window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"science_1976143": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976143",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976143",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976109,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1628122956,
"modified": 1628181101,
"caption": "A pyrocumulonimbus cloud rises over a fire in eastern Washington on Aug. 9, 2019",
"description": null,
"title": "RS50531_williamsflats2_pho_peterson2019220_lrg-qut (1)",
"credit": "David Peterson/NASA Earth Observatory ",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976128": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976128",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976128",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976127,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1332
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-1536x1023.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1023
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-1920x1279.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1279
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6-768x511.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 511
}
},
"publishDate": 1628098473,
"modified": 1628103755,
"caption": "Sunflower sea stars — voracious predators that feed on mussels and sea urchins — are succumbing to a strange wasting disease that has devastated populations of sea stars along the West Coast.",
"description": null,
"title": "adult-feeding-2_custom-0f2dd1ded05187aa7666075ab34a130d1b4740f6",
"credit": "Dennis Wise/University of Washington",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976062": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976062",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976062",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976060,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1278
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut-1536x1022.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1022
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50483_GettyImages-1233951502-qut-768x511.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 511
}
},
"publishDate": 1627686030,
"modified": 1627965575,
"caption": "The sun sets over the California Aquedect in Palmdale, California, where temperatures reached 106 degree Fahrenheit on July 12, 2021. Wildfires were burning across more than 1 million acres of the western United States and Canada, as scorching temperatures held their grip on areas reeling from a brutal heat wave. ",
"description": null,
"title": "US-CLIMATE-WEATHER-HEATWAVE",
"credit": "Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976074": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976074",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976074",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976066,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50507_GettyImages-1323216581-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1627690930,
"modified": 1627752094,
"caption": "Workers with the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) fill buckets with drought information and water-saving tools during a \"Drought Drive Up\" event at the MMWD headquarters on June 12, 2021, in Corte Madera, California. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Drought Drive Up Event In Bay Area Distributes Free Water Saving Kits",
"credit": "Justin Sullivan/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975992": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975992",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975992",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1975989,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1627342699,
"modified": 1627434942,
"caption": "A yard on the left has let their grass go dry, while a house next door has green grass in the Cambrian neighborhood located in West San Jose on July 21, 2021. Water restrictions are in place in San Jose which restrict the length of watering and limits the timing.",
"description": null,
"title": "RS50368_003_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975975": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975975",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975975",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1975970,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-160x105.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 105
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1263
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1020x671.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 671
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1536x1010.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1010
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-800x526.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 526
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-768x505.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 505
}
},
"publishDate": 1627321107,
"modified": 1627321183,
"caption": "A home burns as flames from the Dixie fire tear through the Indian Falls neighborhood of unincorporated Plumas County, California on July 24, 2021. Rising temperatures are drying out forests, priming them for big fires. ",
"description": null,
"title": "TOPSHOT-US-CLIMATE-FIRE",
"credit": "JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975953": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975953",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975953",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1975923,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1279
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut-1536x1023.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1023
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1626975132,
"modified": 1645647146,
"caption": "A pedestrian walks along the Embarcadero between waves that flood the walkway during a king tide in San Francisco on Jan. 11, 2017.",
