably deal, at some point, with “the break-up.” It wears different disguises in different places — the surprise invitation, the unexpected pregnancy, the phone call late in the night — but you know it simply as that which changes your direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In McMurdo Sound the break-up is what happens to the \u003ca href=\"https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glossary/term/fast-ice\">fast ice\u003c/a> that stretches from \u003ca href=\"http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/mount-erebus/judson-text\">volcanic Mt. Erebus\u003c/a> on the east all the way west to the edge of the continent. Just about every year the ice around McMurdo breaks up late in the season. Wind force, melting caused by seawater and the actions of a certain plucky icebreaker destabilize the whole giant ice sheet where once we ran around with penguins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498653\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498653 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2.jpg\" alt=\"The fast ice breaks away from land all the way to Mt. Erebus and begins floating north.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/volcano2-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The fast ice breaks away from land all the way to Mt. Erebus and begins floating north. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Thursday afternoon the captain mentioned that a crack had formed across the whole channel. By midnight a 147-square-mile section of the fast ice had broken off and begun floating away north. In a few hours, weeks of work spent grooming the channel all just blew away. Once, there was a path through ice. Now there’s open water. Imagine building a bridge every year, and every year it gets washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We spent three days at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/support/mcmurdo.jsp\">McMurdo Station\u003c/a>, which is a little like a mining town, or a moon colony. It feels very far from the rest of the world. The people are an interesting bunch, scientists and contractors, exactly the kind of people who wish to live very far from the rest of the world. There is pizza 24/7. Just down the road is New Zealand’s \u003ca href=\"http://antarcticanz.govt.nz/scott-base\">Scott Base\u003c/a>, which is smaller and uniformly painted a delightful shade of pea green.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498647\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-498647\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2.jpg\" alt=\"Lt. Junior Grade Jack Hall and Lt. Junior Grade Cyrus Unvala check the distance between the Ocean Giant and Polar Star.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/lookouts2-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lts. Junior Grade Jack Hall and Cyrus Unvala check the distance between the Ocean Giant and Polar Star. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We’re now in the midst of McMurdo’s annual resupply. The freighter \u003ca href=\"http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/Ocean-Giant-9437335.html\">Ocean Giant\u003c/a> is docked, offloading a year’s worth of supplies and collecting a year’s worth of trash and freeze-dried poop, or so I hear. We’ll escort the Giant out, meet up with the fuel ship, bring it in. Once it’s offloaded its fuel, McMurdo will be supplied for the next year. Through McMurdo, the rest of the continent will be, too, because, as Capt. Matt Walker points out, “McMurdo is the major port in Antarctica, so all of Antarctica feeds off of McMurdo for its supplies and logistics.” It’s no exaggeration to say that the survival of the continent, meaning other U.S. bases but also many of the bases belonging to other nations, relies on McMurdo. It’s run by the National Science Foundation, which means, in a way, that NSF runs the continent. And NSF relies on Polar Star carving its thin lifeline in the ice, which nature, presently, will erase.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We might save the world through some scientific discovery that they find in Antarctica.’\u003ccite>Capt. Matt Walker\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Soon we’ll get the hell out of here and the people at McMurdo will get the hell out of here, too, piling into ski-equipped C-130 turboprops and flying to Christchurch and points north. Then winter arrives to turn endless day into endless night, to blot out the sky with 200 mile-per-hour winds, and to replace the sheet of ice in McMurdo Sound as though none of us were ever here. Whatever memory this place has is carried deeper than the few meters of frozen water the ship plows through every year. We will be remembered by no one save a few photobombed penguins and the odd startled seal. Leave no trace, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498643\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498643 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft.jpg\" alt=\"Executive Officer Cmdr. Mary Ellen Durley and Capt. Matt Walker look back at the turning basin as Walker breaks Polar Star into the pier at McMurdo Station.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/aloft-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Executive Officer Cmdr. Mary Ellen Durley and Capt. Matt Walker look back at the turning basin as Walker breaks Polar Star into the pier at McMurdo Station. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Back in the world, with a nudge from President Obama, the Coast Guard this month put out the call for \u003ca href=\"http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-coastguard-icebreaker-idUSKCN0UR25R20160114\">two new icebreakers\u003c/a>, saying it plans to award a contract in late 2018 or ’19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the forces in play are going in the right direction,” says Walker, “and now that the public is aware of [the icebreaker mission] more so than it ever has been before, we might get some of the funding required.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of this mission, a good chunk of the Engineering department, which holds a lot of the institutional memory of the ship, will move on or retire. On next year’s \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/01/06/dispatches-from-a-polar-icebreaker-and-whats-at-stake-for-science/\">Deep Freeze\u003c/a>, many new folks will receive surprise invitations from Polar Star herself, possibly in the middle of the night, to come on down and repair something that’s gone totally sideways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498646\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498646 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker.jpg\" alt=\"Capt. Matt Walker explains the route around Antarctica.\" width=\"853\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker-400x600.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/walker-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Capt. Matt Walker explains the route around Antarctica. