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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The changes over the past two decades help scientists understand how the planet is responding both locally and globally to warming trends. Warming ocean temperatures, for example, slow the growth of phytoplankton and, thus, its ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Also visible is the shrinking of the polar caps as the years go by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Going out into space is not only for the purpose of looking outwards. It allows us to look back at our planet as a whole, follow its changes and rhythms, so that we can better learn how to coexist with it and protect its resources for generations to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"hr\">\n\u003chr>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Marcelo Gleiser is a theoretical physicist and writer — and a professor of natural philosophy, physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College. He is the director of the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://ice.dartmouth.edu/\">Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement\u003c/a>\u003cem> at Dartmouth, co-founder of 13.7 and an active promoter of science to the general public. His latest book is \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://marcelogleiser.com/books/the-simple-beauty-of-the-unexpected-a-natural-philosophers-quest-for-trout-and-the-meaning-of-everything\">The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected: A Natural Philosopher’s Quest for Trout and the Meaning of Everything\u003c/a>\u003cem>. You can keep up with Marcelo on \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://goo.gl/93dHI\">Facebook\u003c/a>\u003cem> and Twitter: \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/mgleiser\">@mgleiser\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Sierra 'Snow Line' Seems To Be Moving Uphill — Rapidly",
"headTitle": "The Sierra ‘Snow Line’ Seems To Be Moving Uphill — Rapidly | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If you make the winter run to Tahoe on a regular basis, it might seem like you’ve had to go farther up the hill to find snow in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some scientists say it’s not your imagination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have been keeping their eyes on the “snow line,” the point of elevation where rain turns to snow (or vice versa) during winter storms in the northern Sierra. What they found is that warming temperatures have pushed that level uphill by 1,200-to-1,500 feet in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If that sounds like a lot, even the lead author of the study was surprised when the data came in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Definitely,” says Ben Hatchett at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dri.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Desert Research Institute\u003c/a> in Reno. “That was a lot of rise in the snow line.” Hatchett says it means more rain and less snow in the mountains overall — and the trend appears to be accelerating. “If this trend continues,” he adds, “that does not bode very well for the northern California watershed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/03/30/see-how-one-years-snowpack-buried-the-california-drought/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">depends on the Sierra snowpack\u003c/a> to store about a third of the state’s water supply, holding onto it well into the spring months when it can gradually melt into downstream reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917924\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1715px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917924 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water.png\" alt=\"The snow line study focused on the northern Sierra Nevada over a ten-year period.\" width=\"1715\" height=\"1768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water.png 1715w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-160x165.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-800x825.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-768x792.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-1020x1052.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-1180x1216.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-960x990.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-240x247.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-375x387.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-520x536.png 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-32x32.png 32w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1715px) 100vw, 1715px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The snow line study focused on the norhern Sierra Nevada over a ten-year period. \u003ccite>(MDPI/Water)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The study, \u003ca href=\"http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/11/899/html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published this week\u003c/a> in the journal, \u003cem>Water\u003c/em>, used specialized snow level-sensing radar to monitor the rain-snow transition line over a ten-year period. Then the research team cross-checked the results with temperature data to estimate changes in the snow line back to the mid-20th century. What they found, says Hatchett, was that the last decade saw the biggest decrease in the proportion of precipitation falling as snow compared to any decade going back to 1951 (the earliest point examined).\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is striking,” says Roger Bales, who heads the \u003ca href=\"http://snri.ucmerced.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sierra Nevada Research Institute\u003c/a> at UC Merced and was not on the study team. “This is a huge move uphill.” Though Bales advises caution reading too much into any analysis over a relatively short period of time, he adds that “the Sierra Nevada seems to be changing faster than predicted by the past ‘average’ climate projections.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some are more skeptical of the results. Noting the relatively short time span of the study, NASA snow hydrologist Tom Painter noted, “That’s not what one would call a trend.” Painter spends much of his time in the Sierra and above it with NASA’s \u003ca href=\"https://aso.jpl.nasa.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airborne Snow Observatory\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2550px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917911 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL.png\" alt='Graph shows the difference in snow elevation between warmer and colder storms. The Sierra has been experiencing more \"warm\" storms overall. Click image to enlarge.' width=\"2550\" height=\"1463\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL.png 2550w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-160x92.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-800x459.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-768x441.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-1020x585.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-1920x1102.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-1180x677.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-960x551.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-240x138.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-375x215.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-520x298.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2550px) 100vw, 2550px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graph shows the difference in snow elevation between warmer and colder storms. The Sierra has been experiencing more “warm” storms overall. Click image to enlarge. (NOAA Earth Systems Research Lab) \u003ccite>(WRCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hatchett acknowledges that the matter needs further study, but he does see an emergent trend and attributes much of it to warmer ocean temperatures and an increase in winter storms known as “\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/21/new-research-shows-atmospheric-rivers-wreak-havoc-around-the-globe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">atmospheric rivers\u003c/a>,” which tend to be on the warm side and hence drop rain at relatively high elevations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re saying is not that all storms are getting warmer,” notes Hatchett, “but in a statistical sense, we’re having more warm storms than we are cool storms. and that’s concerning because the future is projected to have more of these strong, warm storms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our results suggest that warmer ocean temperatures off the West Coast may be contributing to more precipitation as rain than snow in the northern Sierra,” adds Nina Oakley, regional climatologist at the \u003ca href=\"https://wrcc.dri.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Western Regional Climate Center\u003c/a> and a member of the study team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That alone would hardly come as a shock to most climate scientists, who for years have predicted this as a symptom of the warming climate. But the pace of the transition suggested by this study is arresting. The team found that three percent more precipitation fell as rain rather than snow in each year from 2008-2017 than in the previous five-year period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That could certainly change how we manage our water resources,” says Hatchett, “but if it’s a trend that continues, that’s certainly cause for much concern.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That concern would extend beyond the water supply to Sierra ski resorts and the entire mountain ecosystem, which had developed around the presence of snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study was a collaboration of researchers at the WRCC and its parent Desert Research Institute, several U.S. universities and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you make the winter run to Tahoe on a regular basis, it might seem like you’ve had to go farther up the hill to find snow in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some scientists say it’s not your imagination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have been keeping their eyes on the “snow line,” the point of elevation where rain turns to snow (or vice versa) during winter storms in the northern Sierra. What they found is that warming temperatures have pushed that level uphill by 1,200-to-1,500 feet in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If that sounds like a lot, even the lead author of the study was surprised when the data came in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Definitely,” says Ben Hatchett at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dri.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Desert Research Institute\u003c/a> in Reno. “That was a lot of rise in the snow line.” Hatchett says it means more rain and less snow in the mountains overall — and the trend appears to be accelerating. “If this trend continues,” he adds, “that does not bode very well for the northern California watershed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/03/30/see-how-one-years-snowpack-buried-the-california-drought/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">depends on the Sierra snowpack\u003c/a> to store about a third of the state’s water supply, holding onto it well into the spring months when it can gradually melt into downstream reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917924\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1715px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917924 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water.png\" alt=\"The snow line study focused on the northern Sierra Nevada over a ten-year period.\" width=\"1715\" height=\"1768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water.png 1715w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-160x165.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-800x825.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-768x792.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-1020x1052.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-1180x1216.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-960x990.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-240x247.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-375x387.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-520x536.png 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowline-studymap_Water-32x32.png 32w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1715px) 100vw, 1715px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The snow line study focused on the norhern Sierra Nevada over a ten-year period. \u003ccite>(MDPI/Water)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The study, \u003ca href=\"http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/11/899/html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published this week\u003c/a> in the journal, \u003cem>Water\u003c/em>, used specialized snow level-sensing radar to monitor the rain-snow transition line over a ten-year period. Then the research team cross-checked the results with temperature data to estimate changes in the snow line back to the mid-20th century. What they found, says Hatchett, was that the last decade saw the biggest decrease in the proportion of precipitation falling as snow compared to any decade going back to 1951 (the earliest point examined).\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is striking,” says Roger Bales, who heads the \u003ca href=\"http://snri.ucmerced.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sierra Nevada Research Institute\u003c/a> at UC Merced and was not on the study team. “This is a huge move uphill.” Though Bales advises caution reading too much into any analysis over a relatively short period of time, he adds that “the Sierra Nevada seems to be changing faster than predicted by the past ‘average’ climate projections.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some are more skeptical of the results. Noting the relatively short time span of the study, NASA snow hydrologist Tom Painter noted, “That’s not what one would call a trend.” Painter spends much of his time in the Sierra and above it with NASA’s \u003ca href=\"https://aso.jpl.nasa.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airborne Snow Observatory\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2550px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917911 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL.png\" alt='Graph shows the difference in snow elevation between warmer and colder storms. The Sierra has been experiencing more \"warm\" storms overall. Click image to enlarge.' width=\"2550\" height=\"1463\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL.png 2550w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-160x92.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-800x459.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-768x441.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-1020x585.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-1920x1102.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-1180x677.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-960x551.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-240x138.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-375x215.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/snowlevel-annotated-crop_ESRL-520x298.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2550px) 100vw, 2550px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graph shows the difference in snow elevation between warmer and colder storms. The Sierra has been experiencing more “warm” storms overall. Click image to enlarge. (NOAA Earth Systems Research Lab) \u003ccite>(WRCC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hatchett acknowledges that the matter needs further study, but he does see an emergent trend and attributes much of it to warmer ocean temperatures and an increase in winter storms known as “\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/21/new-research-shows-atmospheric-rivers-wreak-havoc-around-the-globe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">atmospheric rivers\u003c/a>,” which tend to be on the warm side and hence drop rain at relatively high elevations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re saying is not that all storms are getting warmer,” notes Hatchett, “but in a statistical sense, we’re having more warm storms than we are cool storms. and that’s concerning because the future is projected to have more of these strong, warm storms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our results suggest that warmer ocean temperatures off the West Coast may be contributing to more precipitation as rain than snow in the northern Sierra,” adds Nina Oakley, regional climatologist at the \u003ca href=\"https://wrcc.dri.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Western Regional Climate Center\u003c/a> and a member of the study team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That alone would hardly come as a shock to most climate scientists, who for years have predicted this as a symptom of the warming climate. But the pace of the transition suggested by this study is arresting. The team found that three percent more precipitation fell as rain rather than snow in each year from 2008-2017 than in the previous five-year period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That could certainly change how we manage our water resources,” says Hatchett, “but if it’s a trend that continues, that’s certainly cause for much concern.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That concern would extend beyond the water supply to Sierra ski resorts and the entire mountain ecosystem, which had developed around the presence of snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study was a collaboration of researchers at the WRCC and its parent Desert Research Institute, several U.S. universities and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Leaves Another Big Footprint at U.N. Climate Talks -- But Does It Matter?",
"headTitle": "California Leaves Another Big Footprint at U.N. Climate Talks — But Does It Matter? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Governor Jerry Brown blazed a trail through this year’s round of U.N. climate talks, just concluded in Bonn, Germany. Along the way he spoke at the Vatican, met with key players in the European Union and signed up some more subnational leaders to his \u003ca href=\"http://under2mou.org/coalition/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Under 2 Coalition\u003c/a> for climate action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But can all this activity really help move the needle toward lower \u003ca href=\"http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/04/interactive-chart-explains-worlds-top-10-emitters-and-how-theyve-changed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">climate emissions\u003c/a>? We put that question to \u003ca href=\"https://www.hewlett.org/people/jonathan-pershing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jonathan Pershing\u003c/a>, who was the chief U.S. climate negotiator under the Obama administration. He now directs \u003ca href=\"https://www.hewlett.org/programs/environment/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">environmental programs\u003c/a> at the Hewlett Foundation in Palo Alto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917868\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917868\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing.png\" alt=\"Jonathan Pershing was the lead U.S. negotiator on the Paris climate accord.\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing.png 250w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-240x240.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-32x32.png 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-50x50.png 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-64x64.png 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-96x96.png 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-128x128.png 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonathan Pershing was the lead U.S. negotiator on the Paris climate accord. \u003ccite>(The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: First of all, where do we stand with respect to the climate agreement signed in Paris in 2015?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: The last two years, countries have really moved forward. We’ve seen substantial implementation. In fact, by many we’ve seen even more aggressive implementation than required. So two key countries that we care a lot about: on the Chinese side, they’ve made some major strides [to become] the world’s largest purchaser and installer of renewable energy for electricity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a case like India’s, they’ve made a pledge to rapidly increase, not just renewable energy, but also electric vehicles. So we’re seeing enormous playing out of the commitments, and in most parts of the world, frankly with the exception of the United States, we’re seeing countries on track and seeking to be even more aggressive than their original targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Ed. note: this year Syria signed on to the Paris accord, leaving the U.S. as the only nation not participating, since the Trump administration’s \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2017/06/02/trump-just-backed-the-u-s-out-of-the-paris-climate-accord-this-is-what-were-walking-away-from/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">repudiation of the agreement\u003c/a>.]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: The latest installment of the \u003ca href=\"http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Climate Assessment\u003c/a> is out. Does anything jump out at you as particularly concerning? Do you think that the findings in that report up the ante at all or increases the urgency? Or what’s your take on it?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: So, every time we come out with a new science assessment, it makes more clear, more explicit, the nature of the crisis — and I use the word crisis advisedly — and the urgency with which we have to act if we want to address it. This report is yet another in a very long series of convincing, compelling articulations about our understanding of the science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There isn’t a body that looks at this issue that doesn’t have the exact same conclusion. It’s getting worse, faster. The damages are more significant. And every time we do another report, it makes those clearer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2351px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917880 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2351\" height=\"1062\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies.png 2351w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-160x72.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-800x361.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-768x347.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-1020x461.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-1920x867.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-1180x533.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-960x434.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-240x108.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-375x169.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-520x235.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2351px) 100vw, 2351px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Largest emitters of greenhouse gases, projected to 2020. (Click the image to enlarge). \u003ccite>(Center for Climate & Energy Solutions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: So, let’s talk about Governor Brown, who had a “special advisor” role in Bonn. I’m not sure what significance is attached to that but he has definitely been mounting a major international effort to rally support for climate action. Do you think that he can really make a difference though, without meaningful national policy to back it up?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: I don’t think by itself it’s sufficient. But I think that meaningful national policy comes out of a host of different places. It’s not as if the chief executive, the president, decides, “I’m going to change the world tomorrow and it changes.” You’ve got to build coalitions of interest. Those often come from historical preferences and efforts mounted by multiple levels of government, by civil society, by whole coalitions of common interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Governor Brown’s trying to do exactly that. And it’s not that he just began this last week. He’s been working in the context of trying to drive state and sub-national action for years now. And this is the next logical step in that program. It’s been given a lot more attention because the executive branch under President Trump has decided not to move. And so Governor Brown’s saying, “Wait a minute. There are those of us who feel that it is imperative that we must move and we’re going to go forward anyway.” And he’s building coalitions of like-minded players.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: And so you see this activity by Brown as being more than just symbolic?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: Considerably more. He’s got enormous capacity to influence California, to work with the states that California has allied with, which represent about half the states in the nation, to really change the national dynamic…to change emissions, and to change the politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a couple of things that only happen at a sub-national level. A couple of examples: cities control building codes. If you want to make your buildings more efficient, it’s often the city that dictates what the minimum standard is. States control certain kinds of things like zoning. They control a lot of our transportation infrastructure. They deal with things like state taxes on gasoline. They’re the ones that can provide incentives for new companies to move in — companies like Tesla or companies like GM developing the [Chevy] Bolt. Those are things that happen often with state incentives. Those aren’t done at the federal level. Those are much more local. Those kinds of things then can be driven by an executive, at a state level, or a city level, or a county level that can drive change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So to me, Governor Brown is tapping into two things. One, the urgency and the need to act and his commitment in California to do so. And two, the fact that governments at these levels have independent authority and autonomy and need to exercise it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1917878\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED.png 615w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-160x117.