"description": "A pedestrian walks along the Embarcadero between waves that flood the walkway during a King Tide in San Francisco on January 11, 2017.",
"title": "RS23569_170111_KingTide_bhs15-qut",
"credit": "Brittany Hosea-Small/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "a person walks along wet concrete, with the bay bridge behind and cloudy blue skies above.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975856": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975856",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975856",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1975855,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1626715573,
"modified": 1626715605,
"caption": "Will Hollman stands for a portrait with his son next to a rose bush outside of his home in the San Fernando Valley, on July 17, 2021. \"I am a proud father, I love my kids and it is my duty to be a parent,\" Hollman said. \"I'm fighting a lot of battles.\" ",
"description": null,
"title": "07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_16",
"credit": "Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975880": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975880",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975880",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1975879,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS25740_0M6A2596-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1626803979,
"modified": 1626804059,
"caption": "A fisherman waits under the shade of his umbrella during a heat wave.",
"description": "A fisherman waits under the shade of his umbrella during a heat wave.",
"title": "RS25740_0M6A2596-qut",
"credit": "Arash Malekzadeh/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A fisherman waits under the shade of his umbrella during a heat wave.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975845": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975845",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975845",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/FI_FINAL_PUNCA-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1626556024,
"modified": 1626624778,
"caption": "Bootleg Fire, Oregon; Salt Fire, California; Beckwourth Complex, California.",
"description": null,
"title": "Punishing Fires",
"credit": "Images provided by Planet Labs",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Punishing Fires",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975784": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975784",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975784",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1975782,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1278
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1-1536x1022.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1022
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1-768x511.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 511
}
},
"publishDate": 1626402634,
"modified": 1626471182,
"caption": "A boat dock surrounded by dry ground at Lake Mendocino on June 11, 2021.",
"description": null,
"title": "RS49942_046_MendocinoCounty_LakeMendocinoDrought_06112021-qut-1",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1975723": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1975723",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975723",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1975710,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1281
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut-1020x681.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 681
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1025
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut-800x534.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 534
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50216_GettyImages-1268341218-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1625776546,
"modified": 1625776634,
"caption": "Mike Saladino installs a Merv 13 HVAC filter at a Gold's Gym.",
"description": "Mike Saladino installs a Merv 13 HVAC filter at a Gold's Gym.",
"title": "New York State Allows Gyms And Museums To Re-Open Amid COVID-19 Pandemic",
"credit": "Al Bello/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_science_1976127": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1976127",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1976127",
"name": "Nell Greenfieldboyce \u003cbr />NPR\u003cbr>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1975970": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1975970",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1975970",
"name": "Rebecca Hersher \u003cbr />NPR\u003cbr>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1975855": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1975855",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1975855",
"name": "Jackie Botts \u003cbr />CalMatters\u003cbr>",
"isLoading": false
},
"lklivans": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "8648",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "8648",
"found": true
},
"name": "Laura Klivans",
"firstName": "Laura",
"lastName": "Klivans",
"slug": "lklivans",
"email": "lklivans@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news",
"science"
],
"title": "Reporter",
"bio": "Laura Klivans is an award-winning science reporter for KQED News, where she covers climate change with an eye on both groundbreaking progress and gaps in action. She is the former host of KQED's blockbuster video series about tiny, amazing animals, \u003cem>Deep Look\u003c/em>. Her work reaches national audiences through NPR, \u003cem>Here & Now, \u003c/em>PRI, and other major outlets. \r\n\r\nLaura’s won five Northern California Area Emmy Awards for Deep Look and First Place in the Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards for a podcast exploring how one Oakland neighborhood teamed up to reduce planet-heating pollution.\r\n\r\nBeyond her reporting, she hosts and moderates events. In the past, she taught audio storytelling at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, led international education programs, worked with immigrants and refugees along the Thai-Burmese border, taught high schoolers sex ed, and was an actress. \r\n\r\nShe's a former UC Berkeley Human Rights Fellow, USC Center for Health Journalism's California Fellow and Coro Fellow in Public Affairs. Laura has a master’s in journalism from UC Berkeley, a master’s in education from Harvard, and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University.\r\n\r\nShe loves trying to riddle the meaning out of vanity license plates.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2d2ecd1550a494cc10ad4a503406965585902124739e775a9b3817eebf1d88be?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "lauraklivans",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"contributor",