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Walker is leaving, too, not just Polar Star, but the organization. This is his last sail for the Coast Guard. He’s retiring in 2017 after a year in Saudi Arabia. That’ll be 30 years in the Coast Guard, 21 of which he has spent at sea, which is a tremendous amount of time to be underway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not a gray flannel cubicle kind of guy,” he says. “I’m an adventurous kind of guy, I like to get out and see the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walker’s happy that his \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/11/06/life-aboard-a-polar-roller-americas-last-heavy-icebreaker/\">last mission underway was Polar Star\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we’ve achieved a lot of significant milestones in the last few years after we brought the Polar Star back to life,” he says. “Even though she is old and she breaks down a lot. We’ve proven to the world that we’re \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/11/03/aging-u-s-icebreaker-fleet-may-imperil-polar-science/\">the only vessel\u003c/a> really that can dependably break out McMurdo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What I’ve figured out that means is that the icebreaker supports scientific experiments, but also the American experiment. The mission, says Walker, “is essential to mankind and distinguishes us from the animals in that search for science and knowledge. And why would we forfeit that?” On a strategic level, “it’s critical for us to be able to navigate all the waters of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down here, science and politics and national priorities converge along with all the other lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498654\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-498654\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill.jpg\" alt=\"View of McMurdo Station from Observation Hill, where a cross has been erected to the Robert Falcon Scott expedition, whose members died on their return from the South Pole. Polar Star is docked. Note the turning basin at left and the channel, dimly visible, which runs out to open water in the distance.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/obhill-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">View of McMurdo Station from Observation Hill, where a cross commemorates the Robert Falcon Scott expedition, whose members died on their return from the South Pole. Polar Star is docked in the distance. Note the turning basin at left and the channel, dimly visible, which runs out to open water in the distance. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Everything about this place tells the average shivering, possibly dying human that \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/europe/henry-worsley-british-explorer.html?_r=0\">we’re the unnatural element\u003c/a>. This has worked out remarkably well for the continent. “One of the most dramatic things about Antarctica is that there is no smog,” says Walker. “You see a mountain range that is 50 to 100 miles away, It’s crystal clear, not like anywhere where humans occupy. There’s pure air down here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That it’s unspoiled makes it desirable for scientists who want to get an unobstructed view of the history of the Earth by looking down and the universe by looking up. It also, of course, makes it desirable for many nations, who see \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/29/world/countries-rush-for-upper-hand-antarctica.html?_r=0\">opportunity in the possible wealth\u003c/a> of resources beneath the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So in the laboratory of Antarctica, what’s revealed about \u003ca href=\"http://www.ats.aq/e/ats.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">international cooperation\u003c/a> may be as important as any other discovery. None of this will be readily apparent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the young kids, when we sail, they’re down there sweeping the decks, cleaning dishes in the scullery — they don’t get to see the big picture,” Walker says. “It’s very similar to the deck hands on Magellan’s crew or Columbus’ crew: They were just steaming along doing their daily job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_498642\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-498642 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent.jpg\" alt=\"In just a few hours, the fast ice covering McMurdo Sound begins breaking up, taking the channel with it.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/continent-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In just a few hours, the fast ice covering McMurdo Sound begins breaking up, taking the channel with it. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“But breaking out McMurdo — we might save the world through some scientific discovery that they find in Antarctica,” ventures Walker. “We might not know it today or tomorrow, but maybe, in 10 years, 20 years from now, we might be able to say, ‘Hey, I participated in that, I contributed to that, by washing dishes on the Polar Star.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe someday they will realize how they’re participating in this experiment for the future of Earth, or whatever’s beyond Earth. Maybe they’ll turn on the holographic TV we’ve all had genetically wired into our brains, and watch the first Earthlings plant a future flag on a distant planet, and they’ll connect themselves to that moment, from alien soils back through cold space, from space down through the aurora at the bottom of the world, and across a peaceful continent, and through the ice, to where they were once underway, making a way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s a whole other story, but that’s for later. For now, there’s a continent to save for one more year and, a world away, the world we want to hurry up and return to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brandon R. Reynolds lives in Los Angeles but currently summers in the Antarctic Circle. He has written for San Francisco Magazine, SF Weekly, The Atlantic, and Oxford American. On Twitter @sonnyborderland.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Move Over California Poppy: This State Has a New Symbol",
"headTitle": "Move Over California Poppy: This State Has a New Symbol | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>On New Year’s Day, lace lichen, a stringy green organism often called “Spanish moss” that hangs from oak trees around California, joined the grizzly bear, California poppy, California quail and gold as an official \u003ca href=\"http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/states/united-states/california\">California State symbol\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new law, signed last July by Gov. Jerry Brown, made California the first state to claim an official lichen. Lace lichen can be found in almost every part of the state, from the north to south and up to 130 miles inland from the shoreline. Draping from tree branches, which it uses for support, not sustenance, there are about 1,900 kinds of lichen, along with the lace variety, native to California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Lichen Society proposed adding a state lichen and state Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, wrote AB 1528, which sailed through the Legislature without much disagreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levine said he carried the bill because it fits his interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have lifelong love of the outdoors,” he said. “I loved exploring and playing under the tree canopies as a boy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levine said one of his next bills will identify wildlife corridors to help protect migrating animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_497733\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-497733\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-400x225.jpg\" alt=\"It's commonly found along the coast, often in the branches of coast live oaks.\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lace lichen is commonly found along the coast, often in the branches of coast live oaks. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelsey Gielen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lichen, which is actually a complex life form that is a partnership of fungus and algae, has long been misunderstood and overlooked, scientists say. In the mid-19th century, it was misclassified in the moss and liverwort family. \u003ca href=\"http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/24954/title/Beatrix-Potter--scientist/\">Beatrix Potter\u003c/a>, of Peter Rabbit fame, was an unlikely lichen champion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She contributed to lichen and fungus research before she found literary fame. In the late 1800s she did botanical studies and research in her kitchen, wrote a scientific paper about fungus and spore reproduction, and supported the view, unpopular with scientists of the time, that lichen belonged in its own family. She produced many wonderful, detailed drawings of fungus and lichen species. Since she was a woman, though, a male scientist had to present her scientific paper and research to the Linnean Society of London.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lowly lichen is both hardy and sensitive. It has survived the extremities of experimental exposure in outer space. And it can be shut in a drawer in a museum for decades, and yet live again when given sunlight and water. It is found on nearly every surface of the Earth — from the North to the South poles and desert floors to rocky mountain tops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet some species are very sensitive to air pollution – especially sulphur dioxide, radiation and other toxic pollutants – making them a useful, inexpensive environmental monitor. The US Forest Service is undertaking a \u003ca href=\"http://fhm.fs.fed.us/fact/pdf_files/fhm_lichen_2009.pdf\">study of lichen communities\u003c/a> that may even help determine how fast the climate is changing. Citizen science projects to \u003ca href=\"https://www.handsontheland.org/environmental-monitoring/lichen-monitoring.html\">monitor lichen\u003c/a> are underway that are easy enough for elementary school students to contribute to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest advocates for the otherwise quirky bill say they had a good reason: to raise public awareness about these unique species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Calling attention to lichens by recognizing one of them as the California state lichen creates an opportunity for us to learn about and celebrate the things that make California special,” the California Lichen Society said in a statement after its bill became law.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Only in California: lichen joins the grizzly, poppy, and quail as a new state symbol.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On New Year’s Day, lace lichen, a stringy green organism often called “Spanish moss” that hangs from oak trees around California, joined the grizzly bear, California poppy, California quail and gold as an official \u003ca href=\"http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/states/united-states/california\">California State symbol\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new law, signed last July by Gov. Jerry Brown, made California the first state to claim an official lichen. Lace lichen can be found in almost every part of the state, from the north to south and up to 130 miles inland from the shoreline. Draping from tree branches, which it uses for support, not sustenance, there are about 1,900 kinds of lichen, along with the lace variety, native to California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Lichen Society proposed adding a state lichen and state Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, wrote AB 1528, which sailed through the Legislature without much disagreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levine said he carried the bill because it fits his interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have lifelong love of the outdoors,” he said. “I loved exploring and playing under the tree canopies as a boy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levine said one of his next bills will identify wildlife corridors to help protect migrating animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_497733\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-497733\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-400x225.jpg\" alt=\"It's commonly found along the coast, often in the branches of coast live oaks.\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/20160115_134828-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lace lichen is commonly found along the coast, often in the branches of coast live oaks. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelsey Gielen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lichen, which is actually a complex life form that is a partnership of fungus and algae, has long been misunderstood and overlooked, scientists say. In the mid-19th century, it was misclassified in the moss and liverwort family. \u003ca href=\"http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/24954/title/Beatrix-Potter--scientist/\">Beatrix Potter\u003c/a>, of Peter Rabbit fame, was an unlikely lichen champion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She contributed to lichen and fungus research before she found literary fame. In the late 1800s she did botanical studies and research in her kitchen, wrote a scientific paper about fungus and spore reproduction, and supported the view, unpopular with scientists of the time, that lichen belonged in its own family. She produced many wonderful, detailed drawings of fungus and lichen species. Since she was a woman, though, a male scientist had to present her scientific paper and research to the Linnean Society of London.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lowly lichen is both hardy and sensitive. It has survived the extremities of experimental exposure in outer space. And it can be shut in a drawer in a museum for decades, and yet live again when given sunlight and water. It is found on nearly every surface of the Earth — from the North to the South poles and desert floors to rocky mountain tops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet some species are very sensitive to air pollution – especially sulphur dioxide, radiation and other toxic pollutants – making them a useful, inexpensive environmental monitor. The US Forest Service is undertaking a \u003ca href=\"http://fhm.fs.fed.us/fact/pdf_files/fhm_lichen_2009.pdf\">study of lichen communities\u003c/a> that may even help determine how fast the climate is changing. Citizen science projects to \u003ca href=\"https://www.handsontheland.org/environmental-monitoring/lichen-monitoring.html\">monitor lichen\u003c/a> are underway that are easy enough for elementary school students to contribute to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest advocates for the otherwise quirky bill say they had a good reason: to raise public awareness about these unique species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Calling attention to lichens by recognizing one of them as the California state lichen creates an opportunity for us to learn about and celebrate the things that make California special,” the California Lichen Society said in a statement after its bill became law.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">In 1976, a year into his first term as governor, Jerry Brown signed a bill that came to be seen as one of the strongest environmental protection laws in the country. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.coastal.ca.gov/ccatc.html\">California Coastal Act\u003c/a> limited development along the 1,100-mile shoreline and guaranteed public access to the beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Yet just two years later, Brown had become frustrated with the commission tasked with upholding the Coastal Act. He made headlines in 1978 for calling commissioners “bureaucratic thugs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">[contextly_sidebar id=”bvhcVaoNxMgJ2oQeEZkaReD1f1BGCqOh”]It was an early indication of Brown’s complicated relationship with the environmental movement, a dynamic that still shapes his governorship today. Weeks after returning from global climate-change talks in Paris that positioned Brown as an environmental leader, the fourth-term Democrat is now facing the wrath of environmentalists at home. It’s the result of a new drama unfolding on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.coastal.ca.gov/\">Coastal Commission\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conservation advocates have been critical of the decisions made by Brown’s appointees to the commission, who have voted in favor of projects environmentalists opposed. Now they are furious that the commission is holding a vote next month to dismiss Executive Director Charles Lester. They view him as an environmental guardian and say commissioners appointed by Brown are trying to oust Lester to make the coastal agency more amenable to development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“It is kind of alarming that his appointees are trying to do this because it flies in the face of the environmental legacy that he wants to leave,” said Stefanie Sekich-Quinn, coastal preservation manager for the Surfrider Foundation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“It’s very problematic that it’s (Brown’s) appointees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and other environmentalists are pressuring Brown to intervene. So far Brown has declined to comment on the situation; his spokesman Evan Westrup wrote an email saying, “This is a matter the Coastal Commission initiated without any involvement from our office.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The criticism from environmentalists is reminiscent of the pressure Brown faced a few years ago from activists opposed to the oil-extraction method known as fracking. They demonstrated in front of the Capitol, followed Brown to speaking appearances and raised the question of his environmental legacy after the governor signed a 2013 bill that fell short of activists’ desire to ban fracking in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_496887\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-496887\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-800x446.jpg\" alt=\"Governor Jerry Brown signs SB 350 at Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory in October 2015.\" width=\"800\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-800x446.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-400x223.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-768x428.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-1440x802.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-1920x1070.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-1180x658.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-960x535.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown.jpg 2008w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Governor Jerry Brown signs SB 350 at Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory in October 2015. \u003ccite>(California State Assembly Democratic Caucus)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, environmentalists have hailed Brown’s efforts to combat climate change. He signed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18938\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">executive order\u003c/a> last year to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. He won \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/despite-setbacks-california-climate-push-accelerates/\">legislative approval\u003c/a> to increase the amount of renewable energy that flows to California’s electricity grid. He has made the battle against global warming his cause celebre, traveling to Italy for talks with Pope Francis and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/california-a-climate-model-for-the-world-has-work-to-do-at-home/\">Paris\u003c/a> for the conference last month that resulted in an international deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who know Brown well are not surprised that he is at odds with environmentalists on the latest Coastal Commission controversy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“He is not a 100-percent-er on any of these things and that’s what’s made him a pretty interesting and effective governor,” said journalist Orville Schell, who wrote a biography of Brown in 1978 and remains friendly with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“He isn’t a carbon cutout of one left or right view.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor appoints 4 of 12 seats on the Coastal Commission, with the remainder appointed by the two legislative leaders. Lester and the commissioners he reports to are not commenting before the Feb. 10 vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lester, who assumed leadership of the commission in 2011, has been through lengthy performance evaluations behind closed doors in the last three years. Publicly, commissioners have pressed him for not providing enough information about projects that have applied for permits, and a lack of ethnic diversity among commission staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Brown has demonstrated support for the Coastal Commission. His \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/by-the-numbers-analysis-governor-budget/\">budget proposal\u003c/a>this month gave the commission 25 permanent positions that had been temporary. The budget Brown approved two years ago gave the commission new authority to levy fines on property owners who block public access to the beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Environmentalists applaud those moves, even as they criticize Brown’s appointments for steering the commission in a pro-development direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">In August, Brown’s appointees voted to take away public use of a portion of a Malibu bluff overlooking the ocean to make way for eight new mansions. In October, on a different project in Malibu, three of the governor’s appointees voted to approve a beach restoration project that excludes a public path advocates sought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“They are voting poorly to protect the coast,” Sekich-Quinn said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Steve Blank, a former coastal commissioner who was appointed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said Brown may assume he has the support of environmentalists because he is a Democrat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“Under Schwarzenegger, there was an extended effort to reach out to a constituency he didn’t own. And now, with Brown, there is benign neglect of the constituency he’ll own forever,” Blank said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Brown’s evolution from an environmental visionary 40 years ago to a fiscal watchdog today has put his legacy at risk, Blank said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“No one is going to remember his skills as an accountant. It’s sad but true. But people will remember driving the California coast (as the result of) Jerry Brown’s signature in 1976,” Blank said. “I hope they don’t remember it as Jerry Brown’s destruction in 2016.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Conservationists are at odds with the governor over the direction of the California Coastal Commission he helped create.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">In 1976, a year into his first term as governor, Jerry Brown signed a bill that came to be seen as one of the strongest environmental protection laws in the country. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.coastal.ca.gov/ccatc.html\">California Coastal Act\u003c/a> limited development along the 1,100-mile shoreline and guaranteed public access to the beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Yet just two years later, Brown had become frustrated with the commission tasked with upholding the Coastal Act. He made headlines in 1978 for calling commissioners “bureaucratic thugs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>It was an early indication of Brown’s complicated relationship with the environmental movement, a dynamic that still shapes his governorship today. Weeks after returning from global climate-change talks in Paris that positioned Brown as an environmental leader, the fourth-term Democrat is now facing the wrath of environmentalists at home. It’s the result of a new drama unfolding on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.coastal.ca.gov/\">Coastal Commission\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conservation advocates have been critical of the decisions made by Brown’s appointees to the commission, who have voted in favor of projects environmentalists opposed. Now they are furious that the commission is holding a vote next month to dismiss Executive Director Charles Lester. They view him as an environmental guardian and say commissioners appointed by Brown are trying to oust Lester to make the coastal agency more amenable to development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“It is kind of alarming that his appointees are trying to do this because it flies in the face of the environmental legacy that he wants to leave,” said Stefanie Sekich-Quinn, coastal preservation manager for the Surfrider Foundation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“It’s very problematic that it’s (Brown’s) appointees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and other environmentalists are pressuring Brown to intervene. So far Brown has declined to comment on the situation; his spokesman Evan Westrup wrote an email saying, “This is a matter the Coastal Commission initiated without any involvement from our office.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The criticism from environmentalists is reminiscent of the pressure Brown faced a few years ago from activists opposed to the oil-extraction method known as fracking. They demonstrated in front of the Capitol, followed Brown to speaking appearances and raised the question of his environmental legacy after the governor signed a 2013 bill that fell short of activists’ desire to ban fracking in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_496887\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-496887\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-800x446.jpg\" alt=\"Governor Jerry Brown signs SB 350 at Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory in October 2015.\" width=\"800\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-800x446.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-400x223.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-768x428.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-1440x802.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-1920x1070.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-1180x658.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown-960x535.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/Governor-Brown.jpg 2008w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Governor Jerry Brown signs SB 350 at Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory in October 2015. \u003ccite>(California State Assembly Democratic Caucus)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, environmentalists have hailed Brown’s efforts to combat climate change. He signed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18938\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">executive order\u003c/a> last year to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. He won \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/despite-setbacks-california-climate-push-accelerates/\">legislative approval\u003c/a> to increase the amount of renewable energy that flows to California’s electricity grid. He has made the battle against global warming his cause celebre, traveling to Italy for talks with Pope Francis and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/california-a-climate-model-for-the-world-has-work-to-do-at-home/\">Paris\u003c/a> for the conference last month that resulted in an international deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who know Brown well are not surprised that he is at odds with environmentalists on the latest Coastal Commission controversy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“He is not a 100-percent-er on any of these things and that’s what’s made him a pretty interesting and effective governor,” said journalist Orville Schell, who wrote a biography of Brown in 1978 and remains friendly with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“He isn’t a carbon cutout of one left or right view.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The governor appoints 4 of 12 seats on the Coastal Commission, with the remainder appointed by the two legislative leaders. Lester and the commissioners he reports to are not commenting before the Feb. 10 vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lester, who assumed leadership of the commission in 2011, has been through lengthy performance evaluations behind closed doors in the last three years. Publicly, commissioners have pressed him for not providing enough information about projects that have applied for permits, and a lack of ethnic diversity among commission staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Brown has demonstrated support for the Coastal Commission. His \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/articles/by-the-numbers-analysis-governor-budget/\">budget proposal\u003c/a>this month gave the commission 25 permanent positions that had been temporary. The budget Brown approved two years ago gave the commission new authority to levy fines on property owners who block public access to the beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Environmentalists applaud those moves, even as they criticize Brown’s appointments for steering the commission in a pro-development direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">In August, Brown’s appointees voted to take away public use of a portion of a Malibu bluff overlooking the ocean to make way for eight new mansions. In October, on a different project in Malibu, three of the governor’s appointees voted to approve a beach restoration project that excludes a public path advocates sought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“They are voting poorly to protect the coast,” Sekich-Quinn said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Steve Blank, a former coastal commissioner who was appointed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said Brown may assume he has the support of environmentalists because he is a Democrat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“Under Schwarzenegger, there was an extended effort to reach out to a constituency he didn’t own. And now, with Brown, there is benign neglect of the constituency he’ll own forever,” Blank said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">Brown’s evolution from an environmental visionary 40 years ago to a fiscal watchdog today has put his legacy at risk, Blank said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\">“No one is going to remember his skills as an accountant. It’s sad but true. But people will remember driving the California coast (as the result of) Jerry Brown’s signature in 1976,” Blank said. “I hope they don’t remember it as Jerry Brown’s destruction in 2016.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How Drones Could Advance Polar Science and Navigation (Once They Work Out the Kinks)",