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-240x175.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-375x274.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-520x380.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\">\u003c/a>KQED: The governor has claimed that the “Trump factor,” as he put it, will be a minor blip and not amount to a major setback in climate progress. Do you agree with that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: I think he’s right, although I’m not sure I would have characterized it quite the same way. If I look at this problem, the United States is responsible for less than 20% of global emissions…which means that 80% is happening elsewhere. And in the other 80%, every other country except the United States are in and are apparently meeting their commitments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the United States, therefore, does represent a small share. And with states moving forward and making part of the difference, the difference will be even smaller. But I want to point out a problem with this, because the extension of that could lead people to believe that it doesn’t matter what the U.S. does. And I don’t think that is true. I think it matters deeply. We are a country that is noted for its innovation, for its ability — not just on the technology side — but on the policy side. I think the existence of Paris itself is in part a function of American input and aggressive work on diplomacy. And it will make a difference. We will not succeed as quickly. And if the world moves forward without the U.S., which it’s going to try to do, the U.S. is likely to lose domestically on economic grounds and on climate grounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The world is faced with a problem it’s never dealt with before. You need the best minds working on it. And California is usually at the forefront, and I think will remain at the forefront of that discussion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED has asked the governor’s office what potential reduction in carbon emissions is represented by the more than 200 members of his Under 2 Coalition. We are told they have not made that calculation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "This veteran of multinational climate talks thinks it does. Here's why.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Governor Jerry Brown blazed a trail through this year’s round of U.N. climate talks, just concluded in Bonn, Germany. Along the way he spoke at the Vatican, met with key players in the European Union and signed up some more subnational leaders to his \u003ca href=\"http://under2mou.org/coalition/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Under 2 Coalition\u003c/a> for climate action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But can all this activity really help move the needle toward lower \u003ca href=\"http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/04/interactive-chart-explains-worlds-top-10-emitters-and-how-theyve-changed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">climate emissions\u003c/a>? We put that question to \u003ca href=\"https://www.hewlett.org/people/jonathan-pershing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jonathan Pershing\u003c/a>, who was the chief U.S. climate negotiator under the Obama administration. He now directs \u003ca href=\"https://www.hewlett.org/programs/environment/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">environmental programs\u003c/a> at the Hewlett Foundation in Palo Alto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917868\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917868\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing.png\" alt=\"Jonathan Pershing was the lead U.S. negotiator on the Paris climate accord.\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing.png 250w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-240x240.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-32x32.png 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-50x50.png 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-64x64.png 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-96x96.png 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-128x128.png 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Jonathan-Pershing-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonathan Pershing was the lead U.S. negotiator on the Paris climate accord. \u003ccite>(The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: First of all, where do we stand with respect to the climate agreement signed in Paris in 2015?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: The last two years, countries have really moved forward. We’ve seen substantial implementation. In fact, by many we’ve seen even more aggressive implementation than required. So two key countries that we care a lot about: on the Chinese side, they’ve made some major strides [to become] the world’s largest purchaser and installer of renewable energy for electricity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a case like India’s, they’ve made a pledge to rapidly increase, not just renewable energy, but also electric vehicles. So we’re seeing enormous playing out of the commitments, and in most parts of the world, frankly with the exception of the United States, we’re seeing countries on track and seeking to be even more aggressive than their original targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Ed. note: this year Syria signed on to the Paris accord, leaving the U.S. as the only nation not participating, since the Trump administration’s \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2017/06/02/trump-just-backed-the-u-s-out-of-the-paris-climate-accord-this-is-what-were-walking-away-from/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">repudiation of the agreement\u003c/a>.]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: The latest installment of the \u003ca href=\"http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Climate Assessment\u003c/a> is out. Does anything jump out at you as particularly concerning? Do you think that the findings in that report up the ante at all or increases the urgency? Or what’s your take on it?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: So, every time we come out with a new science assessment, it makes more clear, more explicit, the nature of the crisis — and I use the word crisis advisedly — and the urgency with which we have to act if we want to address it. This report is yet another in a very long series of convincing, compelling articulations about our understanding of the science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There isn’t a body that looks at this issue that doesn’t have the exact same conclusion. It’s getting worse, faster. The damages are more significant. And every time we do another report, it makes those clearer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2351px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917880 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2351\" height=\"1062\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies.png 2351w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-160x72.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-800x361.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-768x347.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-1020x461.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-1920x867.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-1180x533.png 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-960x434.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-240x108.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-375x169.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/cdiac-ghg-emissions-major-economies-520x235.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2351px) 100vw, 2351px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Largest emitters of greenhouse gases, projected to 2020. (Click the image to enlarge). \u003ccite>(Center for Climate & Energy Solutions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: So, let’s talk about Governor Brown, who had a “special advisor” role in Bonn. I’m not sure what significance is attached to that but he has definitely been mounting a major international effort to rally support for climate action. Do you think that he can really make a difference though, without meaningful national policy to back it up?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: I don’t think by itself it’s sufficient. But I think that meaningful national policy comes out of a host of different places. It’s not as if the chief executive, the president, decides, “I’m going to change the world tomorrow and it changes.” You’ve got to build coalitions of interest. Those often come from historical preferences and efforts mounted by multiple levels of government, by civil society, by whole coalitions of common interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Governor Brown’s trying to do exactly that. And it’s not that he just began this last week. He’s been working in the context of trying to drive state and sub-national action for years now. And this is the next logical step in that program. It’s been given a lot more attention because the executive branch under President Trump has decided not to move. And so Governor Brown’s saying, “Wait a minute. There are those of us who feel that it is imperative that we must move and we’re going to go forward anyway.” And he’s building coalitions of like-minded players.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED: And so you see this activity by Brown as being more than just symbolic?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: Considerably more. He’s got enormous capacity to influence California, to work with the states that California has allied with, which represent about half the states in the nation, to really change the national dynamic…to change emissions, and to change the politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a couple of things that only happen at a sub-national level. A couple of examples: cities control building codes. If you want to make your buildings more efficient, it’s often the city that dictates what the minimum standard is. States control certain kinds of things like zoning. They control a lot of our transportation infrastructure. They deal with things like state taxes on gasoline. They’re the ones that can provide incentives for new companies to move in — companies like Tesla or companies like GM developing the [Chevy] Bolt. Those are things that happen often with state incentives. Those aren’t done at the federal level. Those are much more local. Those kinds of things then can be driven by an executive, at a state level, or a city level, or a county level that can drive change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So to me, Governor Brown is tapping into two things. One, the urgency and the need to act and his commitment in California to do so. And two, the fact that governments at these levels have independent authority and autonomy and need to exercise it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1917878\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED.png 615w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-160x117.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-240x175.png 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-375x274.png 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/GHGBreakdown_KQED-520x380.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\">\u003c/a>KQED: The governor has claimed that the “Trump factor,” as he put it, will be a minor blip and not amount to a major setback in climate progress. Do you agree with that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pershing: I think he’s right, although I’m not sure I would have characterized it quite the same way. If I look at this problem, the United States is responsible for less than 20% of global emissions…which means that 80% is happening elsewhere. And in the other 80%, every other country except the United States are in and are apparently meeting their commitments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the United States, therefore, does represent a small share. And with states moving forward and making part of the difference, the difference will be even smaller. But I want to point out a problem with this, because the extension of that could lead people to believe that it doesn’t matter what the U.S. does. And I don’t think that is true. I think it matters deeply. We are a country that is noted for its innovation, for its ability — not just on the technology side — but on the policy side. I think the existence of Paris itself is in part a function of American input and aggressive work on diplomacy. And it will make a difference. We will not succeed as quickly. And if the world moves forward without the U.S., which it’s going to try to do, the U.S. is likely to lose domestically on economic grounds and on climate grounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The world is faced with a problem it’s never dealt with before. You need the best minds working on it. And California is usually at the forefront, and I think will remain at the forefront of that discussion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED has asked the governor’s office what potential reduction in carbon emissions is represented by the more than 200 members of his Under 2 Coalition. We are told they have not made that calculation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>After months of study, ten carefully-picked design teams are unveiling their first ideas for giving the Bay Area a makeover to cope with rising sea levels. It’s the latest phase of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.resilientbayarea.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Resilient by Design\u003c/a> challenge, which aims for nothing less than the remaking of waterfront communities with forward-looking design.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s been lots of study but [now] there’s urgency and it’s time to act,” says Marcel Wilson, who represents the San Francisco-based “Bionic” design team (named for the San Francisco design firm). “It’s time for invention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of the invention on display this week involves reconnecting communities to the Bay, after being cut off by freeways, airports, and other infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQUbrd_NgYU]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Bionic team identified San Rafael in Marin County as one of the areas under the most immediate threat from rising waters. This video, produced by the team, illustrates the “disconnection” between residents and the Bay.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘Run into the flood, not away from it. That’s the future.’\u003ccite>Marcel Wilson, Bionic\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Many of the wrong relationships with the Bay were set up long ago. This is the era to remake the Bay and correct those — reorganize cities so life and culture is more a part of the estuary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would literally be the case if some of the teams’ proposals come to fruition. Rather than retreating from the Bay’s rising waters (let’s face it, where would it all go?), several visions call for floating — if not entire cities — at least parts of them on artificial islands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917838\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917838 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving.jpg\" alt=\"A poster from the BIG+ONE+Sherwood design team envisions a new type of waterfront living: floating homes and offices.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1398\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-800x559.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-768x537.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-1020x713.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-1920x1342.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-1180x825.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-960x671.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-240x168.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-375x262.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-520x363.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A poster from one of the Resilient by Design teams envisions a new type of waterfront living: floating homes and offices. \u003ccite>(Resilient by Design)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Run into the flood, not away from it,” advises Wilson. “It’s not wet and dry, it’s more about a zone between the Bay and upland, and designing and thinking about adapting and living with water, versus thinking about them separate — that’s the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Kennedy agrees. His Field Operations team wants to create an “absorptive mosaic” around the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such lofty (and costly) ambitions are encouraged by the projects’ organizers. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news-events/news/13423-henk-ovink-appointed-first-international-water-envoy-for-the-kingdom-of-the-netherlands.html\">Henk Ovink\u003c/a>, a Dutch planning guru and advisor to the challenge, told the assembled teams, “You are not here for the low-hanging fruit. You are here for the high-hanging fruit.” In other words, wherever your imaginations take you, go for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some were taken into the mud, literally. The team dubbed “Public Sediment” chose to focus on \u003ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/242776157/83bbd46e9f\">leveraging wetlands\u003c/a> as natural sponges to absorb encroaching waters, though team member Gena Wirth from New York cautioned that there is “no silver-bullet solution” to coping with seas that could rise a foot or more by 2050, driven by global warming. The extent of encroachment in San Francisco Bay will vary, depending on location and topography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s enormous risk and threat, and the level of awareness is very low.” says Wilson. So his team has printed up “floodline” stickers, which they’re handing out to people with instructions to place them anywhere that’s about nine inches above ground, indicating the anticipated bay level about a decade from now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think a lot of people are left with the feeling of, ‘Where do you start?'” With stickers, evidently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project’s advisory board will spend a few weeks studying the proposals and then pair up teams with communities around the Bay to start discussing implementation and funding. Financing will be a hurdle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t think of these places in isolation,” says Wilson. “Our economies, our ecologies are interconnected. So, this is something for the region to understand and the region to fund.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the \u003ca href=\"http://neighborland.com/resilientbay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">team videos\u003c/a> and other visuals are available on the RBD website, where organizers are encouraging public comment through December 1 on the 32 “design opportunities” presented by the teams.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After months of study, ten carefully-picked design teams are unveiling their first ideas for giving the Bay Area a makeover to cope with rising sea levels. It’s the latest phase of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.resilientbayarea.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Resilient by Design\u003c/a> challenge, which aims for nothing less than the remaking of waterfront communities with forward-looking design.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s been lots of study but [now] there’s urgency and it’s time to act,” says Marcel Wilson, who represents the San Francisco-based “Bionic” design team (named for the San Francisco design firm). “It’s time for invention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of the invention on display this week involves reconnecting communities to the Bay, after being cut off by freeways, airports, and other infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/iQUbrd_NgYU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/iQUbrd_NgYU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Bionic team identified San Rafael in Marin County as one of the areas under the most immediate threat from rising waters. This video, produced by the team, illustrates the “disconnection” between residents and the Bay.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘Run into the flood, not away from it. That’s the future.’\u003ccite>Marcel Wilson, Bionic\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Many of the wrong relationships with the Bay were set up long ago. This is the era to remake the Bay and correct those — reorganize cities so life and culture is more a part of the estuary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would literally be the case if some of the teams’ proposals come to fruition. Rather than retreating from the Bay’s rising waters (let’s face it, where would it all go?), several visions call for floating — if not entire cities — at least parts of them on artificial islands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917838\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917838 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving.jpg\" alt=\"A poster from the BIG+ONE+Sherwood design team envisions a new type of waterfront living: floating homes and offices.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1398\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-800x559.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-768x537.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-1020x713.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-1920x1342.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-1180x825.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-960x671.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-240x168.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-375x262.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/RBD_SBayLiving-520x363.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A poster from one of the Resilient by Design teams envisions a new type of waterfront living: floating homes and offices. \u003ccite>(Resilient by Design)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Run into the flood, not away from it,” advises Wilson. “It’s not wet and dry, it’s more about a zone between the Bay and upland, and designing and thinking about adapting and living with water, versus thinking about them separate — that’s the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Kennedy agrees. His Field Operations team wants to create an “absorptive mosaic” around the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such lofty (and costly) ambitions are encouraged by the projects’ organizers. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news-events/news/13423-henk-ovink-appointed-first-international-water-envoy-for-the-kingdom-of-the-netherlands.html\">Henk Ovink\u003c/a>, a Dutch planning guru and advisor to the challenge, told the assembled teams, “You are not here for the low-hanging fruit. You are here for the high-hanging fruit.” In other words, wherever your imaginations take you, go for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some were taken into the mud, literally. The team dubbed “Public Sediment” chose to focus on \u003ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/242776157/83bbd46e9f\">leveraging wetlands\u003c/a> as natural sponges to absorb encroaching waters, though team member Gena Wirth from New York cautioned that there is “no silver-bullet solution” to coping with seas that could rise a foot or more by 2050, driven by global warming. The extent of encroachment in San Francisco Bay will vary, depending on location and topography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s enormous risk and threat, and the level of awareness is very low.” says Wilson. So his team has printed up “floodline” stickers, which they’re handing out to people with instructions to place them anywhere that’s about nine inches above ground, indicating the anticipated bay level about a decade from now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think a lot of people are left with the feeling of, ‘Where do you start?'” With stickers, evidently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project’s advisory board will spend a few weeks studying the proposals and then pair up teams with communities around the Bay to start discussing implementation and funding. Financing will be a hurdle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t think of these places in isolation,” says Wilson. “Our economies, our ecologies are interconnected. So, this is something for the region to understand and the region to fund.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the \u003ca href=\"http://neighborland.com/resilientbay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">team videos\u003c/a> and other visuals are available on the RBD website, where organizers are encouraging public comment through December 1 on the 32 “design opportunities” presented by the teams.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Breathing Fire: Californians' Health Is a Casualty of Climate-Fueled Blazes",