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Laura Klivans | KQED",
"description": "Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2d2ecd1550a494cc10ad4a503406965585902124739e775a9b3817eebf1d88be?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2d2ecd1550a494cc10ad4a503406965585902124739e775a9b3817eebf1d88be?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lklivans"
},
"rdillon": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11495",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11495",
"found": true
},
"name": "Raquel Maria Dillon",
"firstName": "Raquel Maria",
"lastName": "Dillon",
"slug": "rdillon",
"email": "rdillon@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Raquel Maria Dillon was a reporter and host for KQED News. Previously, she produced the daily statewide California Report, edited newscasts, and covered health and education stories. Before returning to the Bay Area in 2016, she worked in Los Angeles as a wire reporter and one-woman-band video journalist for the Associated Press, where she shot, edited and reported breaking news and features across the West. Her work has appeared online and in print around the globe, and also on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, Marketplace, On The Media, and Studio 360. She previously edited and mentored up-and-coming reporters at KALW, produced social videos for Timeline.com, and was a local TV news videographer for KTVU and digital producer for KNTV. She got her start as a Radio News Trainee at KQED, produced a weekly public affairs roundtable show for OPB, and covered health and politics at New Hampshire Public Radio. She has a BA in political science from Barnard College and a MA in video journalism from UC Berkeley, where she was awarded the Faith Fancher Scholarship and a Student Emmy. She has received numerous local awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b8e02ae982913d0950df605910267c1b?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "RaquelMDillon",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Raquel Maria Dillon | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b8e02ae982913d0950df605910267c1b?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b8e02ae982913d0950df605910267c1b?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/rdillon"
},
"thailye": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11501",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11501",
"found": true
},
"name": "Teodros Hailye",
"firstName": "Teodros",
"lastName": "Hailye",
"slug": "thailye",
"email": "thailye@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Information Designer",
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bfb755f5a66ebaccd414e310b7d7c94a?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": []
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Teodros Hailye | KQED",
"description": "Information Designer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bfb755f5a66ebaccd414e310b7d7c94a?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bfb755f5a66ebaccd414e310b7d7c94a?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/thailye"
},
"kevinstark": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11608",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11608",
"found": true
},
"name": "Kevin Stark",
"firstName": "Kevin",
"lastName": "Stark",
"slug": "kevinstark",
"email": "kstark@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"science"
],
"title": "Senior Editor",
"bio": "Kevin is a senior editor for KQED Science, managing the station's health and climate desks. His journalism career began in the Pacific Northwest, and he later became a lead reporter for the San Francisco Public Press. His work has appeared in Pacific Standard magazine, the Energy News Network, the Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal and WBEZ in Chicago. Kevin joined KQED in 2019, and has covered issues related to energy, wildfire, climate change and the environment.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/365aaa4b597d3a8374f67504ff0facd323d7906e8eb4be0a7efd2427408e802c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "starkkev",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Kevin Stark | KQED",
"description": "Senior Editor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/365aaa4b597d3a8374f67504ff0facd323d7906e8eb4be0a7efd2427408e802c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/365aaa4b597d3a8374f67504ff0facd323d7906e8eb4be0a7efd2427408e802c?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/kevinstark"
},
"eromero": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11746",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11746",
"found": true
},
"name": "Ezra David Romero",
"firstName": "Ezra David",
"lastName": "Romero",
"slug": "eromero",
"email": "eromero@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news",
"science"
],
"title": "Climate Reporter",