"headTitle": "How Drones Could Advance Polar Science and Navigation (Once They Work Out the Kinks) | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>The sixth in a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/series/breaking-the-ice/\">series of dispatches\u003c/a> from freelance writer Brandon Reynolds aboard the USCG icebreaker Polar Star, on its annual resupply mission to the research base, McMurdo Station. It’s a critical task imperiled by the nation’s aging, shrinking fleet of ice-breaking ships.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the lost continent of Antarctica, what has been discovered most are superlatives. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest, highest continent on Earth. It can also be one of the most treacherous, as the recent \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/europe/henry-worsley-british-explorer.html?_r=0\">death of British explorer Henry Worsley\u003c/a> underscores. Since the days of \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroic_Age_of_Antarctic_Exploration\">Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton\u003c/a>, science here has been a matter of feel as much as anything else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays science is more bureaucratic. It’s to be expected when many nations converge on a continent and all stand around pretending they don’t want to take it over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493682\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493682\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668.jpg\" alt=\"Antarctic wildlife turns out to greet Polar Star when she reaches the pack ice.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Take us to your leader:” Antarctic wildlife turns out to greet Polar Star when she reaches the pack ice. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/11/03/aging-u-s-icebreaker-fleet-may-imperil-polar-science/\">U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star\u003c/a> once supported science on its missions: releasing weather balloons and buoys to measure oceanic tides and temperatures, that esoteric stuff that’s seeking answers to questions you never thought to ask. The National Science Foundation pays for the Polar Star’s mission once it drops below the Antarctic Circle, and its priorities now have stripped the science off Polar Star so that now the icebreaker’s only job is to clear the channel for the ships to bring food and fuel and booze and equipment and t-shirts, the raw materials needed not just to run a research station and the science that goes on there, but to connect an entire continent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So science doesn’t much happen on Polar Star anymore. The shipping container that once housed all the science equipment has become a cigar lounge of the apocalypse, and the onboard lab is used to store bicycles. But science has stowed away, and it looks like toys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493524\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-493524 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs.jpg\" alt=\"Todd Jacobs of NOAA holds the Puma down against high winds.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Todd Jacobs of NOAA holds the Puma down against high winds. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has attached a delegation to this year’s Deep Freeze. The Coast Guard, just like any American in any public park these days, is fascinated by all the drones flying around, and wondered: How the hell can we make these things useful?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NOAA’s been exploring the use of drones, or “unmanned aerial vehicles,” depending on your sensitivity to the word “drone,” for counting marine mammals and birds, tracking oil spills, and surveilling protected fisheries. “Aha!,” said the Coast Guard. The two agencies have been partnering for the last few years on using drones for those “dirty, dull, and dangerous” jobs, says Todd Jacobs, Project Manager for \u003ca href=\"http://uas.noaa.gov/\">NOAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program\u003c/a> Office. Send the drones to those places where the risk of boredom or death is high. “These are places that you couldn’t otherwise get to without unmanned aircraft,” says Jacobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this trip, the Coast Guard was interested in using drones to scout ice conditions ahead of the ship. In the past, there have been helicopters, which are far more costly to operate. Jacobs and a team from UAV-maker Aerovironment brought some \u003ca href=\"http://www.avinc.com/uas/small_uas/puma/\">electric-motor-driven gliders\u003c/a> with nine-foot wingspans, traditionally used to assess battlefield conditions or silently track, say, suspected terrorists. “I see it as a swords-to-ploughshares kind of conversion,” Jacobs says. “To get another life out of them I think is kind of a big win for the American public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Aerovironment Puma is the big brother of the militarily popular Raven. It can be hand-launched, flown manually or auto-piloted, fly up to four hours, and land on water, which is how NOAA retrieves it after many flights. On Polar Star, a prototype net-capture system has been set up on the flight deck to catch the thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493528\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-493528 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2.jpg\" alt=\"Kevin Volbrecht of Aerovironment fishes the Puma out of the drink.\" width=\"853\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2-400x600.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kevin Volbrecht of Aerovironment fishes the Puma out of the drink. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the Coast Guard’s Arctic icebreaker Healy last summer, the team reports that the Puma flew well and true. On Polar Star, it hasn’t done so great. There have been crashes on ice and water caused by wind and other, as-yet-undiagnosed problems, and delays and cancellations due to scheduling issues with the research base at \u003ca href=\"http://www.coolantarctica.com/Bases/McMurdo/mcmurdo-base-antarctica.php\">McMurdo Station\u003c/a>. The NOAA and Aerovironment teams are frustrated, but they keep patching the birds back together and sending them aloft. They got it out to 25 nautical miles on one run, which is a pioneering first for Antarctic unmanned flight. If they figure it all out, drone technology could at least supplement some of the dangerous/boring things the helos tend to do and expand the ability to map the continent in real-time. On the lost continent, they continue the Antarctic tradition of discovering perseverance in a place that pretty much wants to destroy all of man’s puny works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backing up the Puma mission is another bit of ice science, led by Pablo Clemente-Colón of NOAA’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.natice.noaa.gov/\">National Ice Center\u003c/a> in Suitland, Maryland. Clemente-Colón is chief scientist at NIC and an expert in sea ice, a satellite oceanographer who scopes out the ice condition from far above. NIC analyst Chris Readinger is also aboard. He provides satellite photos to help the crew make navigational decisions, but this is the first time in a few years that there have been people aboard who can read that information and interpret, say, how old the ice is, or how stable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493525\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493525\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo.jpg\" alt=\"Pablo Clemente-Colón, chief scientist of NOAA's National Ice Center.