"headTitle": "Breathing Fire: Californians’ Health Is a Casualty of Climate-Fueled Blazes | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">A\u003c/span>s the deadliest fires in California history swept through leafy neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, Kathleen Sarmento fled her home in the dark, drove to an evacuation center and began setting up a medical triage unit. Patients with burns and other severe injuries were dispatched to hospitals. She set about treating many people whose symptoms resulted from exposure to polluted air and heavy smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People were coming in with headaches. I had one. My eyes were burning,” said Sarmento, the director of nursing at Santa Rosa Community Health, which provides health care for those who cannot afford it. But respiratory problems — coughs and shortness of breath — were among the biggest risks. “We made sure everyone had a mask.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half of the evacuees at the shelter that October night were elderly, some from nursing homes who needed oxygen 24/7. Sarmento scrambled to find regulators for oxygen tanks that were otherwise useless. It was a chaotic night — but what came to worry her most were the weeks and months ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”Xlg0O9oyLXkaXQvm4ibSW3KwbYbGKbmz”]“It looked like it was snowing for days,” Sarmento said of the falling ash. “People really need to take the smoke seriously. You’ve got cars exploding, tires burning. There has to be some long- term effect” on people’s health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From Puget Sound to Disneyland and east over the Rockies, Americans have coughed and wheezed, rushed to emergency rooms and shut themselves indoors this year as pollution from wildfires darkened skies and rained soot across the landscape. Even to healthy people, it can make breathing a miserable, chest-heaving experience. To the elderly, the young and the frail, the pollution can be disabling or deadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the nation has greatly improved air quality over the last 40 years through environmental regulations and technological improvements, the increasing frequency of large wildfires now undermines that progress, releasing copious pollutants that spread far and wide through the air and linger long after the fires are extinguished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists say climate change, degraded ecosystems and the fickleness of the weather have been amplifying fires in forests, grasslands and neighborhoods throughout the West. Nine times more western forestland is burning in large fires each year on average now than 30 years ago, according to \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/113/42/11770.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">calculations by two leading scientists\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917533\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 6068px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Colette-Hatch-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917533\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Colette-Hatch-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"6068\" height=\"4050\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colette Hatch has a lung disease and uses a nebulizer daily. Three weeks after the fires started, she still won’t open her windows and sleeps with an air purifier. “I still have a dry cough, a dry throat,” she says. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The blazes create smoke waves — pulses of pollution containing everything from charred plastic residue to soot to other small particles that lodge deep in the lungs. They can trigger short-term ailments, such as coughing; worsen chronic diseases, such as asthma; and lead to long-term damage, including cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effect of the fires in Northern California’s wine country, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 43 people, went well beyond the burn zone. The smoke choked the San Francisco Bay Area, home to 7 million people in nine counties, for days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colette Hatch, 75, of Santa Rosa, who suffers from lung disease and uses a nebulizer daily, evacuated to her daughter’s home in Sunnyvale, in Silicon Valley, when the fires came. But even nearly 100 miles away, Hatch said she struggled to breathe, coughing so hard she couldn’t sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wafting beyond Oakland and Livermore in the East Bay, the smoke headed into California’s agricultural heartland, the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known collectively as the Central Valley, it stretches for hundreds of miles roughly north to south, bracketed by mountain ranges that trap some of the dirtiest air in America. Increasingly, wildfires like the ones in Northern California’s wine country funnel smoke into the chute, significantly raising the pollution levels in places as far away as Fresno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917547\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 3264px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917547\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton.jpg 3264w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3264px) 100vw, 3264px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighter Josh Bien ignites the forest floor during a prescribed burn in Sierra National Park. \u003ccite>(John Upton/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate Central, a research and journalism nonprofit, examined air district data from California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/report-wildfires-undermining-air-pollution-progress-21753\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The analysis\u003c/a> showed that while the number of heavily polluted days is falling overall each year on average — those days are occurring more frequently during the peak fire season. The researchers, who share their work with editorially independent journalists, say wildfire smoke is to blame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monitors in the San Joaquin Valley and San Francisco Bay Area showed levels spiked in October as the wine country fires sullied skies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With large wildfires on the rise, smoke and the attendant breathing ailments seemed everywhere this year. In September, smoke from fires burning in California, the Pacific Northwest and Montana pushed as far east as Pennsylvania. Smoke triggered emergency declarations in Washington state and California. The Evergreen State was experiencing few fires of its own in July when it was hit by smoke waves that poured across the Canadian border. And smoke returned to much of the northwest in August and September as fires \u003ca href=\"http://vis.ecowest.org/interactive/wildfires.php#year=2017&firekey=waowf-000351&f=all&h=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">broke out in the Cascades\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://vis.ecowest.org/interactive/wildfires.php#year=2017&firekey=ormhf-000176&f=all&h=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Columbia Gorge\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember waking up one morning and the sky was orangey-red and there was ash falling out of the sky,” said \u003ca href=\"http://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/hess_jeremy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeremy Hess\u003c/a>, a researcher and physician at the University of Washington in Seattle. “This summer was very busy for us in the emergency department and we were often over capacity. If it wasn’t the smoke, it was the heat,” Hess said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As World Warms, Environment and Health Suffer\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The blazes came after \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/01/bay-area-weather-scorching-temperatures-will-produce-hottest-days-in-a-decade/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">record-breaking late summer heat\u003c/a> dried out grass that had flourished following \u003ca href=\"http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6861398-181/just-like-that-santa-rosa?gallery=6866230&artslide=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">record-breaking winter rains\u003c/a> — both forms of extreme weather that are worsened by global warming. In addition, a high pressure system over the Pacific fanned the flames by driving unusually hot and powerful seasonal winds into Northern California from the dry highlands of Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The immediate precipitant may have been sparks from power lines, although \u003ca href=\"http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7567756-181/north-bay-fires-a-complex?artslide=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigations into the causes\u003c/a> are ongoing. But a changing climate helped fuel the blazes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917529\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 451px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1917529\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"451\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton.jpg 5184w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 451px) 100vw, 451px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trees killed by the effects of drought in the Sierra National Forest. \u003ccite>(John Upton/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Climate change was not the cause but it’s definitely an ingredient,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, a climate and ecology researcher at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. And that means worse is to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said there was a clear connection between the nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit overall increase in global temperature since the late 1800s and the severity of these and other fires. (Warming in the West has been outpacing the global average in recent decades because of natural cycles.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire really responds strongly to even that small of a change of temperature,” said Williams, whose assessment of global warming’s role in the wine country fires is shared by other experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentally, the fires are a double whammy: They destroy trees that help to slow global warming by absorbing heat-trapping carbon dioxide as they grow. They also release carbon dioxide stored within, as well as black carbon that melts snow and ice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112715001796\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indicated in 2015 that large fires had helped turn \u003c/a>California’s forests and other lands into polluters, releasing more carbon to the atmosphere than they suck back in. The state’s wildlands released more heat-trapping pollution from 2001 through 2010 than Vermont’s entire economy. Rising temperatures aren’t the only cause — the forests are overloaded with fuel following more than a century of aggressive firefighting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While public attention has tended to focus on other health risks from climate change such as heat stroke in summer and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases northward, the effects of smoke pollution have been gaining more attention following dramatic and widespread wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917553\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917553\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoky air in San Francisco during the North Bay fires. \u003ccite>(Amy Graff/SFGate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The most dangerous pollution from wildfires is fine soot — “really small particles that we know can get into the lungs,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.colorado.edu/geography/colleen-reid-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colleen Reid\u003c/a>, a geographer at the University of Colorado who researches climate change and human health. It’s known as PM2.5, meaning “particulate matter” that’s less than 2.5 microns wide, only visible using microscopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can nestle into lung tissue and pass into the bloodstream, contributing to an array of health problems including infections and, potentially, heart attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Symptoms related to smoke waves may not be diagnosed right away, making it hard to recognize the role a fire may have played in an illness or death. Reid led an analysis \u003ca href=\"https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/14-09277/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published a year ago\u003c/a> based on hundreds of studies into fire pollution’s health effects. The clearest links shown in the studies were between PM2.5 and asthma and other breathing problems; links to heart disease were less conclusive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers from leading American universities\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27648592\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> examined fire pollution \u003c/a>across the West, finding that two of every three counties in the region suffered at least one smoke wave from 2004 through 2009. When they correlated those findings with medical data, they found a 7 percent jump in breathing-related hospitalizations after smoke levels were most extreme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917531\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 6963px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917531\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"6963\" height=\"4647\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg 6963w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-1920x1281.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 6963px) 100vw, 6963px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Remnants from the fire in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2017. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“An acute fire lasting, for example, days to weeks, may not show up as an immediate problem but as health problems that may occur over a time span of weeks or months,” said Loretta Mickley, a Harvard researcher who worked on the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>This Summer in California\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elva Hernandez, 51, has lived in the San Joaquin Valley most of her life. She’s suffered from asthma since she was 10. This summer she was stuck inside her house for several weeks as smoke waves suffocated her neighborhood in the small town of Kerman, Calif., near Fresno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The smell, all the dust, the smoke, the smog, everything, it’s just — you can’t breathe,” said Hernandez, a stay-at-home mom whose husband analyzes lab samples at a hospital. “You can’t live your life normally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Joaquin Valley is home to 4 million people, many of them poor. One in six children suffers from asthma. Poor people often are most affected by air pollution, partly because they tend to live in more drafty housing in more polluted neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But enforcement of federal regulations dating to the Nixon administration has been reducing air pollution from fossil fuels and fertilizers in the valley, requiring cleaner engines for trucks and the replacement of outdated equipment on farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been seeing a lot of positive trends,” said Jon Klassen, manager of the air monitoring team at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. At the same time, “there’s a lot more emissions coming from these fires. They’re uncontrollable. They’re very difficult to deal with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We’re trying to ensure that we have healthy, resilient forests that are net sinks of carbon.’\u003ccite>Russ Henly, California Natural Resources Agency\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Research looking at air pollution levels helps explain why people like Hernandez are suffering more during fire seasons. The Climate Central analysis of San Joaquin Valley air data showed that while the number of days each year on which levels of PM2.5 exceeded federal standards declined by about 45 percent overall from 2000 to 2016, they increased by almost a third during the peak summer fire season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Sacramento Valley to the north, summer fire season pollution has been responsible for about 40 percent of the days when federal standards for PM2.5 pollution were exceeded in recent years. That’s up from less than a tenth of them earlier this century, the researchers found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildfires also release toxic material and chemicals that react in the atmosphere to form ozone pollution, which can hang over neighborhoods as haze. Ozone irritates lungs and throats, triggers shortness of breath and aggravates diseases like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hernandez’s asthma doctor, Praveen Buddiga, who operates his own practice in nearby Fresno, treated patients with oxygen and medicine during September fires in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which straddle California and Nevada. He did so again following the wine country fires in October. For asthmatics, the onslaughts of fire pollution are “like pouring a little salt into the wounds,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Buddiga suggests his patients limit their time outside, drive with windows rolled up and wear masks when smoke waves hit. Better yet, he advises them to leave the area if possible until the smoke clears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917530\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1150px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1150\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg.jpg 1150w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1150px) 100vw, 1150px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stands of trees killed by the 2013 Rim Fire in Stanislaus National Forest. \u003ccite>(Jason Steinberg/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But risks can be difficult to gauge for patients and experts who want to offer precautions. Scientists who sampled pollution from wildfires using a NASA jet \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JD026315/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported in June\u003c/a> that fire pollution is being “significantly underestimated” by the federal government. While fleets of mobile air monitors are deployed near fires to help government agencies project the movement of smoke waves, the network of permanent monitors is sparse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have no real good way of communicating to people, ‘Hey, the wildfire smoke is really bad in these spots, and this is where you take precautions,’” said Rob Carlmark, a weathercaster with ABC10 in Sacramento whose audience stretches from Bay Area cities to Lake Tahoe at the Nevada border. Absent local smoke pollution data, he tells viewers, “The best smoke detector is your nose.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lighting Up to Protect Lungs — and the Planet\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Josh Bien wore a heavy pack and held a hoe in one hand. Using the other, the firefighter dripped a burning mixture of diesel fuel and gasoline on the forest floor from a spouted canister. Saplings and beds of pine needles sizzled and burned around him in a national forest in the Sierra Nevada, an hour’s drive east of Fresno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like smoke from suburban fires in the San Francisco Bay Area, that from large wildfires in the forest of this 600-mile mountain range can travel into the Central Valley. A spate of large fires in August and September created heavy smoke that suffocated foothills towns and drove people like Elva Hernandez indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Devastating forest fire seasons in recent years \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/53771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have prompted research\u003c/a> pointing to the need for more prescribed burns like this one. They’re set and managed by firefighters and foresters and guided by computer models that predict the spread of fires and their smoke. They’re aimed at removing highly flammable undergrowth and spare the mature trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘The challenge we still face is how to get out of decades of managing forests in ways that increase, rather than decrease, fire risk.’\u003ccite>Chris Field, ecology professor at Stanford University\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“You can either do it on your terms,” said Adam Hernandez, a prescribed fire and fuels management officer with the U.S. Forest Service, as gray smoke billowed around, “or you wait for that wildfire to come and it does it on its terms — and then you’re in a bad way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small fires used to burn regularly through the understories of the Sierra Nevada’s forests, started by lightning and native tribes. That changed after the Native Americans were forced from the mountain range, followed by more than a century of logging and aggressive firefighting. Those activities replaced stands of large, fire-resistant trees with thickets of smaller ones, building up fuel for enormous blazes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you have some of these extreme wildfires, you’re creating more harmful emissions,” said Jonathan Long, an ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Extreme fires burn larger areas and their flames jump from forest floors to incinerate canopies, producing heavy black smoke and killing mature trees. “We think taking the medicine in small doses is a lot healthier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The excessive undergrowth amplified the impact of California’s recent drought — there was too little water for so many trees. More than 100 million trees may have died across the Sierra Nevada in recent years. The dead trees can provide nesting cavities and their logs create important habitat for wildlife, but some scientists fear they may also intensify fires after they topple into desiccated piles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government has been striking agreements with state agencies to use more prescribed burns and take other steps to better manage forests. In January, California \u003ca href=\"http://fire.ca.gov/fcat/downloads/California%20Forest%20Carbon%20Plan%20Draft%20for%20Public%20Review_Jan17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">released an ambitious draft plan\u003c/a> to restore forests over the decades to come — through a focus on prescribed burns — with the goal of reducing pollution from wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to ensure that we have healthy, resilient forests that are net sinks of carbon so that they’re storing more carbon than they’re releasing,” said Russ Henly, a California Natural Resources Agency official who helped draft the plan. By 2020, the plan seeks to double the amount of land treated using prescribed burns to 35,000 acres a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With so many local, state and federal agencies overseeing environmental rules and owning land in California, the state says coordination will be key. For example, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District can prevent national parks and other landowners from conducting prescribed burns when pollution levels will be affected — which is most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mindful of the growing danger of big blazes, the air district has become more accommodating of prescribed fires. Still, finding the money to pay for the work remains a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of Congress have pushed logging as a way to ease forest fires, though that approach could have the opposite effect: Trees valued by loggers tend to be the largest and most fire-resistant. Troublesome small trees and dead ones have little value other than as fuel for power plants, and even then they’re generally too expensive to gather. Low natural gas prices have been forcing the closure of biomass power plants, which are fueled with wood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if the money is found to improve forest management, climate change will likely limit the progress from improved forest management, said Christopher Field, an ecology professor at Stanford University. The fire season will continue to lengthen. Landscapes will continue to dry out. “The challenge we still face is how to get out of decades of managing forests in ways that increase, rather than decrease, fire risk,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Field oversaw a survey dealing with Sierra Nevada forests completed by 75 academics, government officials and nonprofit and industry employees. While most agreed that prescribed burns and other approaches can lock carbon into the mountain’s ecosystems, they warned it will be difficult to overcome the losses from wildfires as temperatures rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California doesn’t include carbon losses from forest fires when it tallies its progress toward reducing climate pollution. But amid the burning, logging and clearing of tropical forests from Indonesia to the Amazon and the Congo, destructive fires in the forestlands of a U.S. state that has some of the world’s most ambitious climate goals are contributing to the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, in the process, they are making people sick.\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>\u003cbr>\nThis story was produced through a partnership between \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Climate Central \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://khn.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a> with support from the \u003ca href=\"https://west.stanford.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bill Lane Center for the American West \u003c/a>at Stanford University. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Large wildfires are releasing pollution that’s undermining decades of progress in cleaning the air, sickening Americans.",
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"description": "Large wildfires are releasing pollution that’s undermining decades of progress in cleaning the air, sickening Americans.",
"title": "Breathing Fire: Californians' Health Is a Casualty of Climate-Fueled Blazes | KQED",
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"headline": "Breathing Fire: Californians' Health Is a Casualty of Climate-Fueled Blazes",