"bio": "Ezra David Romero is a climate reporter for KQED News. He covers the absence and excess of water in the Bay Area — think sea level rise, flooding and drought. For nearly a decade he’s covered how warming temperatures are altering the lives of Californians. He’s reported on farmers worried their pistachio trees aren’t getting enough sleep, families desperate for water, scientists studying dying giant sequoias, and alongside firefighters containing wildfires. His work has appeared on local stations across California and nationally on public radio shows like Morning Edition, Here and Now, All Things Considered and Science Friday. ",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c76404d287c10ed40224227551ac36e24352c7306f106632caf6fead76f8801f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "ezraromero",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Ezra David Romero | KQED",
"description": "Climate Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c76404d287c10ed40224227551ac36e24352c7306f106632caf6fead76f8801f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c76404d287c10ed40224227551ac36e24352c7306f106632caf6fead76f8801f?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/eromero"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"science_category_environment": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_35",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "35",
"score": 12.13823
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Environment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Environment Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 37,
"slug": "environment",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Environment",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "science",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 23
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/science?category=environment",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 23
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"science_1976109": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976109",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976109",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1628200085000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1628200085,
"format": "standard",
"title": "California's Big Summer Wildfires Keep Sending Up Dangerous Fire-Triggered Thunderstorms",
"headTitle": "California’s Big Summer Wildfires Keep Sending Up Dangerous Fire-Triggered Thunderstorms | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The photo of the Dixie Fire captured by Cal Fire’s Santa Clara unit last month is composed like a Renaissance religious painting. Rocks frame the subject — in this case, a towering smoke plume — pine trees point to the sky, while small human figures stand in awe. But the cloud is a product of an earthly inferno, not heaven sent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pyrocumulus cloud rose above the Dixie Fire on the afternoon of July 19, nearly growing into pyrocumulonimbus — a wildfire-driven thunderhead. Meteorologists call these massive smoke columns “pyroCbs” for short (pronounced “pie-roh-cee-bee”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/calfireSCU/status/1417566553206181890?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists are seeing more of them around the world, as fires burn bigger, fiercer and more frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, the Dixie fire erupted again with high heat, low humidity, and blustery conditions. The fire ran parallel to a canyon that served as a chimney, stoking the fire and sending up an enormous columns of smoke, the Associated Press \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/fires-environment-and-nature-weather-b963da1ea3e742a6d06cf67dcb2f30cb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These pyro clouds present a danger to firefighters and have the potential to spread flames faster.[pullquote align='right' citation=' Neil Lareau, University of Nevada-Reno']‘We’re witnessing emergent trends right now, in fire severity, fire size, in these extremes of fire weather. My basic prediction would just be more, more of that in the years to come.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julia Ruthford is an incident meteorologist with the National Weather Service. She was assigned to the Dixie Fire last month, entrusted with tracking weather around the fire to spot the potential for dangerous smoke columns and communicate the potential risk to fire officials and crews. She described seeing the July 19 event coming — in the forecast, on radar, satellite imagery, on fire alert cameras, and towering above her right outside the incident command center — as the column of smoke climbed higher and higher into the sky all afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was very sudden that it reached that tipping point,” she said. “It was right about up to 30,000 feet, with the potential to grow quite a bit taller with ice clouds on top.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hot air, smoke, and ash from fires like this one cool as they rise into the atmosphere. Water vapor condenses into liquid, which forms a cloud and creates precipitation. Because of the fire, it’s too hot for the rain to reach the ground. But the downward rush of air sends flames outward in all directions, ripping through forests and endangering firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976161\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976161\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-800x1422.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1422\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-800x1422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-1020x1813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-160x284.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">August 5, 2021. \u003ccite>(NOAA GOES-West.