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pablo Clemente-Colón, chief scientist of NOAA’s National Ice Center. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Clemente-Colón has been at it since 1979. He’s spent most of the last decade summering in the Arctic with NOAA, NSF, and the Coast Guard, studying the age and melting patterns of ice. It’s not enough to look at how much ice there is. As with most things, the truth is below the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“First-year” ice, the two-meter stuff that we’re crashing through here, will often melt during the summers, creating open water before refreezing in the winter. Multiyear sea ice, which can be a decade old, is much thicker and less prone to melting, generally. It’s more stable. So looking at the \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/sea_ice_south.php\">extent of surface ice\u003c/a> won’t tell the whole story, says Clemente-Colón. Sea ice could extend farther than in previous years, but if it’s first-year, it’s thinner, so the total volume of ice out there is less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Which means that for the next summer it could melt much more rapidly and you would have \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86822\">more weeks or months of open water\u003c/a> during the summer than if the cover contained a significantly larger volume of multiyear ice.” That creates positive feedback, he says. “The more the cover retreats during the summer, the more heat is absorbed by the ocean, the more there is a delay in the next freezing, and the less opportunity for the ice to really sustain itself through the years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493603\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493603\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279.jpg\" alt=\"Sea ice around Antarctica reached its annual peak in October, 2015. The extent was a retreat from recent record highs.\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sea ice around Antarctica reached its annual peak in October, 2015. The extent was a retreat from recent record highs. \u003ccite>(NASA Earth Observatory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the Arctic, these changes are more readily apparent, because it’s all ice and no land. In Antarctica, \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/sea_ice_south.php\">the giant cap of ice\u003c/a> on the continent, plus the circulating Southern Ocean, keeps the system more stable. Don’t look here for answers to what all this will do to your local weather. Clemente-Colón says it raises a lot of questions, which are challenges, which seems to be the primary export of the polar regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What are the changes in that system? How are those changes affecting the planetary climate? I don’t think we’re there yet,” he says. “Even in the Arctic where we know that the changes are real, it’s sometimes difficult to link those changes to what’s happening in lower latitudes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Next: Where to From Here?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brandon R. Reynolds lives in Los Angeles but currently summers in the Antarctic Circle. He has written for San Francisco Magazine, SF Weekly, The Atlantic, and Oxford American (not the dictionary).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "One thing we know: the Antarctic is a very different animal than the Arctic when it comes to interpreting ice patterns.",
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"title": "How Drones Could Advance Polar Science and Navigation (Once They Work Out the Kinks) | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>The sixth in a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/series/breaking-the-ice/\">series of dispatches\u003c/a> from freelance writer Brandon Reynolds aboard the USCG icebreaker Polar Star, on its annual resupply mission to the research base, McMurdo Station. It’s a critical task imperiled by the nation’s aging, shrinking fleet of ice-breaking ships.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the lost continent of Antarctica, what has been discovered most are superlatives. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest, highest continent on Earth. It can also be one of the most treacherous, as the recent \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/europe/henry-worsley-british-explorer.html?_r=0\">death of British explorer Henry Worsley\u003c/a> underscores. Since the days of \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroic_Age_of_Antarctic_Exploration\">Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton\u003c/a>, science here has been a matter of feel as much as anything else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays science is more bureaucratic. It’s to be expected when many nations converge on a continent and all stand around pretending they don’t want to take it over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493682\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493682\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668.jpg\" alt=\"Antarctic wildlife turns out to greet Polar Star when she reaches the pack ice.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/DSC01668-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Take us to your leader:” Antarctic wildlife turns out to greet Polar Star when she reaches the pack ice. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/11/03/aging-u-s-icebreaker-fleet-may-imperil-polar-science/\">U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star\u003c/a> once supported science on its missions: releasing weather balloons and buoys to measure oceanic tides and temperatures, that esoteric stuff that’s seeking answers to questions you never thought to ask. The National Science Foundation pays for the Polar Star’s mission once it drops below the Antarctic Circle, and its priorities now have stripped the science off Polar Star so that now the icebreaker’s only job is to clear the channel for the ships to bring food and fuel and booze and equipment and t-shirts, the raw materials needed not just to run a research station and the science that goes on there, but to connect an entire continent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So science doesn’t much happen on Polar Star anymore. The shipping container that once housed all the science equipment has become a cigar lounge of the apocalypse, and the onboard lab is used to store bicycles. But science has stowed away, and it looks like toys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493524\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-493524 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs.jpg\" alt=\"Todd Jacobs of NOAA holds the Puma down against high winds.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/jacobs-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Todd Jacobs of NOAA holds the Puma down against high winds. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has attached a delegation to this year’s Deep Freeze. The Coast Guard, just like any American in any public park these days, is fascinated by all the drones flying around, and wondered: How the hell can we make these things useful?