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"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/what-we-do/people/john-upton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Upton\u003c/a>, Climate Central\u003c/br>\u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/news/author/barbara-feder-ostrov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barbara Feder Ostrov\u003c/a>, California Healthline",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">A\u003c/span>s the deadliest fires in California history swept through leafy neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, Kathleen Sarmento fled her home in the dark, drove to an evacuation center and began setting up a medical triage unit. Patients with burns and other severe injuries were dispatched to hospitals. She set about treating many people whose symptoms resulted from exposure to polluted air and heavy smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People were coming in with headaches. I had one. My eyes were burning,” said Sarmento, the director of nursing at Santa Rosa Community Health, which provides health care for those who cannot afford it. But respiratory problems — coughs and shortness of breath — were among the biggest risks. “We made sure everyone had a mask.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half of the evacuees at the shelter that October night were elderly, some from nursing homes who needed oxygen 24/7. Sarmento scrambled to find regulators for oxygen tanks that were otherwise useless. It was a chaotic night — but what came to worry her most were the weeks and months ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>“It looked like it was snowing for days,” Sarmento said of the falling ash. “People really need to take the smoke seriously. You’ve got cars exploding, tires burning. There has to be some long- term effect” on people’s health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From Puget Sound to Disneyland and east over the Rockies, Americans have coughed and wheezed, rushed to emergency rooms and shut themselves indoors this year as pollution from wildfires darkened skies and rained soot across the landscape. Even to healthy people, it can make breathing a miserable, chest-heaving experience. To the elderly, the young and the frail, the pollution can be disabling or deadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the nation has greatly improved air quality over the last 40 years through environmental regulations and technological improvements, the increasing frequency of large wildfires now undermines that progress, releasing copious pollutants that spread far and wide through the air and linger long after the fires are extinguished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists say climate change, degraded ecosystems and the fickleness of the weather have been amplifying fires in forests, grasslands and neighborhoods throughout the West. Nine times more western forestland is burning in large fires each year on average now than 30 years ago, according to \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/113/42/11770.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">calculations by two leading scientists\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917533\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 6068px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Colette-Hatch-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917533\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Colette-Hatch-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"6068\" height=\"4050\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colette Hatch has a lung disease and uses a nebulizer daily. Three weeks after the fires started, she still won’t open her windows and sleeps with an air purifier. “I still have a dry cough, a dry throat,” she says. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The blazes create smoke waves — pulses of pollution containing everything from charred plastic residue to soot to other small particles that lodge deep in the lungs. They can trigger short-term ailments, such as coughing; worsen chronic diseases, such as asthma; and lead to long-term damage, including cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effect of the fires in Northern California’s wine country, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 43 people, went well beyond the burn zone. The smoke choked the San Francisco Bay Area, home to 7 million people in nine counties, for days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colette Hatch, 75, of Santa Rosa, who suffers from lung disease and uses a nebulizer daily, evacuated to her daughter’s home in Sunnyvale, in Silicon Valley, when the fires came. But even nearly 100 miles away, Hatch said she struggled to breathe, coughing so hard she couldn’t sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wafting beyond Oakland and Livermore in the East Bay, the smoke headed into California’s agricultural heartland, the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known collectively as the Central Valley, it stretches for hundreds of miles roughly north to south, bracketed by mountain ranges that trap some of the dirtiest air in America. Increasingly, wildfires like the ones in Northern California’s wine country funnel smoke into the chute, significantly raising the pollution levels in places as far away as Fresno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917547\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 3264px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917547\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3264\" height=\"2448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton.jpg 3264w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Prescribed-Burn.John-Upton-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3264px) 100vw, 3264px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighter Josh Bien ignites the forest floor during a prescribed burn in Sierra National Park. \u003ccite>(John Upton/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate Central, a research and journalism nonprofit, examined air district data from California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/report-wildfires-undermining-air-pollution-progress-21753\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The analysis\u003c/a> showed that while the number of heavily polluted days is falling overall each year on average — those days are occurring more frequently during the peak fire season. The researchers, who share their work with editorially independent journalists, say wildfire smoke is to blame.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monitors in the San Joaquin Valley and San Francisco Bay Area showed levels spiked in October as the wine country fires sullied skies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With large wildfires on the rise, smoke and the attendant breathing ailments seemed everywhere this year. In September, smoke from fires burning in California, the Pacific Northwest and Montana pushed as far east as Pennsylvania. Smoke triggered emergency declarations in Washington state and California. The Evergreen State was experiencing few fires of its own in July when it was hit by smoke waves that poured across the Canadian border. And smoke returned to much of the northwest in August and September as fires \u003ca href=\"http://vis.ecowest.org/interactive/wildfires.php#year=2017&firekey=waowf-000351&f=all&h=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">broke out in the Cascades\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://vis.ecowest.org/interactive/wildfires.php#year=2017&firekey=ormhf-000176&f=all&h=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Columbia Gorge\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I remember waking up one morning and the sky was orangey-red and there was ash falling out of the sky,” said \u003ca href=\"http://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/hess_jeremy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeremy Hess\u003c/a>, a researcher and physician at the University of Washington in Seattle. “This summer was very busy for us in the emergency department and we were often over capacity. If it wasn’t the smoke, it was the heat,” Hess said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As World Warms, Environment and Health Suffer\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The blazes came after \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/01/bay-area-weather-scorching-temperatures-will-produce-hottest-days-in-a-decade/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">record-breaking late summer heat\u003c/a> dried out grass that had flourished following \u003ca href=\"http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6861398-181/just-like-that-santa-rosa?gallery=6866230&artslide=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">record-breaking winter rains\u003c/a> — both forms of extreme weather that are worsened by global warming. In addition, a high pressure system over the Pacific fanned the flames by driving unusually hot and powerful seasonal winds into Northern California from the dry highlands of Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The immediate precipitant may have been sparks from power lines, although \u003ca href=\"http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7567756-181/north-bay-fires-a-complex?artslide=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investigations into the causes\u003c/a> are ongoing. But a changing climate helped fuel the blazes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917529\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 451px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1917529\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"451\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton.jpg 5184w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/Trees-killed-by-drought.John-Upton-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 451px) 100vw, 451px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trees killed by the effects of drought in the Sierra National Forest. \u003ccite>(John Upton/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Climate change was not the cause but it’s definitely an ingredient,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, a climate and ecology researcher at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. And that means worse is to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said there was a clear connection between the nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit overall increase in global temperature since the late 1800s and the severity of these and other fires. (Warming in the West has been outpacing the global average in recent decades because of natural cycles.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire really responds strongly to even that small of a change of temperature,” said Williams, whose assessment of global warming’s role in the wine country fires is shared by other experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentally, the fires are a double whammy: They destroy trees that help to slow global warming by absorbing heat-trapping carbon dioxide as they grow. They also release carbon dioxide stored within, as well as black carbon that melts snow and ice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112715001796\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indicated in 2015 that large fires had helped turn \u003c/a>California’s forests and other lands into polluters, releasing more carbon to the atmosphere than they suck back in. The state’s wildlands released more heat-trapping pollution from 2001 through 2010 than Vermont’s entire economy. Rising temperatures aren’t the only cause — the forests are overloaded with fuel following more than a century of aggressive firefighting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While public attention has tended to focus on other health risks from climate change such as heat stroke in summer and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases northward, the effects of smoke pollution have been gaining more attention following dramatic and widespread wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917553\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917553\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/San-Fran-in-Smoke.Amy-Graff-SFGATE-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoky air in San Francisco during the North Bay fires. \u003ccite>(Amy Graff/SFGate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The most dangerous pollution from wildfires is fine soot — “really small particles that we know can get into the lungs,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.colorado.edu/geography/colleen-reid-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colleen Reid\u003c/a>, a geographer at the University of Colorado who researches climate change and human health. It’s known as PM2.5, meaning “particulate matter” that’s less than 2.5 microns wide, only visible using microscopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can nestle into lung tissue and pass into the bloodstream, contributing to an array of health problems including infections and, potentially, heart attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Symptoms related to smoke waves may not be diagnosed right away, making it hard to recognize the role a fire may have played in an illness or death. Reid led an analysis \u003ca href=\"https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/14-09277/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published a year ago\u003c/a> based on hundreds of studies into fire pollution’s health effects. The clearest links shown in the studies were between PM2.5 and asthma and other breathing problems; links to heart disease were less conclusive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers from leading American universities\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27648592\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> examined fire pollution \u003c/a>across the West, finding that two of every three counties in the region suffered at least one smoke wave from 2004 through 2009. When they correlated those findings with medical data, they found a 7 percent jump in breathing-related hospitalizations after smoke levels were most extreme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917531\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 6963px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917531\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"6963\" height=\"4647\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN.jpg 6963w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-1920x1281.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/air-pollution-9.-Coffey-Park-neighborhood-of-Santa-Rosa.Heidi-de-Marco-KHN-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 6963px) 100vw, 6963px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Remnants from the fire in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2017. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“An acute fire lasting, for example, days to weeks, may not show up as an immediate problem but as health problems that may occur over a time span of weeks or months,” said Loretta Mickley, a Harvard researcher who worked on the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>This Summer in California\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elva Hernandez, 51, has lived in the San Joaquin Valley most of her life. She’s suffered from asthma since she was 10. This summer she was stuck inside her house for several weeks as smoke waves suffocated her neighborhood in the small town of Kerman, Calif., near Fresno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The smell, all the dust, the smoke, the smog, everything, it’s just — you can’t breathe,” said Hernandez, a stay-at-home mom whose husband analyzes lab samples at a hospital. “You can’t live your life normally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Joaquin Valley is home to 4 million people, many of them poor. One in six children suffers from asthma. Poor people often are most affected by air pollution, partly because they tend to live in more drafty housing in more polluted neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But enforcement of federal regulations dating to the Nixon administration has been reducing air pollution from fossil fuels and fertilizers in the valley, requiring cleaner engines for trucks and the replacement of outdated equipment on farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been seeing a lot of positive trends,” said Jon Klassen, manager of the air monitoring team at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. At the same time, “there’s a lot more emissions coming from these fires. They’re uncontrollable. They’re very difficult to deal with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘We’re trying to ensure that we have healthy, resilient forests that are net sinks of carbon.’\u003ccite>Russ Henly, California Natural Resources Agency\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Research looking at air pollution levels helps explain why people like Hernandez are suffering more during fire seasons. The Climate Central analysis of San Joaquin Valley air data showed that while the number of days each year on which levels of PM2.5 exceeded federal standards declined by about 45 percent overall from 2000 to 2016, they increased by almost a third during the peak summer fire season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Sacramento Valley to the north, summer fire season pollution has been responsible for about 40 percent of the days when federal standards for PM2.5 pollution were exceeded in recent years. That’s up from less than a tenth of them earlier this century, the researchers found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildfires also release toxic material and chemicals that react in the atmosphere to form ozone pollution, which can hang over neighborhoods as haze. Ozone irritates lungs and throats, triggers shortness of breath and aggravates diseases like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hernandez’s asthma doctor, Praveen Buddiga, who operates his own practice in nearby Fresno, treated patients with oxygen and medicine during September fires in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which straddle California and Nevada. He did so again following the wine country fires in October. For asthmatics, the onslaughts of fire pollution are “like pouring a little salt into the wounds,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Buddiga suggests his patients limit their time outside, drive with windows rolled up and wear masks when smoke waves hit. Better yet, he advises them to leave the area if possible until the smoke clears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917530\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1150px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1150\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg.jpg 1150w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-960x641.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/11/2016.07.11-Stanislaus-National-Forrest-still-photography-014.Jason-Steinberg-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1150px) 100vw, 1150px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stands of trees killed by the 2013 Rim Fire in Stanislaus National Forest. \u003ccite>(Jason Steinberg/Climate Central)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But risks can be difficult to gauge for patients and experts who want to offer precautions. Scientists who sampled pollution from wildfires using a NASA jet \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JD026315/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported in June\u003c/a> that fire pollution is being “significantly underestimated” by the federal government. While fleets of mobile air monitors are deployed near fires to help government agencies project the movement of smoke waves, the network of permanent monitors is sparse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have no real good way of communicating to people, ‘Hey, the wildfire smoke is really bad in these spots, and this is where you take precautions,’” said Rob Carlmark, a weathercaster with ABC10 in Sacramento whose audience stretches from Bay Area cities to Lake Tahoe at the Nevada border. Absent local smoke pollution data, he tells viewers, “The best smoke detector is your nose.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lighting Up to Protect Lungs — and the Planet\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Josh Bien wore a heavy pack and held a hoe in one hand. Using the other, the firefighter dripped a burning mixture of diesel fuel and gasoline on the forest floor from a spouted canister. Saplings and beds of pine needles sizzled and burned around him in a national forest in the Sierra Nevada, an hour’s drive east of Fresno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like smoke from suburban fires in the San Francisco Bay Area, that from large wildfires in the forest of this 600-mile mountain range can travel into the Central Valley. A spate of large fires in August and September created heavy smoke that suffocated foothills towns and drove people like Elva Hernandez indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Devastating forest fire seasons in recent years \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/53771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have prompted research\u003c/a> pointing to the need for more prescribed burns like this one. They’re set and managed by firefighters and foresters and guided by computer models that predict the spread of fires and their smoke. They’re aimed at removing highly flammable undergrowth and spare the mature trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘The challenge we still face is how to get out of decades of managing forests in ways that increase, rather than decrease, fire risk.’\u003ccite>Chris Field, ecology professor at Stanford University\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“You can either do it on your terms,” said Adam Hernandez, a prescribed fire and fuels management officer with the U.S. Forest Service, as gray smoke billowed around, “or you wait for that wildfire to come and it does it on its terms — and then you’re in a bad way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small fires used to burn regularly through the understories of the Sierra Nevada’s forests, started by lightning and native tribes. That changed after the Native Americans were forced from the mountain range, followed by more than a century of logging and aggressive firefighting. Those activities replaced stands of large, fire-resistant trees with thickets of smaller ones, building up fuel for enormous blazes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you have some of these extreme wildfires, you’re creating more harmful emissions,” said Jonathan Long, an ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Extreme fires burn larger areas and their flames jump from forest floors to incinerate canopies, producing heavy black smoke and killing mature trees. “We think taking the medicine in small doses is a lot healthier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The excessive undergrowth amplified the impact of California’s recent drought — there was too little water for so many trees. More than 100 million trees may have died across the Sierra Nevada in recent years. The dead trees can provide nesting cavities and their logs create important habitat for wildlife, but some scientists fear they may also intensify fires after they topple into desiccated piles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The federal government has been striking agreements with state agencies to use more prescribed burns and take other steps to better manage forests. In January, California \u003ca href=\"http://fire.ca.gov/fcat/downloads/California%20Forest%20Carbon%20Plan%20Draft%20for%20Public%20Review_Jan17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">released an ambitious draft plan\u003c/a> to restore forests over the decades to come — through a focus on prescribed burns — with the goal of reducing pollution from wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to ensure that we have healthy, resilient forests that are net sinks of carbon so that they’re storing more carbon than they’re releasing,” said Russ Henly, a California Natural Resources Agency official who helped draft the plan. By 2020, the plan seeks to double the amount of land treated using prescribed burns to 35,000 acres a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With so many local, state and federal agencies overseeing environmental rules and owning land in California, the state says coordination will be key. For example, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District can prevent national parks and other landowners from conducting prescribed burns when pollution levels will be affected — which is most of the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mindful of the growing danger of big blazes, the air district has become more accommodating of prescribed fires. Still, finding the money to pay for the work remains a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of Congress have pushed logging as a way to ease forest fires, though that approach could have the opposite effect: Trees valued by loggers tend to be the largest and most fire-resistant. Troublesome small trees and dead ones have little value other than as fuel for power plants, and even then they’re generally too expensive to gather. Low natural gas prices have been forcing the closure of biomass power plants, which are fueled with wood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if the money is found to improve forest management, climate change will likely limit the progress from improved forest management, said Christopher Field, an ecology professor at Stanford University. The fire season will continue to lengthen. Landscapes will continue to dry out. “The challenge we still face is how to get out of decades of managing forests in ways that increase, rather than decrease, fire risk,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Field oversaw a survey dealing with Sierra Nevada forests completed by 75 academics, government officials and nonprofit and industry employees. While most agreed that prescribed burns and other approaches can lock carbon into the mountain’s ecosystems, they warned it will be difficult to overcome the losses from wildfires as temperatures rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California doesn’t include carbon losses from forest fires when it tallies its progress toward reducing climate pollution. But amid the burning, logging and clearing of tropical forests from Indonesia to the Amazon and the Congo, destructive fires in the forestlands of a U.S. state that has some of the world’s most ambitious climate goals are contributing to the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, in the process, they are making people sick.\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>\u003cbr>\nThis story was produced through a partnership between \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Climate Central \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://khn.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a> with support from the \u003ca href=\"https://west.stanford.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bill Lane Center for the American West \u003c/a>at Stanford University. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "U.S. Government Report Says Climate Is Warming, Humans Are the Cause",