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Think of it as a giant chimney sitting over that fire,” said David Peterson, a scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey. The smoke is funneled up into a massive thundercloud that can reach above the cruising altitude of jet aircraft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, ever since a heat wave baked the West in late June, North America has seen “a nearly continuous wave of pyroCb activity,” Peterson said, at least one per week, including an “outbreak” of 10 separate pyro clouds in Canada on June 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Massive pyrocumulonimbus clouds grew on the Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon every afternoon for a week, and the Tamarack fire in Northern California created them, too. “The cloud actually takes on a life of its own,” said Neil Lareau, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Nevada-Reno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smoke columns this large create their own weather and present two different dangers: cloud-to-ground lightning that can ignite new fires and downdrafts that can shift the wind so quickly that fire crews on the ground can’t get out of the way fast enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You get downdrafts, a strong outflow that can cause really sudden wind shifts.” Ruthford said. “If crews are working near the fire, they’re used to in-drafts into the fire. And that can all of a sudden reverse to the opposite direction — a sudden, rapid change and then [the downdraft] blows the fire in a completely different direction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/nplareau/status/1417351236542636034?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The field of research looking at this type of fire behavior is new. But meteorologists say wildfires are producing more of them in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more fire on the landscape, the longer the fire season, the more opportunities you have for extreme fire behavior and things like pyroCbs,” Peterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conditions have to be right to produce these particularly explosive plumes — moist air with a fire that’s hot and dry enough to support very active behavior. They’re especially likely with monsoonal fronts. Like the one that blew through on July 19 and several times since, adding moisture and destabilizing the upper atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really this kind of Goldilocks thing,” Lareau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘That Afternoon, It Looked Like All of The Elements Lined Up’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Ruthford is assigned to a fire, she works in a trailer at the incident command headquarters where she monitors multiple screens, working with other specialists to anticipate dangerous fire behavior. She communicates with the top firefighter brass on the incident. There’s a lot of back-and-forth discussion between her and the other fire officials as the cloud grows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/AlertWildfire/status/1417305186565910528?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That afternoon, it looked like all of the elements lined up,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 19, monsoonal moisture was blowing on the Dixie Fire, prompting an early warning from Ruthford during the daily firefighter briefing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conditions were ripe for a thundercloud to grow and collapse, creating lightning and howling winds. When the weather conditions shifted dangerously, she warned firefighters over the radio, an emergency step that can hinder the firefight by pulling crews off the fireline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sent out two warnings over the radio that day, for two separate pyro clouds, on two different parts of the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/NWSSacramento/status/1417266260505632791?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Firefighters are savvy to this and sometimes even ahead of the science, just through their anecdotal experience,” Lareau said. “They know that to watch out for that kind of situation because it can lead to all these potentially erratic and extreme fire behaviors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists are learning too, sending weather balloons up into these giant clouds. The equipment is often never seen again, after sending readings to researchers on the ground. They also fly research aircrafts straight through the dark, gray columns. One research group flew NASA’s DC-8 over a wildfire in western Washington in 2019. The specialized radar, lidar, and sensors on the \u003ca href=\"https://csl.noaa.gov/projects/firex-aq/\">flying laboratories\u003c/a> revealed an \u003ca href=\"https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145446/flying-through-a-fire-cloud\">extreme environment:\u003c/a> winds inside the fire clouds blowing as strong as 130 miles per hour, rivaling the strongest thunderstorms on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once fires get to the point where they’re producing their own weather, that’s when we get all these feedbacks and a vicious cycle between what the fire is doing and what it’s forcing the atmosphere to do. And then what the atmosphere is making the fire do. That can lead to these kind of explosive growth phases in the fire,” Lareau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘We’re Witnessing Emergent Trends Right Now’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warming temperatures are roasting forests, drying out soil and vegetation and priming them to burn. If climate change means the future will have more fire, Lareau says there will be more pyro clouds rising above California fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re witnessing emergent trends right now, in fire severity, fire size, in these extremes of fire weather,” he said. “My basic prediction would just be more, more of that in the years to come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peterson, the Navy researcher, studies the impact of pyrocumulonimbus clouds on the global atmospheric composition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There will be a smoke plume left over, usually up at the level of the jetstream winds. When you push smoke up high, it can be transported long distances rapidly,” he said. “Sometimes these fires are so intense that they penetrate into the next level of the atmosphere above the weather, the stratosphere. An