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NOAA’s been exploring the use of drones, or “unmanned aerial vehicles,” depending on your sensitivity to the word “drone,” for counting marine mammals and birds, tracking oil spills, and surveilling protected fisheries. “Aha!,” said the Coast Guard. The two agencies have been partnering for the last few years on using drones for those “dirty, dull, and dangerous” jobs, says Todd Jacobs, Project Manager for \u003ca href=\"http://uas.noaa.gov/\">NOAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program\u003c/a> Office. Send the drones to those places where the risk of boredom or death is high. “These are places that you couldn’t otherwise get to without unmanned aircraft,” says Jacobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this trip, the Coast Guard was interested in using drones to scout ice conditions ahead of the ship. In the past, there have been helicopters, which are far more costly to operate. Jacobs and a team from UAV-maker Aerovironment brought some \u003ca href=\"http://www.avinc.com/uas/small_uas/puma/\">electric-motor-driven gliders\u003c/a> with nine-foot wingspans, traditionally used to assess battlefield conditions or silently track, say, suspected terrorists. “I see it as a swords-to-ploughshares kind of conversion,” Jacobs says. “To get another life out of them I think is kind of a big win for the American public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Aerovironment Puma is the big brother of the militarily popular Raven. It can be hand-launched, flown manually or auto-piloted, fly up to four hours, and land on water, which is how NOAA retrieves it after many flights. On Polar Star, a prototype net-capture system has been set up on the flight deck to catch the thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493528\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-493528 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2.jpg\" alt=\"Kevin Volbrecht of Aerovironment fishes the Puma out of the drink.\" width=\"853\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2-400x600.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/fishing2-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kevin Volbrecht of Aerovironment fishes the Puma out of the drink. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the Coast Guard’s Arctic icebreaker Healy last summer, the team reports that the Puma flew well and true. On Polar Star, it hasn’t done so great. There have been crashes on ice and water caused by wind and other, as-yet-undiagnosed problems, and delays and cancellations due to scheduling issues with the research base at \u003ca href=\"http://www.coolantarctica.com/Bases/McMurdo/mcmurdo-base-antarctica.php\">McMurdo Station\u003c/a>. The NOAA and Aerovironment teams are frustrated, but they keep patching the birds back together and sending them aloft. They got it out to 25 nautical miles on one run, which is a pioneering first for Antarctic unmanned flight. If they figure it all out, drone technology could at least supplement some of the dangerous/boring things the helos tend to do and expand the ability to map the continent in real-time. On the lost continent, they continue the Antarctic tradition of discovering perseverance in a place that pretty much wants to destroy all of man’s puny works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backing up the Puma mission is another bit of ice science, led by Pablo Clemente-Colón of NOAA’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.natice.noaa.gov/\">National Ice Center\u003c/a> in Suitland, Maryland. Clemente-Colón is chief scientist at NIC and an expert in sea ice, a satellite oceanographer who scopes out the ice condition from far above. NIC analyst Chris Readinger is also aboard. He provides satellite photos to help the crew make navigational decisions, but this is the first time in a few years that there have been people aboard who can read that information and interpret, say, how old the ice is, or how stable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493525\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493525\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo.jpg\" alt=\"Pablo Clemente-Colón, chief scientist of NOAA's National Ice Center.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/pablo-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pablo Clemente-Colón, chief scientist of NOAA’s National Ice Center. \u003ccite>(Brandon R. Reynolds)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Clemente-Colón has been at it since 1979. He’s spent most of the last decade summering in the Arctic with NOAA, NSF, and the Coast Guard, studying the age and melting patterns of ice. It’s not enough to look at how much ice there is. As with most things, the truth is below the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“First-year” ice, the two-meter stuff that we’re crashing through here, will often melt during the summers, creating open water before refreezing in the winter. Multiyear sea ice, which can be a decade old, is much thicker and less prone to melting, generally. It’s more stable. So looking at the \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/sea_ice_south.php\">extent of surface ice\u003c/a> won’t tell the whole story, says Clemente-Colón. Sea ice could extend farther than in previous years, but if it’s first-year, it’s thinner, so the total volume of ice out there is less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Which means that for the next summer it could melt much more rapidly and you would have \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86822\">more weeks or months of open water\u003c/a> during the summer than if the cover contained a significantly larger volume of multiyear ice.” That creates positive feedback, he says. “The more the cover retreats during the summer, the more heat is absorbed by the ocean, the more there is a delay in the next freezing, and the less opportunity for the ice to really sustain itself through the years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_493603\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493603\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279.jpg\" alt=\"Sea ice around Antarctica reached its annual peak in October, 2015. The extent was a retreat from recent record highs.\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/01/spseaice_am2_2015279-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sea ice around Antarctica reached its annual peak in October, 2015. The extent was a retreat from recent record highs. \u003ccite>(NASA Earth Observatory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the Arctic, these changes are more readily apparent, because it’s all ice and no land. In Antarctica, \u003ca href=\"http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/sea_ice_south.php\">the giant cap of ice\u003c/a> on the continent, plus the circulating Southern Ocean, keeps the system more stable. Don’t look here for answers to what all this will do to your local weather. Clemente-Colón says it raises a lot of questions, which are challenges, which seems to be the primary export of the polar regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What are the changes in that system? How are those changes affecting the planetary climate? I don’t think we’re there yet,” he says. “Even in the Arctic where we know that the changes are real, it’s sometimes difficult to link those changes to what’s happening in lower latitudes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Next: Where to From Here?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Brandon R. Reynolds lives in Los Angeles but currently summers in the Antarctic Circle. He has written for San Francisco Magazine, SF Weekly, The Atlantic, and Oxford American (not the dictionary).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"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>",
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"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",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"soldout": {
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