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"content": "\u003cp>It is “extremely likely” that human activities are the “dominant cause” of global warming, according to the the most comprehensive study ever of climate science by U.S. government researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The climate report, obtained by NPR, notes that the past 115 years are “the warmest in the history of modern civilization.” The global average temperature has increased by about 1.8 degree Fahrenheit over that period. Greenhouse gases from industry and agriculture are by far the biggest contributor to warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”Sr3zcyN4lRbDPm9hRoFkxGF1M3VhvZrF”]The findings contradict statements by President Trump and many of his Cabinet members, who have openly questioned the role humans play in changing the climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/09/519425866/epa-chief-scott-pruitt-questions-basic-facts-about-climate-change\">in an interview earlier this year\u003c/a>. “There’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is not consistent with the conclusions of the 600-plus page Climate Science Special Report, which is part of an even larger scientific review known as the fourth National Climate Assessment. The NCA4, as it’s known, is the nation’s most authoritative assessment of climate science. The report’s authors include experts from leading scientific agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the Department of Energy, as well as academic scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report states that the global climate will continue to warm. How much, it says, “will depend primarily on the amount of greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide) emitted globally.” Without major reductions in emissions, it says, the increase in annual average global temperature could reach 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Efforts to reduce emissions, it says, would slow the rate of warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is good, solid climate science,” says Richard Alley, a geoscientist at Penn State University who says he made minor contributions to the report’s conclusions on sea level rise. “This has been reviewed so many times in so many ways, and it’s taking what we know from … a couple of centuries of climate science and applying it to the U.S.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assessments are required by an act of Congress; the last one was published in 2014. Alley says this year’s goes further in attributing changes in weather to the warming climate, especially weather extremes. “More heat waves and fewer cold snaps, this is very clear,” he says. The report also notes that warmer temperatures have contributed to the rise in forest fires in the West, and that the incidence of those fires is expected to keep rising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the clearest effects involve sea level rise. “Coastal flooding, you raise the mean level of the ocean, everything else equal you get more coastal flooding,” Alley says. The report notes that sea level has risen 7 to 8 inches since 1900, and 3 inches of that occurred since 1993. The report says that rate is faster than during any century over the past 2,800 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also points out that heavy rainfall is increasing in intensity and frequency across the U.S., especially in the Northeast, and that’s expected to keep increasing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other connections are harder to nail down, Alley says, such as whether a particular hurricane can be attributed to climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Climate Science Special Report is like going to a doctor and being given a report on your vital signs,” says environmental scientist Rachel Licker of the Union of Concerned Scientists. She notes that the authors assessed more than 1,500 scientific studies and reports in making their conclusions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alley adds that the new report “does a better job of seeing the human fingerprint in what’s happening.” He says that while he hasn’t read all of it yet, he sees no evidence that it has been soft-pedaled or understates the certainty of the science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alley notes that “there’s a little rumbling” among climate scientists who are concerned that the Trump administration will ignore this effort. “I think the authors really are interested in seeing [the report] used wisely by policy makers to help the economy as well as the environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report has been submitted to the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House. Trump has yet to choose anyone to run that office; it remains one of the last unfilled senior positions in the White House staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Massive+Government+Report+Says+Climate+Is+Warming+And+Humans+Are+The+Cause&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It is “extremely likely” that human activities are the “dominant cause” of global warming, according to the the most comprehensive study ever of climate science by U.S. government researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The climate report, obtained by NPR, notes that the past 115 years are “the warmest in the history of modern civilization.” The global average temperature has increased by about 1.8 degree Fahrenheit over that period. Greenhouse gases from industry and agriculture are by far the biggest contributor to warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>The findings contradict statements by President Trump and many of his Cabinet members, who have openly questioned the role humans play in changing the climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/09/519425866/epa-chief-scott-pruitt-questions-basic-facts-about-climate-change\">in an interview earlier this year\u003c/a>. “There’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is not consistent with the conclusions of the 600-plus page Climate Science Special Report, which is part of an even larger scientific review known as the fourth National Climate Assessment. The NCA4, as it’s known, is the nation’s most authoritative assessment of climate science. The report’s authors include experts from leading scientific agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the Department of Energy, as well as academic scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report states that the global climate will continue to warm. How much, it says, “will depend primarily on the amount of greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide) emitted globally.” Without major reductions in emissions, it says, the increase in annual average global temperature could reach 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Efforts to reduce emissions, it says, would slow the rate of warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is good, solid climate science,” says Richard Alley, a geoscientist at Penn State University who says he made minor contributions to the report’s conclusions on sea level rise. “This has been reviewed so many times in so many ways, and it’s taking what we know from … a couple of centuries of climate science and applying it to the U.S.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assessments are required by an act of Congress; the last one was published in 2014. Alley says this year’s goes further in attributing changes in weather to the warming climate, especially weather extremes. “More heat waves and fewer cold snaps, this is very clear,” he says. The report also notes that warmer temperatures have contributed to the rise in forest fires in the West, and that the incidence of those fires is expected to keep rising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the clearest effects involve sea level rise. “Coastal flooding, you raise the mean level of the ocean, everything else equal you get more coastal flooding,” Alley says. The report notes that sea level has risen 7 to 8 inches since 1900, and 3 inches of that occurred since 1993. The report says that rate is faster than during any century over the past 2,800 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also points out that heavy rainfall is increasing in intensity and frequency across the U.S., especially in the Northeast, and that’s expected to keep increasing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other connections are harder to nail down, Alley says, such as whether a particular hurricane can be attributed to climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Climate Science Special Report is like going to a doctor and being given a report on your vital signs,” says environmental scientist Rachel Licker of the Union of Concerned Scientists. She notes that the authors assessed more than 1,500 scientific studies and reports in making their conclusions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alley adds that the new report “does a better job of seeing the human fingerprint in what’s happening.” He says that while he hasn’t read all of it yet, he sees no evidence that it has been soft-pedaled or understates the certainty of the science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alley notes that “there’s a little rumbling” among climate scientists who are concerned that the Trump administration will ignore this effort. “I think the authors really are interested in seeing [the report] used wisely by policy makers to help the economy as well as the environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report has been submitted to the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House. Trump has yet to choose anyone to run that office; it remains one of the last unfilled senior positions in the White House staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Massive+Government+Report+Says+Climate+Is+Warming+And+Humans+Are+The+Cause&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Bay Area Sprawl Has Put Homes in the Path of Fires -- What Now?",
"headTitle": "Bay Area Sprawl Has Put Homes in the Path of Fires — What Now? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>October’s historic fires in the North Bay are a stark reminder of a growing reality across California: during fire season, millions of people live in harm’s way. That number is only expected to increase as the population grows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many Bay Area cities are trying to halt the pattern of sprawl that has put so many homes on hillsides and in the path of fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“Clearly, a lot of people are in dangerous areas.”\u003ccite>Jon Keeley, US Geological Survey\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Certainly, it’s an opportunity for reflection and it is a moment where we can think about doing things a little bit differently,” says Teri Shore of the non-profit Greenbelt Alliance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shore works on land use policy, but was also one of the evacuees who fled their homes as fires roared across the Sonoma County for days on end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What became the Nuns Fire got within two miles of our home,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her home was spared. Now, she’s focusing on how her community will rebuild. Even before the fires, housing was in short supply with high prices and low vacancy rates. Now, thousands of people will also need to rebuild. In Santa Rosa, fires razed fully five percent of the city’s housing stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917314\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 450px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917314\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/FireHazard_V02_171024.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"801\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fire maps based on 2007 assessment.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Historically, cities expanded their boundaries as they grew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People wanted single family homes and were willing to drive for hours to have that American dream of the white picket fence and the home,” Shore says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those choices, made over decades, have put many Bay Area residents in the fire zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Clearly, a lot of people are in dangerous areas,” says Jon Keeley, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a third of Californians live in the WUI, or the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/WUI/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wildland-urban interface\u003c/a>,” as scientists call it. \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837714001409?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Studies show\u003c/a> that could increase by a million more homes by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s an area prone to fires whether or not people live there, because many of the ecosystems evolved with fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are an inevitable feature,” Keeley says. “All you need is the conditions we saw in the North Bay. So, we need to respect the fact that these are going to happen in the future and we need to have communities adapt to the fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for city and county governments, that often comes at the end of a much longer list of priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Historically, communities have by and large assumed the state and federal government will solve the fire problem and they’ve left fire issues to them,” Keely explains. “And the communities haven’t taken a real serious look.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is expected to add more than 2 million people by 2040. And Keeley says where the housing is built will matter. Instead of sprawling outward, there are ways to reduce the fire risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One is to take existing development areas and fill in those areas within the developments,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Building Inside-Out\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keeley is describing “infill development,” where housing is packed into the urban core, close to shops and public transit. The trend is currently on display in downtown San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question isn’t whether or not we’re going to grow,” says San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo. “The question is: how are we going to grow?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1917313\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters douse embers in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa. \u003ccite>(Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Like a lot of cities, San Jose looks a bit like a doughnut: growing on the edges but not a lot going on in the middle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got a lot of work now to revitalize that middle,” Liccardo says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Google is currently negotiating with the city to build a tech campus downtown, which would bring thousands of jobs. San Jose is trying to fast-track housing development nearby, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Infill is often more expensive to build; permitting and zoning can be more complex. San Jose has changed downtown zoning to make it easier there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That enabled a tower to get a permit within 66 days,” he says. “I’m told that’s a record in the state of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Long Road Ahead\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many developers are still pursuing suburban subdivisions, like a 900-home development planned for the Evergreen foothills of San Jose. City voters could see a measure to approve it on the ballot next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re gonna fight like heck on this because we can’t continue this pattern of sprawl,” Liccardo says. “It’s utterly unsustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the hills are often where the wildfire risk is highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The North Bay fires are illustrative of the perils of hillside development, certainly,” Liccardo says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Sonoma County, many cities have instituted “urban growth boundaries,” which rein in the expansion of development outward. But the challenge has been figuring out where to build housing within city boundaries. Denser development often faces local opposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shore of the Greenbelt Alliance says the region has a new opportunity for infill close to the public transit system, the SMART train, which just started running a few months ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of the cities along the line have station-area plans that were adopted around ten years ago,” she says. “Now we need to do it. Stop talking and planning but actually start building in the right places in the right way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regional planning agencies are trying to encourage denser development through \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/our-work/plans-projects/plan-bay-area-2040/plan-bay-area\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plan Bay Area\u003c/a>, their transportation and land use plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under that, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission has restricted some funding for transportation projects, giving it only to cities doing infill development. The commission is seeking to link even more funding to those goals set by SB 375, a state law that requires regions to cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of miles driven by cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many agree, the region has a long way to go to break the pattern that has put so many people in the path of wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>October’s historic fires in the North Bay are a stark reminder of a growing reality across California: during fire season, millions of people live in harm’s way. That number is only expected to increase as the population grows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many Bay Area cities are trying to halt the pattern of sprawl that has put so many homes on hillsides and in the path of fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“Clearly, a lot of people are in dangerous areas.”\u003ccite>Jon Keeley, US Geological Survey\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“Certainly, it’s an opportunity for reflection and it is a moment where we can think about doing things a little bit differently,” says Teri Shore of the non-profit Greenbelt Alliance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shore works on land use policy, but was also one of the evacuees who fled their homes as fires roared across the Sonoma County for days on end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What became the Nuns Fire got within two miles of our home,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her home was spared. Now, she’s focusing on how her community will rebuild. Even before the fires, housing was in short supply with high prices and low vacancy rates. Now, thousands of people will also need to rebuild. In Santa Rosa, fires razed fully five percent of the city’s housing stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917314\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 450px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917314\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/FireHazard_V02_171024.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"801\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fire maps based on 2007 assessment.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Historically, cities expanded their boundaries as they grew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People wanted single family homes and were willing to drive for hours to have that American dream of the white picket fence and the home,” Shore says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those choices, made over decades, have put many Bay Area residents in the fire zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Clearly, a lot of people are in dangerous areas,” says Jon Keeley, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a third of Californians live in the WUI, or the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/WUI/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wildland-urban interface\u003c/a>,” as scientists call it. \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837714001409?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Studies show\u003c/a> that could increase by a million more homes by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s an area prone to fires whether or not people live there, because many of the ecosystems evolved with fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are an inevitable feature,” Keeley says. “All you need is the conditions we saw in the North Bay. So, we need to respect the fact that these are going to happen in the future and we need to have communities adapt to the fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for city and county governments, that often comes at the end of a much longer list of priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Historically, communities have by and large assumed the state and federal government will solve the fire problem and they’ve left fire issues to them,” Keely explains. “And the communities haven’t taken a real serious look.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is expected to add more than 2 million people by 2040. And Keeley says where the housing is built will matter. Instead of sprawling outward, there are ways to reduce the fire risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One is to take existing development areas and fill in those areas within the developments,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Building Inside-Out\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keeley is describing “infill development,” where housing is packed into the urban core, close to shops and public transit. The trend is currently on display in downtown San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The question isn’t whether or not we’re going to grow,” says San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo. “The question is: how are we going to grow?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1917313\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/Fires4-web-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters douse embers in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa. \u003ccite>(Sheraz Sadiq/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Like a lot of cities, San Jose looks a bit like a doughnut: growing on the edges but not a lot going on in the middle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got a lot of work now to revitalize that middle,” Liccardo says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Google is currently negotiating with the city to build a tech campus downtown, which would bring thousands of jobs. San Jose is trying to fast-track housing development nearby, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Infill is often more expensive to build; permitting and zoning can be more complex. San Jose has changed downtown zoning to make it easier there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That enabled a tower to get a permit within 66 days,” he says. “I’m told that’s a record in the state of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Long Road Ahead\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many developers are still pursuing suburban subdivisions, like a 900-home development planned for the Evergreen foothills of San Jose. City voters could see a measure to approve it on the ballot next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re gonna fight like heck on this because we can’t continue this pattern of sprawl,” Liccardo says. “It’s utterly unsustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the hills are often where the wildfire risk is highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The North Bay fires are illustrative of the perils of hillside development, certainly,” Liccardo says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Sonoma County, many cities have instituted “urban growth boundaries,” which rein in the expansion of development outward. But the challenge has been figuring out where to build housing within city boundaries. Denser development often faces local opposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shore of the Greenbelt Alliance says the region has a new opportunity for infill close to the public transit system, the SMART train, which just started running a few months ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of the cities along the line have station-area plans that were adopted around ten years ago,” she says. “Now we need to do it. Stop talking and planning but actually start building in the right places in the right way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regional planning agencies are trying to encourage denser development through \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/our-work/plans-projects/plan-bay-area-2040/plan-bay-area\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plan Bay Area\u003c/a>, their transportation and land use plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under that, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission has restricted some funding for transportation projects, giving it only to cities doing infill development. The commission is seeking to link even more funding to those goals set by SB 375, a state law that requires regions to cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of miles driven by cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many agree, the region has a long way to go to break the pattern that has put so many people in the path of wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "It’s a Goopy Mess When Pines and Beetles Duke it Out",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]After five years of drought in which \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd543943.pdf\">more than 100 million trees died in California\u003c/a> \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>mostly ponderosa pines attacked by tiny bark beetles in the Sierra Nevada \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>aerial surveys this summer revealed fewer dead pines than last year, a positive turn that researchers hope will continue if the state has another wet winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all hoping for another wet year that would really get us out of this situation,” said Jeffrey Moore, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/forest-grasslandhealth/?cid=fsbdev3_046696\">aerial survey program\u003c/a> manager with the U.S. Forest Service in Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Results from the most recent aerial surveys won’t be available until November, said Moore. But the aerial surveys he and his team started in early July reveal that fewer ponderosa pines have died this year than in 2016, when a total of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd543943.pdf\">62 million trees\u003c/a> are estimated to have died. The majority of dead trees in California since the drought began have been ponderosa pines. Sugar pines, Jeffrey pines, white firs, oaks and incense cedars have also died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917076\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An orange patch of dead trees is visible in California’s Tahoe National Forest in August 2017. An estimated 102 million trees died in California during its five-year drought, most of them from bark beetle attacks. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While oaks and incense cedars die directly from a lack of water, ponderosa pines are killed by a bark beetle that proliferates when trees are weakened by drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In California, drought is the trigger for bark beetle outbreaks,” said Sheri Smith, an entomologist with the Forest Service in Vallejo. “Drought and too many trees on the landscape and bark beetles are the perfect storm.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5384837.pdf\">Bark beetles are specialized\u003c/a>, with each species attacking only one or a few species of trees. Ponderosa pines are attacked by dark brown beetles the size of a grain of rice called western pine beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been the most common combo in the state recently,” said Forest Service entomologist Danny Cluck, who supervises northeastern California. Western pine beetles also attack Coulter pines. And a different beetle species, mountain pine beetles, has caused extensive damage to sugar pines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917100\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_FLIES_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_FLIES_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After growing inside a ponderosa pine, a western pine beetle flies off to search for a new pine to lay its own eggs in. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the spring and summer, female western pine beetles fly around ponderosa pine stands looking for trees to lay their eggs in. As they start boring into a ponderosa, the tree oozes a sticky, viscous clear liquid called resin. If the tree is healthy, it can produce so much resin that the beetle gets exhausted and trapped as the resin hardens, which can kill it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The western pine beetle is an aggressive beetle that in order to successfully reproduce has to kill the tree,” said Forest Service ecologist \u003ca href=\"https://www.firelab.org/profile/hood-sharon\">Sharon Hood\u003c/a>, based in Montana, a state that also has western pine beetles. “So the tree has very evolved responses. With pines, they have a whole resin duct system. You can imagine these vertical and horizontal pipes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_STRUGGLES_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917075\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_STRUGGLES_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sticky resin secreted by a ponderosa pine immobilizes a western pine beetle that was trying to get into the tree to reproduce. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But when the drought was underway and ponderosa pines weren’t getting much water, they couldn’t make enough resin to put up a strong defense. Beetles bored through the bark of millions of trees and sent out an aggregating pheromone to call more beetles and stage a mass attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds to thousands of beetles bore in and go straight to one of the tree’s most vital tissues: the phloem, a thin, spongy layer under the bark. The phloem (pronounced flow-em) moves nutrients from the tree’s needles, where sugars are produced through photosynthesis, down to its roots, where the sugars accumulate and help the tree grow the following spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_EAT_PONDEROSA_PINE_NUTRITIOUS_LAYER_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917078\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_EAT_PONDEROSA_PINE_NUTRITIOUS_LAYER_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When western pine beetles bore into a ponderosa pine they go straight to the tree’s nutritious layer, the phloem. The beetles eat their way through the spongy tissue and lay their eggs in it. Eventually, the beetle-induced damage cuts the flow of nutrients throughout the pine and the tree dies. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Western pine beetles carve winding tunnels as they eat their way through the phloem and lay their eggs. Their meandering egg galleries have earned them the nickname of “drunken pine beetles,” said Ryan Bracewell, an entomologist at the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That meandering behavior might be important in cutting off the phloem early on, when the beetles are attacking the tree,” said Bracewell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917151\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917151\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Western pine beetles are sometimes given the nickname of “drunken pine beetles” because they’re the only bark beetles that build meandering, sinuous tunnels inside the tree to lay their eggs in. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This year, Moore’s aerial detection team \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>looking down from a small plane \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>has recorded fewer ponderosa pine deaths, but more fir mortality. Firs are attacked by beetles called fir engravers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Information gathered from the air coincides with findings that scientists on the ground made this summer. Forest health scientist \u003ca href=\"https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/jodi-axelson\">Jodi Axelson\u003c/a>, a University of California extension specialist based at University of California, Berkeley, and her collaborators \u003ca href=\"https://nature.berkeley.edu/battleslab/\">John Battles\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://ucanr.edu/?facultyid=2869\">Susan Kocher\u003c/a> studied plots up and down the Sierra this summer, from Plumas National Forest in the north, to an area south of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Overall, we saw very low levels of attacks by western pine beetles and mountain pine beetles,” said Axelson, “which is really fantastic from the point of view of tree mortality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She believes that above-normal rains last winter helped strengthen trees’ resin defense, which in turn led to a crash in these beetle populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917081\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sticky resin secreted by a ponderosa pine immobilized two western pine beetles that were trying to get into the tree to reproduce in Tahoe National Forest this August. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Axelson and her colleagues did see fir engraver beetles attacking firs, but she said that these beetles are unlikely to cause extensive damage the way that western pine beetles did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the southern Sierra, where drought was the most severe and prolonged, Moore said that ponderosa pines “have basically been wiped out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, this year “bark beetles don’t have anymore pines to kill in those areas,” Moore said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanislaus, Sierra and Sequoia National Forests were the hardest hit areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917082\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_SWIMS_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917082\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_SWIMS_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A western pine beetle tries to get into a ponderosa pine in Tahoe National Forest. The tree defends itself by secreting a viscous liquid called resin. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In northeastern California, however, western pine beetles are still attacking ponderosa pines, said Cluck, though the situation has improved this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I did see, in general, a lot of trees had taken advantage of the soil moisture from winter and early spring, when they were coming out of dormancy, and increased their resin production,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dealing with millions of dead trees presents a challenge. Fewer than two percent have been removed, said Axelson, who belongs to the state \u003ca href=\"http://www.fire.ca.gov/treetaskforce/\">Tree Mortality Task Force\u003c/a>’s working group on forest health and resilience. Priority has been given to trees that could fall on power lines, roadways or buildings, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Standing dead trees that have lost their needles don’t increase fire risk, said Axelson. But “once they fall to the ground you end up with these very heavy fuel loads,” she said, “and that undoubtedly is going to make fire behavior more intense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent fires in Northern California didn’t likely involve trees killed by bark beetles. Instead, they were fueled when the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/10/23/wine-country-fires-were-fanned-by-unprecedented-winds/\">dry, warm Diablo winds\u003c/a> ignited grass that had grown abundantly during the wet winter and dried out over the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not clear what will happen when trees killed by bark beetles begin to fall over in the Sierra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The biggest unknown in California in the areas impacted by bark beetles will be in five to 10 years, because we’ll end up with fuel on the ground,” said Axelson. “It’s a big source of uncertainty.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Aerial surveys this summer revealed fewer dead ponderosa pines than last year, as they beat beetles back.",
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"title": "It’s a Goopy Mess When Pines and Beetles Duke it Out | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After five years of drought in which \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd543943.pdf\">more than 100 million trees died in California\u003c/a> \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>mostly ponderosa pines attacked by tiny bark beetles in the Sierra Nevada \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>aerial surveys this summer revealed fewer dead pines than last year, a positive turn that researchers hope will continue if the state has another wet winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all hoping for another wet year that would really get us out of this situation,” said Jeffrey Moore, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/forest-grasslandhealth/?cid=fsbdev3_046696\">aerial survey program\u003c/a> manager with the U.S. Forest Service in Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Results from the most recent aerial surveys won’t be available until November, said Moore. But the aerial surveys he and his team started in early July reveal that fewer ponderosa pines have died this year than in 2016, when a total of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd543943.pdf\">62 million trees\u003c/a> are estimated to have died. The majority of dead trees in California since the drought began have been ponderosa pines. Sugar pines, Jeffrey pines, white firs, oaks and incense cedars have also died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917076\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_DEAD_TREES_TAHOE_NATIONAL_FOREST-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An orange patch of dead trees is visible in California’s Tahoe National Forest in August 2017. An estimated 102 million trees died in California during its five-year drought, most of them from bark beetle attacks. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While oaks and incense cedars die directly from a lack of water, ponderosa pines are killed by a bark beetle that proliferates when trees are weakened by drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In California, drought is the trigger for bark beetle outbreaks,” said Sheri Smith, an entomologist with the Forest Service in Vallejo. “Drought and too many trees on the landscape and bark beetles are the perfect storm.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5384837.pdf\">Bark beetles are specialized\u003c/a>, with each species attacking only one or a few species of trees. Ponderosa pines are attacked by dark brown beetles the size of a grain of rice called western pine beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been the most common combo in the state recently,” said Forest Service entomologist Danny Cluck, who supervises northeastern California. Western pine beetles also attack Coulter pines. And a different beetle species, mountain pine beetles, has caused extensive damage to sugar pines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917100\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_FLIES_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_FLIES_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After growing inside a ponderosa pine, a western pine beetle flies off to search for a new pine to lay its own eggs in. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the spring and summer, female western pine beetles fly around ponderosa pine stands looking for trees to lay their eggs in. As they start boring into a ponderosa, the tree oozes a sticky, viscous clear liquid called resin. If the tree is healthy, it can produce so much resin that the beetle gets exhausted and trapped as the resin hardens, which can kill it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The western pine beetle is an aggressive beetle that in order to successfully reproduce has to kill the tree,” said Forest Service ecologist \u003ca href=\"https://www.firelab.org/profile/hood-sharon\">Sharon Hood\u003c/a>, based in Montana, a state that also has western pine beetles. “So the tree has very evolved responses. With pines, they have a whole resin duct system. You can imagine these vertical and horizontal pipes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_STRUGGLES_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917075\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_STRUGGLES_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sticky resin secreted by a ponderosa pine immobilizes a western pine beetle that was trying to get into the tree to reproduce. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But when the drought was underway and ponderosa pines weren’t getting much water, they couldn’t make enough resin to put up a strong defense. Beetles bored through the bark of millions of trees and sent out an aggregating pheromone to call more beetles and stage a mass attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds to thousands of beetles bore in and go straight to one of the tree’s most vital tissues: the phloem, a thin, spongy layer under the bark. The phloem (pronounced flow-em) moves nutrients from the tree’s needles, where sugars are produced through photosynthesis, down to its roots, where the sugars accumulate and help the tree grow the following spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_EAT_PONDEROSA_PINE_NUTRITIOUS_LAYER_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917078\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_EAT_PONDEROSA_PINE_NUTRITIOUS_LAYER_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When western pine beetles bore into a ponderosa pine they go straight to the tree’s nutritious layer, the phloem. The beetles eat their way through the spongy tissue and lay their eggs in it. Eventually, the beetle-induced damage cuts the flow of nutrients throughout the pine and the tree dies. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Western pine beetles carve winding tunnels as they eat their way through the phloem and lay their eggs. Their meandering egg galleries have earned them the nickname of “drunken pine beetles,” said Ryan Bracewell, an entomologist at the University of California, Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That meandering behavior might be important in cutting off the phloem early on, when the beetles are attacking the tree,” said Bracewell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917151\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917151\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_EGG_GALLERY-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Western pine beetles are sometimes given the nickname of “drunken pine beetles” because they’re the only bark beetles that build meandering, sinuous tunnels inside the tree to lay their eggs in. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This year, Moore’s aerial detection team \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>looking down from a small plane \u003cspan class=\"s1\">— \u003c/span>has recorded fewer ponderosa pine deaths, but more fir mortality. Firs are attacked by beetles called fir engravers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Information gathered from the air coincides with findings that scientists on the ground made this summer. Forest health scientist \u003ca href=\"https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people/jodi-axelson\">Jodi Axelson\u003c/a>, a University of California extension specialist based at University of California, Berkeley, and her collaborators \u003ca href=\"https://nature.berkeley.edu/battleslab/\">John Battles\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://ucanr.edu/?facultyid=2869\">Susan Kocher\u003c/a> studied plots up and down the Sierra this summer, from Plumas National Forest in the north, to an area south of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Overall, we saw very low levels of attacks by western pine beetles and mountain pine beetles,” said Axelson, “which is really fantastic from the point of view of tree mortality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She believes that above-normal rains last winter helped strengthen trees’ resin defense, which in turn led to a crash in these beetle populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917081\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLES_TRAPPED_IN_RESIN-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sticky resin secreted by a ponderosa pine immobilized two western pine beetles that were trying to get into the tree to reproduce in Tahoe National Forest this August. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Axelson and her colleagues did see fir engraver beetles attacking firs, but she said that these beetles are unlikely to cause extensive damage the way that western pine beetles did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the southern Sierra, where drought was the most severe and prolonged, Moore said that ponderosa pines “have basically been wiped out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, this year “bark beetles don’t have anymore pines to kill in those areas,” Moore said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanislaus, Sierra and Sequoia National Forests were the hardest hit areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917082\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 497px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_SWIMS_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1917082\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/DL_419BarkBeetles_WESTERN_PINE_BEETLE_SWIMS_IN_PONDEROSA_PINE_RESIN_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A western pine beetle tries to get into a ponderosa pine in Tahoe National Forest. The tree defends itself by secreting a viscous liquid called resin. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In northeastern California, however, western pine beetles are still attacking ponderosa pines, said Cluck, though the situation has improved this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I did see, in general, a lot of trees had taken advantage of the soil moisture from winter and early spring, when they were coming out of dormancy, and increased their resin production,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dealing with millions of dead trees presents a challenge. Fewer than two percent have been removed, said Axelson, who belongs to the state \u003ca href=\"http://www.fire.ca.gov/treetaskforce/\">Tree Mortality Task Force\u003c/a>’s working group on forest health and resilience. Priority has been given to trees that could fall on power lines, roadways or buildings, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Standing dead trees that have lost their needles don’t increase fire risk, said Axelson. But “once they fall to the ground you end up with these very heavy fuel loads,” she said, “and that undoubtedly is going to make fire behavior more intense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent fires in Northern California didn’t likely involve trees killed by bark beetles. Instead, they were fueled when the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/10/23/wine-country-fires-were-fanned-by-unprecedented-winds/\">dry, warm Diablo winds\u003c/a> ignited grass that had grown abundantly during the wet winter and dried out over the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not clear what will happen when trees killed by bark beetles begin to fall over in the Sierra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The biggest unknown in California in the areas impacted by bark beetles will be in five to 10 years, because we’ll end up with fuel on the ground,” said Axelson. “It’s a big source of uncertainty.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Wine Country Fires Were Fanned by 'Unprecedented' Winds",
"headTitle": "Wine Country Fires Were Fanned by ‘Unprecedented’ Winds | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Checking the data coming in from weather stations near where wildfires exploded across the North Bay, Cliff Mass watched in astonishment from his office in Seattle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The wind speeds were unprecedented,” recalls Mass, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington. “That’s what got my attention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting on a ridge above Napa Valley on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 8 the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/10/20/california-fires-cause-1b-in-damage-burn-6900-buildings/\">historic fires\u003c/a> quickly hopscotched their way west, ultimately scorching more than 200,000 acres, including nearly a third of Sonoma Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mass says one gust on a mountain peak near Geyserville clocked in at 96 mph — another at 108. At times — after the fires had broken out — sustained winds at some higher elevations were at hurricane force.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘This fire exploded, and it exploded in a number of places at once.’\u003ccite>Cliff Mass, U.of Washington\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“We had wind speeds that were higher than ever recorded at those stations,” says Mass. “And that’s irrespective of season — including the middle of the winter when we have big storms coming in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mass writes in detail about the unusual winds in his widely-read \u003ca href=\"https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-real-story-behind-california.html\">weather and climate blog\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It started with warm, dry northeasterly winds, known as Diablos, typical for this time of year. Wind is created when air is pulled from an area of high pressure to low pressure. The bigger the difference, the more powerful the pull. When winds descend down mountains, they pick up speed…and heat, and usually trigger red-flag warnings [for fire potential].\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But then something happened locally, ” notes Mass. There followed what he calls “Diablo-plus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The strong winds coming in against the mountains accelerated further,” he explains. “It was an interaction between the winds and the mountains. You not only had the largest-scale Diablo wind but the winds further accelerated as they interacted with the mountains.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pbsP3NZ_MQ&w=640&h=360]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Video recorded on the night the fires broke out shows how embers were whipped in all directions. (KITN)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s one reason so many were caught off guard. Kat Krause lost her home in Glen Ellen in a matter of minutes. She was still gathering things for a possible evacuation when she recalls hearing her husband, who was watching the hillside above their home yell, “Get out now!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917092\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917092 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"The rammed-earth walls are all that remain of the Krause home in Glen Ellen.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-240x320.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-375x500.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-520x693.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The rammed-earth walls are all that remain of the Krause home in Glen Ellen. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All at once while I was watching, that hill, from top to bottom and side to side, was spontaneously combusting into red, rapid lava-like fire which was moving toward us” Krause recalls.”From the time he yelled, “Now,” to the time I saw that hill explode in flames was no time at all — it wasn’t even seconds. “\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Mass describes it, “This fire exploded, and it exploded in a number of places at once.