aerosol plume at that level tends to stay there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the past four, five years, we have definitely seen some of the largest known pyroCb outbreaks across the globe,” Peterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The task now is to predict them better, especially the atmospheric conditions that create that characteristic uplift around a fire. Scientists are also trying to model and forecast the movements of aerosol particles around the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we do know is that these plumes can rival volcanic plumes in terms of their size and magnitude. But the chemistry is different — it’s smoke, not volcanic material,” he said. “Just imagine this blob of smoke sitting at like 60,000 feet. The smoke is an aerosol particle that will absorb solar radiation and heat the layer that it’s in, which can affect the stratospheric weather.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way to study this is to gather more direct measurements usually from planes equipped with specialized radar.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1543,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 37
},
"modified": 1704846486,
"excerpt": "Pyrocumulonimbus clouds create their own weather and can shift the wind so quickly that fire crews on the ground sometimes can’t get out of the way fast enough. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Pyrocumulonimbus clouds create their own weather and can shift the wind so quickly that fire crews on the ground sometimes can’t get out of the way fast enough. ",
"title": "California's Big Summer Wildfires Keep Sending Up Dangerous Fire-Triggered Thunderstorms | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "California's Big Summer Wildfires Keep Sending Up Dangerous Fire-Triggered Thunderstorms",
"datePublished": "2021-08-05T14:48:05-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:06-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "californias-big-summer-wildfires-keep-sending-up-dangerous-fire-triggered-thunderstorms",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Wildfire",
"path": "/science/1976109/californias-big-summer-wildfires-keep-sending-up-dangerous-fire-triggered-thunderstorms",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The photo of the Dixie Fire captured by Cal Fire’s Santa Clara unit last month is composed like a Renaissance religious painting. Rocks frame the subject — in this case, a towering smoke plume — pine trees point to the sky, while small human figures stand in awe. But the cloud is a product of an earthly inferno, not heaven sent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pyrocumulus cloud rose above the Dixie Fire on the afternoon of July 19, nearly growing into pyrocumulonimbus — a wildfire-driven thunderhead. Meteorologists call these massive smoke columns “pyroCbs” for short (pronounced “pie-roh-cee-bee”).\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "1417566553206181890"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists are seeing more of them around the world, as fires burn bigger, fiercer and more frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, the Dixie fire erupted again with high heat, low humidity, and blustery conditions. The fire ran parallel to a canyon that served as a chimney, stoking the fire and sending up an enormous columns of smoke, the Associated Press \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/fires-environment-and-nature-weather-b963da1ea3e742a6d06cf67dcb2f30cb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These pyro clouds present a danger to firefighters and have the potential to spread flames faster.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘We’re witnessing emergent trends right now, in fire severity, fire size, in these extremes of fire weather. My basic prediction would just be more, more of that in the years to come.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"align": "right",
"citation": " Neil Lareau, University of Nevada-Reno",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julia Ruthford is an incident meteorologist with the National Weather Service. She was assigned to the Dixie Fire last month, entrusted with tracking weather around the fire to spot the potential for dangerous smoke columns and communicate the potential risk to fire officials and crews. She described seeing the July 19 event coming — in the forecast, on radar, satellite imagery, on fire alert cameras, and towering above her right outside the incident command center — as the column of smoke climbed higher and higher into the sky all afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was very sudden that it reached that tipping point,” she said. “It was right about up to 30,000 feet, with the potential to grow quite a bit taller with ice clouds on top.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hot air, smoke, and ash from fires like this one cool as they rise into the atmosphere. Water vapor condenses into liquid, which forms a cloud and creates precipitation. Because of the fire, it’s too hot for the rain to reach the ground. But the downward rush of air sends flames outward in all directions, ripping through forests and endangering firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976161\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976161\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-800x1422.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1422\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-800x1422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-1020x1813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-160x284.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/KQED_NASA_TERRA_MODIS_210805.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">August 5, 2021. \u003ccite>(NOAA GOES-West.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Think of it as a giant chimney sitting over that fire,” said David Peterson, a scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey. The smoke is funneled up into a massive thundercloud that can reach above the cruising altitude of jet aircraft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, ever since a heat wave baked the West in late June, North America has seen “a nearly continuous wave of pyroCb activity,” Peterson said, at least one per week, including an “outbreak” of 10 separate pyro clouds in Canada on June 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Massive pyrocumulonimbus clouds grew on the Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon every afternoon for a week, and the Tamarack fire in Northern California created them, too. “The cloud actually takes on a life of its own,” said Neil Lareau, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Nevada-Reno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smoke columns this large create their own weather and present two different dangers: cloud-to-ground lightning that can ignite new fires and downdrafts that can shift the wind so quickly that fire crews on the ground can’t get out of the way fast enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You get downdrafts, a strong outflow that can cause really sudden wind shifts.” Ruthford said. “If crews are working near the fire, they’re used to in-drafts into the fire. And that can all of a sudden reverse to the opposite direction — a sudden, rapid change and then [the downdraft] blows the fire in a completely different direction.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "1417351236542636034"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The field of research looking at this type of fire behavior is new. But meteorologists say wildfires are producing more of them in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more fire on the landscape, the longer the fire season, the more opportunities you have for extreme fire behavior and things like pyroCbs,” Peterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conditions have to be right to produce these particularly explosive plumes — moist air with a fire that’s hot and dry enough to support very active behavior. They’re especially likely with monsoonal fronts. Like the one that blew through on July 19 and several times since, adding moisture and destabilizing the upper atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really this kind of Goldilocks thing,” Lareau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘That Afternoon, It Looked Like All of The Elements Lined Up’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Ruthford is assigned to a fire, she works in a trailer at the incident command headquarters where she monitors multiple screens, working with other specialists to anticipate dangerous fire behavior. She communicates with the top firefighter brass on the incident. There’s a lot of back-and-forth discussion between her and the other fire officials as the cloud grows.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "1417305186565910528"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>“That afternoon, it looked like all of the elements lined up,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 19, monsoonal moisture was blowing on the Dixie Fire, prompting an early warning from Ruthford during the daily firefighter briefing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conditions were ripe for a thundercloud to grow and collapse, creating lightning and howling winds. When the weather conditions shifted dangerously, she warned firefighters over the radio, an emergency step that can hinder the firefight by pulling crews off the fireline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sent out two warnings over the radio that day, for two separate pyro clouds, on two different parts of the fire.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "1417266260505632791"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>“Firefighters are savvy to this and sometimes even ahead of the science, just through their anecdotal experience,” Lareau said. “They know that to watch out for that kind of situation because it can lead to all these potentially erratic and extreme fire behaviors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists are learning too, sending weather balloons up into these giant clouds. The equipment is often never seen again, after sending readings to researchers on the ground. They also fly research aircrafts straight through the dark, gray columns. One research group flew NASA’s DC-8 over a wildfire in western Washington in 2019. The specialized radar, lidar, and sensors on the \u003ca href=\"https://csl.noaa.gov/projects/firex-aq/\">flying laboratories\u003c/a> revealed an \u003ca href=\"https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145446/flying-through-a-fire-cloud\">extreme environment:\u003c/a> winds inside the fire clouds blowing as strong as 130 miles per hour, rivaling the strongest thunderstorms on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once fires get to the point where they’re producing their own weather, that’s when we get all these feedbacks and a vicious cycle between what the fire is doing and what it’s forcing the atmosphere to do. And then what the atmosphere is making the fire do. That can lead to these kind of explosive growth phases in the fire,” Lareau said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘We’re Witnessing Emergent Trends Right Now’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Warming temperatures are roasting forests, drying out soil and vegetation and priming them to burn. If climate change means the future will have more fire, Lareau says there will be more pyro clouds rising above California fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re witnessing emergent trends right now, in fire severity, fire size, in these extremes of fire weather,” he said. “My basic prediction would just be more, more of that in the years to come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peterson, the Navy researcher, studies the impact of pyrocumulonimbus clouds on the global atmospheric composition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There