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The force behind this is what meteorologists call a mountain wave or downslope wind storm, this one complicated by the terrain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a tremendous amt of variability of the winds, recalls Mass. “We had these localized areas, near the crest and downstream and down the slopes a bit on some of these mountains, where the winds accelerated to unprecedented speeds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not only are you getting standard accelerated wind or Diablo wind, you’re also getting fire-induced winds around the fire front,” describes Craig Clements, who runs the \u003ca href=\"http://www.fireweather.org/\">Fire Weather Laboratory\u003c/a> at San Jose State University. “You’re getting all sorts of squirrely wind circulations around the fire,”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week he dispatched the lab’s mobile unit to Santa Rosa, shooting Lidar beams into the smoke. Lidar is like the Doppler radar used by local weathercasters, but uses light beams instead of radio waves to study the dynamics in and around the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In classic large wildfires, a towering smoke plume often rises, spewing firebrands from the top, transported by upper-level winds sometimes miles. But these fires were different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happened here, you had embers blowing in the near-surface winds into housing communities, and then one house would ignite, and then the next house would ignite, so it was unique.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tragic result was a number of lost properties more than double that of the Oakland Hills firestorm in 1991, which had held the record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this was just everything coming together in the wrong way,” reflects Mass, “and gave us an unprecedented catastrophic event. “\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Checking the data coming in from weather stations near where wildfires exploded across the North Bay, Cliff Mass watched in astonishment from his office in Seattle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The wind speeds were unprecedented,” recalls Mass, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington. “That’s what got my attention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting on a ridge above Napa Valley on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 8 the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/10/20/california-fires-cause-1b-in-damage-burn-6900-buildings/\">historic fires\u003c/a> quickly hopscotched their way west, ultimately scorching more than 200,000 acres, including nearly a third of Sonoma Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mass says one gust on a mountain peak near Geyserville clocked in at 96 mph — another at 108. At times — after the fires had broken out — sustained winds at some higher elevations were at hurricane force.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘This fire exploded, and it exploded in a number of places at once.’\u003ccite>Cliff Mass, U.of Washington\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“We had wind speeds that were higher than ever recorded at those stations,” says Mass. “And that’s irrespective of season — including the middle of the winter when we have big storms coming in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mass writes in detail about the unusual winds in his widely-read \u003ca href=\"https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-real-story-behind-california.html\">weather and climate blog\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It started with warm, dry northeasterly winds, known as Diablos, typical for this time of year. Wind is created when air is pulled from an area of high pressure to low pressure. The bigger the difference, the more powerful the pull. When winds descend down mountains, they pick up speed…and heat, and usually trigger red-flag warnings [for fire potential].\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But then something happened locally, ” notes Mass. There followed what he calls “Diablo-plus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The strong winds coming in against the mountains accelerated further,” he explains. “It was an interaction between the winds and the mountains. You not only had the largest-scale Diablo wind but the winds further accelerated as they interacted with the mountains.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/0pbsP3NZ_MQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/0pbsP3NZ_MQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Video recorded on the night the fires broke out shows how embers were whipped in all directions. (KITN)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s one reason so many were caught off guard. Kat Krause lost her home in Glen Ellen in a matter of minutes. She was still gathering things for a possible evacuation when she recalls hearing her husband, who was watching the hillside above their home yell, “Get out now!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1917092\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1917092 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"The rammed-earth walls are all that remain of the Krause home in Glen Ellen.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-240x320.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-375x500.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758-520x693.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/IMG_8758.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The rammed-earth walls are all that remain of the Krause home in Glen Ellen. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All at once while I was watching, that hill, from top to bottom and side to side, was spontaneously combusting into red, rapid lava-like fire which was moving toward us” Krause recalls.”From the time he yelled, “Now,” to the time I saw that hill explode in flames was no time at all — it wasn’t even seconds. “\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Mass describes it, “This fire exploded, and it exploded in a number of places at once.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The force behind this is what meteorologists call a mountain wave or downslope wind storm, this one complicated by the terrain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a tremendous amt of variability of the winds, recalls Mass. “We had these localized areas, near the crest and downstream and down the slopes a bit on some of these mountains, where the winds accelerated to unprecedented speeds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not only are you getting standard accelerated wind or Diablo wind, you’re also getting fire-induced winds around the fire front,” describes Craig Clements, who runs the \u003ca href=\"http://www.fireweather.org/\">Fire Weather Laboratory\u003c/a> at San Jose State University. “You’re getting all sorts of squirrely wind circulations around the fire,”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week he dispatched the lab’s mobile unit to Santa Rosa, shooting Lidar beams into the smoke. Lidar is like the Doppler radar used by local weathercasters, but uses light beams instead of radio waves to study the dynamics in and around the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In classic large wildfires, a towering smoke plume often rises, spewing firebrands from the top, transported by upper-level winds sometimes miles. But these fires were different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happened here, you had embers blowing in the near-surface winds into housing communities, and then one house would ignite, and then the next house would ignite, so it was unique.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tragic result was a number of lost properties more than double that of the Oakland Hills firestorm in 1991, which had held the record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this was just everything coming together in the wrong way,” reflects Mass, “and gave us an unprecedented catastrophic event. “\u003cb>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Bay Area Air Quality Has Been Worst on Record -- Check Out Your City",
"headTitle": "Bay Area Air Quality Has Been Worst on Record — Check Out Your City | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Updated: Wednesday, October 18, 2017, 11:45 a.m.\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air pollution in Bay Area counties in the past couple of weeks has been the worst since 1999 when officials began collecting data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents in the North Bay are still experiencing the brunt of the pollution because of nearby wildfires in California’s wine country. Residents in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties should try to stay inside buildings with air conditioning. But people in the East Bay and South Bay are not in the clear because the toxic air is creeping all over the region. You can look up your zip code \u003ca href=\"https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=317\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pollution was so high last week it was comparable to high pollution days in China, says Lisa Fasano at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The worst hour was measured last Tuesday in Napa with an air quality index of 404 for small particulate matter, so high it’s off the chart, as you can see below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1916921\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1130\" height=\"2129\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018.jpg 1130w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-160x301.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-800x1507.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-768x1447.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-1020x1922.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-960x1809.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-240x452.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-375x707.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-520x980.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1130px) 100vw, 1130px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Check current air quality at \u003ca href=\"https://airnow.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">airnow.gov\u003c/a>, or \u003ca href=\"http://sparetheair.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sparetheair.org\u003c/a>, which has a 5-day forecast] \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Follow these precautions to protect your health:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Minimize outdoor activities\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Exercise in a gym or studio with good ventilation, rather than outdoors\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stay indoors with windows and doors closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Do not run fans in windows, drawing smoky air inside\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Run your air-conditioner on recirculate, rather than bringing in outdoor air\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Consider leaving the region until air quality improves\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Officials warn that very fine smoke particles, a fraction of the size of a human hair, can lodge in the lungs and do irreparable damage to the body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we breath particulates they bypass the lung system and get into our bloodstream,” said Fasano. “They exacerbate respiratory conditions like asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease\u003cem>)\u003c/em>, emphysema and other conditions because they are very harmful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/anim_aqi_sanfrancisco_ca_171018wed.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1916920\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/anim_aqi_sanfrancisco_ca_171018wed.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"400\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A seasonal inversion layer is putting a lid on the pollution and holding it in the region. Usually the Bay Area benefits from a natural air conditioning system with winds blowing in off the coast and carrying the air inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/1hr_pm25_SacramentoCa_animate_171018wed.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1916919\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/1hr_pm25_SacramentoCa_animate_171018wed.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"400\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are also seeing elevated levels in San Francisco and Redwood City,” says Fasano. “We are all being impacted by this really unhealthy air pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned about working out, “Outdoor exercise is not advised in the heavily smoke impacted counties of Napa, Sonoma, and Solano,” says Fasano.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fasano recommends buying a face mask at the hardware store with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/GeneralHospitalDevicesandSupplies/PersonalProtectiveEquipment/ucm055977.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">N-95 rating\u003c/a> or higher. Unfortunately neither a hospital mask or a bandanna tied over the face prevents noxious air from entering the lungs. Fasano suggests staying inside through the weekend to avoid breathing both particle pollution and ash wafting through the air.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Updated: Wednesday, October 18, 2017, 11:45 a.m.\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air pollution in Bay Area counties in the past couple of weeks has been the worst since 1999 when officials began collecting data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents in the North Bay are still experiencing the brunt of the pollution because of nearby wildfires in California’s wine country. Residents in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties should try to stay inside buildings with air conditioning. But people in the East Bay and South Bay are not in the clear because the toxic air is creeping all over the region. You can look up your zip code \u003ca href=\"https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=317\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pollution was so high last week it was comparable to high pollution days in China, says Lisa Fasano at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The worst hour was measured last Tuesday in Napa with an air quality index of 404 for small particulate matter, so high it’s off the chart, as you can see below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1916921\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1130\" height=\"2129\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018.jpg 1130w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-160x301.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-800x1507.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-768x1447.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-1020x1922.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-960x1809.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-240x452.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-375x707.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/KQEDScience_AQI_6AM_171018-520x980.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1130px) 100vw, 1130px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Check current air quality at \u003ca href=\"https://airnow.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">airnow.gov\u003c/a>, or \u003ca href=\"http://sparetheair.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sparetheair.org\u003c/a>, which has a 5-day forecast] \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Follow these precautions to protect your health:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Minimize outdoor activities\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Exercise in a gym or studio with good ventilation, rather than outdoors\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stay indoors with windows and doors closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Do not run fans in windows, drawing smoky air inside\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Run your air-conditioner on recirculate, rather than bringing in outdoor air\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Consider leaving the region until air quality improves\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Officials warn that very fine smoke particles, a fraction of the size of a human hair, can lodge in the lungs and do irreparable damage to the body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we breath particulates they bypass the lung system and get into our bloodstream,” said Fasano. “They exacerbate respiratory conditions like asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease\u003cem>)\u003c/em>, emphysema and other conditions because they are very harmful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/anim_aqi_sanfrancisco_ca_171018wed.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1916920\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/anim_aqi_sanfrancisco_ca_171018wed.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"400\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A seasonal inversion layer is putting a lid on the pollution and holding it in the region. Usually the Bay Area benefits from a natural air conditioning system with winds blowing in off the coast and carrying the air inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/1hr_pm25_SacramentoCa_animate_171018wed.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1916919\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/10/1hr_pm25_SacramentoCa_animate_171018wed.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"400\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are also seeing elevated levels in San Francisco and Redwood City,” says Fasano. “We are all being impacted by this really unhealthy air pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re concerned about working out, “Outdoor exercise is not advised in the heavily smoke impacted counties of Napa, Sonoma, and Solano,” says Fasano.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fasano recommends buying a face mask at the hardware store with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/GeneralHospitalDevicesandSupplies/PersonalProtectiveEquipment/ucm055977.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">N-95 rating\u003c/a> or higher. Unfortunately neither a hospital mask or a bandanna tied over the face prevents noxious air from entering the lungs. Fasano suggests staying inside through the weekend to avoid breathing both particle pollution and ash wafting through the air.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "EPA Chief Announces Reversal of Obama-Era Curbs on Coal Plants",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[contextly_sidebar id=”8O4YlWcYEC7yOhQSqGeijRsHM41kb8hI”]Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration will scuttle an Obama-era clean power plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The administrator of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Environmental Protection Agency\u003c/a>, Scott Pruitt, made the announcement in Hazard, Ky., on Monday, saying the rule hurt coal-fired plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The EPA and no federal agency should ever use its authority to say to you we are going to declare war on any sector of our economy,” Pruitt said, speaking at an event with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That rule really was about picking winners and losers,” the EPA administrator said, adding that the rule change would be signed on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement had been anticipated. It would eliminate the Clean Power Plan that was put on hold by the U.S. Supreme Court and therefore never implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A draft document obtained by NPR and other outlets says the administration will also issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking “in the near future” to take comments on whether and how it should replace the CPP.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/epa-chief-says-administration-roll-150239621.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=64b31474-394c-3a35-b934-8da7f3dd60f2&.tsrc=notification-brknews\">The Associated Press\u003c/a>, the EPA is “expected to declare the Obama-era rule exceeded federal law by setting emissions standards that power plants could not reasonably meet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coal-fired power plants generate roughly 40 percent of the electricity globally, but generate more than 70 percent of the carbon dioxide, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/partner-country-series---emissions-reduction-through-upgrade-of-coal-fired-power-plants.html\">International Energy Agency.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of scientists worldwide say that carbon dioxide is a leading contributor to climate change. President Trump, however, has called climate change a hoax perpetrated by China to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive, but he also said he had an open mind toward efforts to control it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/01/530748899/watch-live-trump-announces-decision-on-paris-climate-agreement\">Trump announced that the U.S. would pull out of the Paris Accord\u003c/a>, an international agreement that set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions. At the time, the president said staying in the deal, which is aimed at capping average global temperature increases, “could cost America as much as 2.7 million lost jobs by 2025” and would cause the loss of close to $3 trillion in GDP.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the claims of potential job losses have been\u003ca href=\"http://www.factcheck.org/2017/06/factchecking-trumps-climate-speech/\"> disputed by economists and climate scientists.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=EPA+Chief+Announces+Reversal+Of+Obama-Era+Curbs+On+Coal+Plants&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "In a speech in Kentucky on Monday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said the old rules aimed at reducing carbon dioxide were tantamount to declaring war on the coal industry.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration will scuttle an Obama-era clean power plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The administrator of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Environmental Protection Agency\u003c/a>, Scott Pruitt, made the announcement in Hazard, Ky., on Monday, saying the rule hurt coal-fired plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The EPA and no federal agency should ever use its authority to say to you we are going to declare war on any sector of our economy,” Pruitt said, speaking at an event with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That rule really was about picking winners and losers,” the EPA administrator said, adding that the rule change would be signed on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement had been anticipated. It would eliminate the Clean Power Plan that was put on hold by the U.S. Supreme Court and therefore never implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A draft document obtained by NPR and other outlets says the administration will also issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking “in the near future” to take comments on whether and how it should replace the CPP.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/news/epa-chief-says-administration-roll-150239621.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=64b31474-394c-3a35-b934-8da7f3dd60f2&.tsrc=notification-brknews\">The Associated Press\u003c/a>, the EPA is “expected to declare the Obama-era rule exceeded federal law by setting emissions standards that power plants could not reasonably meet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coal-fired power plants generate roughly 40 percent of the electricity globally, but generate more than 70 percent of the carbon dioxide, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/partner-country-series---emissions-reduction-through-upgrade-of-coal-fired-power-plants.html\">International Energy Agency.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of scientists worldwide say that carbon dioxide is a leading contributor to climate change. President Trump, however, has called climate change a hoax perpetrated by China to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive, but he also said he had an open mind toward efforts to control it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/01/530748899/watch-live-trump-announces-decision-on-paris-climate-agreement\">Trump announced that the U.S. would pull out of the Paris Accord\u003c/a>, an international agreement that set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions. At the time, the president said staying in the deal, which is aimed at capping average global temperature increases, “could cost America as much as 2.7 million lost jobs by 2025” and would cause the loss of close to $3 trillion in GDP.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the claims of potential job losses have been\u003ca href=\"http://www.factcheck.org/2017/06/factchecking-trumps-climate-speech/\"> disputed by economists and climate scientists.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=EPA+Chief+Announces+Reversal+Of+Obama-Era+Curbs+On+Coal+Plants&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "many-california-meadows-will-vanish-heres-why-it-matters",
"title": "Many California Meadows Will Vanish, Here's Why It Matters",
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"headTitle": "Many California Meadows Will Vanish, Here’s Why It Matters | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Mountain meadows are starting to get some respect. For over a century, meadows were the first alpine environments targeted for development, grazing and farming, because they tend to be flat and packed with rich soil and nutritious plants. But we’re starting to understand that meadows have a much more important role to play for society at large.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Meadows, it turns out, are water banks. As winter snows melt, the runoff flows into meadows, where deep organic soil holds the moisture like a sponge and then releases it slowly. This helps minimize downstream flooding during spring. Meadows release that runoff over a longer period, helping stretch valuable water supplies through the long, dry summer months.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca class=\"preview-link\" href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/02/03/work-grows-to-restore-mountain-meadows-as-water-banks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">[contextly_sidebar id=”rMy85ZSPDVf9YcAoxVojPBzo568cUzDy”]Efforts are underway\u003c/span>\u003c/a> to restore meadows, which have lost some of their water-holding ability as they’ve been compacted and eroded by grazing, logging and other activity. Unfortunately, a new threat has emerged: climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">A \u003ca class=\"preview-link\" href=\"http://www.ucmerced.edu/news/2017/study-critical-sierra-meadows-being-overtaken-forest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">new study\u003c/span>\u003c/a> by researchers at University of California, Merced, found that Sierra Nevada meadows are shrinking due to encroachment by trees—primarily lodgepole pines. And not just some meadows, but virtually all meadows throughout the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Warmer temperatures are likely to blame, according to the study, creating conditions more favorable to trees. As a result, lodgepole pines are creeping into areas that have been historically meadow environments, sinking deeper roots that create a new year-round water drain on meadow environments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">And the future doesn’t look good. As temperatures warm further due to climate change, more trees are expected to encroach on meadows. The authors reach a startling conclusion: By the end of this century, the average meadow will shift entirely to forest. Eventually, meadows may only be found in sparse locations at high elevation, where lodgepole pines can’t thrive.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">What are the implications for biodiversity, for water supply and flood prevention? A lot of these answers aren’t yet known. But to find out more, Water Deeply recently talked to Lara Kueppers, a co-author of the study and a research scientist at the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, based at \u003cspan class=\"caps\">U.C.\u003c/span> Merced.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1915969\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 318px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1915969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"318\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers.jpg 597w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-160x206.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-240x309.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-375x482.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-520x669.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lara Kueppers is a research scientist at the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, based at U.C. Merced, and co-author of a new study about disappearing meadows in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: What’s unique about this study?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Lara Kueppers: I think the main thing is the extent of ground-based observations that we did. When you are in the field observing just a single meadow or a small number of meadows, you can sort of draw conclusions about those few meadows you looked at. But we were really after a large area and wanting to understand: Is this phenomenon something that’s widespread across a big section of the Sierra? So we surveyed meadows across a pretty broad area, from Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park on up to the Lake Tahoe area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The other way people try and cover a lot of ground is usually by using satellite images. But we were interested in the number of trees that were coming into these meadows that might be smaller and difficult to detect remotely. So being on the ground enabled us to do that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">I think in the end we surveyed over 340 meadows. Not all with the same level of intensity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">\u003cb>Water Deeply:\u003c/b> \u003cb>Are meadows really likely to disappear by the end of the century?\u003c/b>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: The conclusion isn’t that all meadows will disappear. The conclusion is that the average meadow will disappear. Basically, what we were finding is that many meadows are experiencing encroachment. There are some that aren’t, however, and those may continue to be resistant to encroachment in the future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">So, for example, in some meadows at higher elevations, where lodgepole pine isn’t abundant, you don’t see the same kind of encroachment as you do at lower elevations. But anyone who hikes in the backcountry of the Sierra has surely noticed trees creeping into meadows, if you return over time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">That’s why we say the “average” meadow, because a lot of those meadows that are out there are experiencing encroachment. It may not be full encroachment by the end of the century, but it will have experienced some encroachment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1915973\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1915973\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park. \u003ccite>(Henry Huey/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: Your results show that climate change is a major reason for meadow shrinkage. How did you reach that conclusion?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers: If by climate change you mean human-caused climate change, we actually didn’t examine that question. What we were focused on is figuring out what are the causes of encroachment we see in terms of specific factors. So we looked at landscape factors like topographic position, elevation, what are the tree species around the meadow. Then we also looked at climate factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We found that climate factors are important drivers of the patterns we’re seeing, but we didn’t really try to quantify whether past human-caused climate change was complicit in that. We don’t really conclude the encroachment we’ve seen so far has been caused by human-caused climate change. Our conclusion is that climate is an important driver of encroachment. And then we said, let’s look to the future and projections of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given what we know about factors that seem to lead to tree recruitment in these meadows, that’s what led us to the conclusion that future climate change is going to be a really strong contributor to encroachment. For example, temperature is one of the important factors that explains variability in the number of [tree] recruits in a meadow in any given year. So when we look at future temperatures increasing, we see that drives an increase in the number of trees in the meadows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Water Deeply:\u003c/b> \u003cb>How does snowpack affect meadow encroachment?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers: High snowpack actually promotes encroachment. We think that’s in part because, if there’s low snowpack, over winter these young trees can be exposed to very cold temperatures, and that can be detrimental to their ability to grow and survive. So when you have high snowpack, the really young juvenile trees are buried in snow, and protected over the winter. Then they can emerge and grow really strong in the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">Meadows collect snowmelt, store it and release it slowly during the spring and summer.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The other thing snowpack is important for is a sustainable source of water in the drier meadows during spring and summer. These meadows are collecting meltwater, not just from the meadow itself but from the surrounding watershed, because the meadows are in topographically low locations. Again, when these trees are young and getting established, if the meadow dries out they’re going to have a hard time making it through the summer. But if there’s a high snowpack, there’s that sustained input of water and they’re less liable to dry out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Water Deeply:\u003c/b> \u003cb>How big of a role do meadows play in water storage?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: They’re an integral part of the hydrology of the High Sierra. A big role that many meadows play is sort of as a regulator in the water system. They collect snowmelt from the surrounding slopes and they store it and sort of release it slowly over the spring and summer season. They can absorb a large amount of water and then release it. Some is coming from surface runoff, but other water is coming underground through cracks in the rock and then emerging in the meadows.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The soil, especially in the wettest part of meadows, is very organically rich. That’s because, over time as these grasses and other sedges and wildflowers that are well adapted to the meadows grow and die, the organic matter decomposes very slowly because there’s so much water around. So this organic matter just builds up, and more organic-rich soil can hold more water. And they release that water slowly over the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: What are the water-supply implications of shrinking meadows?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers: We don’t fully know what the full-sum impact might be. There are a couple different ways that trees encroaching into meadows could alter hydrology. One explanation we have would be that trees typically use more water than the meadow grasses and wildlife. As a consequence, as trees become more abundant and larger, they would use more of the water coming into meadows, which means less water would flow downstream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another is that as the meadows dry, if the trees are using more of the water, there would be faster decomposition of organic matter, and that organic matter wouldn’t necessarily be replaced in kind by the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">If there are fewer roots with the trees than there were with the grasses and forbs, then the amount of organic matter flowing might not keep up with the losses from the drying conditions. So you would lose that sponginess in the soil, and it would weaken its ability to absorb and release that water over time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: Will the Sierra look different in future?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: I think there will still be some meadows. There will still be areas that remain wet. You just might have to look harder. You probably will have to go higher to get to them. Maybe not over our lifetimes, but in our children’s lifetimes. Luckily for us, changes happen very slowly. So while we can see signs of this process underway, at least all of us can still enjoy the meadows for what they are right now.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: What can we do to reverse this trend of meadow loss?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"fin\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: Our simple modeling exercise suggests that supporting solutions to climate change is a really important part of slowing meadow encroachment, because the critical factor driving encroachment overtime is the temperature increase. Another thing we can do is really limit the direct effects on meadows, such as trampling by grazing animals, because that just contributes to impacts on these meadows.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"fin\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This article originally appeared on \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://mail.kqed.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9e4bb0e1a7d74f24ba4684ef2533053d&URL=https%3a%2f%2fwww.newsdeeply.com%2fwater\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Water Deeply\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and you can find it \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/09/25/why-disappearing-sierra-nevada-meadows-are-bad-news-for-water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. For important news about the California drought, you can \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b78e9a34ff7443ec1e8c62c6&id=2947becb78\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sign up\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to the Water Deeply email list.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Meadows play an important role in water storage and flood prevention. But a new study shows that warming temperatures and resulting tree encroachment could doom these landscapes, except at very high elevations.",
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"title": "Many California Meadows Will Vanish, Here's Why It Matters | KQED",
"description": "Meadows play an important role in water storage and flood prevention. But a new study shows that warming temperatures and resulting tree encroachment could doom these landscapes, except at very high elevations.",
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"headline": "Many California Meadows Will Vanish, Here's Why It Matters",
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"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/contributor/matt-weiser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Weiser\u003c/a>\u003c/br>\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/\" target=\"_blank\">Water Deeply\u003c/a>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Mountain meadows are starting to get some respect. For over a century, meadows were the first alpine environments targeted for development, grazing and farming, because they tend to be flat and packed with rich soil and nutritious plants. But we’re starting to understand that meadows have a much more important role to play for society at large.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Meadows, it turns out, are water banks. As winter snows melt, the runoff flows into meadows, where deep organic soil holds the moisture like a sponge and then releases it slowly. This helps minimize downstream flooding during spring. Meadows release that runoff over a longer period, helping stretch valuable water supplies through the long, dry summer months.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca class=\"preview-link\" href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/02/03/work-grows-to-restore-mountain-meadows-as-water-banks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Efforts are underway\u003c/span>\u003c/a> to restore meadows, which have lost some of their water-holding ability as they’ve been compacted and eroded by grazing, logging and other activity. Unfortunately, a new threat has emerged: climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">A \u003ca class=\"preview-link\" href=\"http://www.ucmerced.edu/news/2017/study-critical-sierra-meadows-being-overtaken-forest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">new study\u003c/span>\u003c/a> by researchers at University of California, Merced, found that Sierra Nevada meadows are shrinking due to encroachment by trees—primarily lodgepole pines. And not just some meadows, but virtually all meadows throughout the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Warmer temperatures are likely to blame, according to the study, creating conditions more favorable to trees. As a result, lodgepole pines are creeping into areas that have been historically meadow environments, sinking deeper roots that create a new year-round water drain on meadow environments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">And the future doesn’t look good. As temperatures warm further due to climate change, more trees are expected to encroach on meadows. The authors reach a startling conclusion: By the end of this century, the average meadow will shift entirely to forest. Eventually, meadows may only be found in sparse locations at high elevation, where lodgepole pines can’t thrive.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">What are the implications for biodiversity, for water supply and flood prevention? A lot of these answers aren’t yet known. But to find out more, Water Deeply recently talked to Lara Kueppers, a co-author of the study and a research scientist at the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, based at \u003cspan class=\"caps\">U.C.\u003c/span> Merced.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1915969\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 318px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1915969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"318\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers.jpg 597w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-160x206.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-240x309.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-375x482.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/Lara_Kueppers-520x669.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lara Kueppers is a research scientist at the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, based at U.C. Merced, and co-author of a new study about disappearing meadows in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: What’s unique about this study?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Lara Kueppers: I think the main thing is the extent of ground-based observations that we did. When you are in the field observing just a single meadow or a small number of meadows, you can sort of draw conclusions about those few meadows you looked at. But we were really after a large area and wanting to understand: Is this phenomenon something that’s widespread across a big section of the Sierra? So we surveyed meadows across a pretty broad area, from Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park on up to the Lake Tahoe area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The other way people try and cover a lot of ground is usually by using satellite images. But we were interested in the number of trees that were coming into these meadows that might be smaller and difficult to detect remotely. So being on the ground enabled us to do that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">I think in the end we surveyed over 340 meadows. Not all with the same level of intensity.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">\u003cb>Water Deeply:\u003c/b> \u003cb>Are meadows really likely to disappear by the end of the century?\u003c/b>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: The conclusion isn’t that all meadows will disappear. The conclusion is that the average meadow will disappear. Basically, what we were finding is that many meadows are experiencing encroachment. There are some that aren’t, however, and those may continue to be resistant to encroachment in the future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">So, for example, in some meadows at higher elevations, where lodgepole pine isn’t abundant, you don’t see the same kind of encroachment as you do at lower elevations. But anyone who hikes in the backcountry of the Sierra has surely noticed trees creeping into meadows, if you return over time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">That’s why we say the “average” meadow, because a lot of those meadows that are out there are experiencing encroachment. It may not be full encroachment by the end of the century, but it will have experienced some encroachment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1915973\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1915973\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/09/4940052096_3e1f0c9e83_o-e1506346506112-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park. \u003ccite>(Henry Huey/flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: Your results show that climate change is a major reason for meadow shrinkage. How did you reach that conclusion?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers: If by climate change you mean human-caused climate change, we actually didn’t examine that question. What we were focused on is figuring out what are the causes of encroachment we see in terms of specific factors. So we looked at landscape factors like topographic position, elevation, what are the tree species around the meadow. Then we also looked at climate factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We found that climate factors are important drivers of the patterns we’re seeing, but we didn’t really try to quantify whether past human-caused climate change was complicit in that. We don’t really conclude the encroachment we’ve seen so far has been caused by human-caused climate change. Our conclusion is that climate is an important driver of encroachment. And then we said, let’s look to the future and projections of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given what we know about factors that seem to lead to tree recruitment in these meadows, that’s what led us to the conclusion that future climate change is going to be a really strong contributor to encroachment. For example, temperature is one of the important factors that explains variability in the number of [tree] recruits in a meadow in any given year. So when we look at future temperatures increasing, we see that drives an increase in the number of trees in the meadows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Water Deeply:\u003c/b> \u003cb>How does snowpack affect meadow encroachment?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers: High snowpack actually promotes encroachment. We think that’s in part because, if there’s low snowpack, over winter these young trees can be exposed to very cold temperatures, and that can be detrimental to their ability to grow and survive. So when you have high snowpack, the really young juvenile trees are buried in snow, and protected over the winter. Then they can emerge and grow really strong in the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">Meadows collect snowmelt, store it and release it slowly during the spring and summer.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The other thing snowpack is important for is a sustainable source of water in the drier meadows during spring and summer. These meadows are collecting meltwater, not just from the meadow itself but from the surrounding watershed, because the meadows are in topographically low locations. Again, when these trees are young and getting established, if the meadow dries out they’re going to have a hard time making it through the summer. But if there’s a high snowpack, there’s that sustained input of water and they’re less liable to dry out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Water Deeply:\u003c/b> \u003cb>How big of a role do meadows play in water storage?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: They’re an integral part of the hydrology of the High Sierra. A big role that many meadows play is sort of as a regulator in the water system. They collect snowmelt from the surrounding slopes and they store it and sort of release it slowly over the spring and summer season. They can absorb a large amount of water and then release it. Some is coming from surface runoff, but other water is coming underground through cracks in the rock and then emerging in the meadows.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The soil, especially in the wettest part of meadows, is very organically rich. That’s because, over time as these grasses and other sedges and wildflowers that are well adapted to the meadows grow and die, the organic matter decomposes very slowly because there’s so much water around. So this organic matter just builds up, and more organic-rich soil can hold more water. And they release that water slowly over the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Deeply: What are the water-supply implications of shrinking meadows?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers: We don’t fully know what the full-sum impact might be. There are a couple different ways that trees encroaching into meadows could alter hydrology. One explanation we have would be that trees typically use more water than the meadow grasses and wildlife. As a consequence, as trees become more abundant and larger, they would use more of the water coming into meadows, which means less water would flow downstream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another is that as the meadows dry, if the trees are using more of the water, there would be faster decomposition of organic matter, and that organic matter wouldn’t necessarily be replaced in kind by the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">If there are fewer roots with the trees than there were with the grasses and forbs, then the amount of organic matter flowing might not keep up with the losses from the drying conditions. So you would lose that sponginess in the soil, and it would weaken its ability to absorb and release that water over time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: Will the Sierra look different in future?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: I think there will still be some meadows. There will still be areas that remain wet. You just might have to look harder. You probably will have to go higher to get to them. Maybe not over our lifetimes, but in our children’s lifetimes. Luckily for us, changes happen very slowly. So while we can see signs of this process underway, at least all of us can still enjoy the meadows for what they are right now.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Water Deeply: What can we do to reverse this trend of meadow loss?\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"fin\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Kueppers: Our simple modeling exercise suggests that supporting solutions to climate change is a really important part of slowing meadow encroachment, because the critical factor driving encroachment overtime is the temperature increase. Another thing we can do is really limit the direct effects on meadows, such as trampling by grazing animals, because that just contributes to impacts on these meadows.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"fin\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This article originally appeared on \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://mail.kqed.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=9e4bb0e1a7d74f24ba4684ef2533053d&URL=https%3a%2f%2fwww.newsdeeply.com%2fwater\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Water Deeply\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and you can find it \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/09/25/why-disappearing-sierra-nevada-meadows-are-bad-news-for-water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. For important news about the California drought, you can \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b78e9a34ff7443ec1e8c62c6&id=2947becb78\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sign up\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to the Water Deeply email list.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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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": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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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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"radiolab": {
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},
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"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
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"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
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