will be a smoke plume left over, usually up at the level of the jetstream winds. When you push smoke up high, it can be transported long distances rapidly,” he said. “Sometimes these fires are so intense that they penetrate into the next level of the atmosphere above the weather, the stratosphere. An aerosol plume at that level tends to stay there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the past four, five years, we have definitely seen some of the largest known pyroCb outbreaks across the globe,” Peterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The task now is to predict them better, especially the atmospheric conditions that create that characteristic uplift around a fire. Scientists are also trying to model and forecast the movements of aerosol particles around the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we do know is that these plumes can rival volcanic plumes in terms of their size and magnitude. But the chemistry is different — it’s smoke, not volcanic material,” he said. “Just imagine this blob of smoke sitting at like 60,000 feet. The smoke is an aerosol particle that will absorb solar radiation and heat the layer that it’s in, which can affect the stratospheric weather.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way to study this is to gather more direct measurements usually from planes equipped with specialized radar.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976109/californias-big-summer-wildfires-keep-sending-up-dangerous-fire-triggered-thunderstorms",
"authors": [
"11495"
],
"categories": [
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_4414",
"science_113"
],
"featImg": "science_1976143",
"label": "source_science_1976109"
},
"science_1976127": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976127",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976127",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1628104326000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1628104326,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Scientists Are on a Mission to Save These 24-Armed, Bike-Wheel-Sized Sea Creatures",
"headTitle": "Scientists Are on a Mission to Save These 24-Armed, Bike-Wheel-Sized Sea Creatures | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://staff.washington.edu/hodin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Hodin\u003c/a> hauls up a rope that’s hanging from a dock in the waters off San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest. At the end is a square, sandwich-size Tupperware container, with mesh-covered holes in the sides to let water flow through. Hodin pulls off the lid and peers inside at some crushed bits of shell. He points to some reddish-orange dots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“See that? That little dot right there in front of my finger?” Hodin says. “That’s a juvenile sea star that’s about a month old.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s only the size of a poppy seed. But when this baby is all grown up, it could be as big as a manhole cover. That’s because this is \u003cem>Pycnopodia helianthoides\u003c/em>, aka the \u003ca href=\"https://nc.iucnredlist.org/redlist/amazing-species/pycnopodia-helianthoides/pdfs/original/pycnopodia-helianthoides.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sunflower sea star\u003c/a>. It’s one of the biggest sea stars in the world, with an arm span that can be more than 3 feet across, and it used to be a common sight in the waters off the West Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, though, it’s critically endangered and is being driven toward extinction by a mysterious, devastating disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is why Hodin and his colleagues at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories have spent the last two years figuring out how to raise this species in captivity. It’s an act of desperation born out of the hope that someday, lab-grown sunflower sea stars could be reintroduced into places where this species has disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976130\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976130\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jason Hodin, research scientist at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, works in the sea star captive rearing lab. The sunflower sea star breeding program is a partnership between the university and the Nature Conservancy. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This voracious predator used to prowl the waters across a nearly 2,000-mile range, from Alaska to Baja California. Their brightly colored bodies — which come in vivid shades of orange, pink, blue and green — would move along the seafloor on as many as 24 arms, gobbling up mussels and scallops and sea urchins. Their consumption of sea urchins, in particular, helped to protect vital forests of kelp, which are home to numerous marine species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, however, populations of the sunflower sea star \u003ca href=\"https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/1/eaau7042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">have declined\u003c/a> by 80% to 100%. In California, “sunflower sea stars are more than 95% gone,” Hodin says. “Some people think that they are entirely extinct in the wild down there. I’ve heard scattered reports of people maybe seeing a few.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This species seems particularly susceptible to a wasting disease that’s hit more than 20 sea star species since 2013. Hodin says the sick sea stars are horrible to behold. “I witnessed it, and it’s not pretty,” he says. “They really do kind of like dissolve into a pile of goo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, Hodin says, the Nature Conservancy approached him about the possibility of setting up a program to breed sunflower sea stars. He’d already been interested in the basic science of sea stars because of the way they are able to transform themselves from bilaterally symmetrical larvae to juveniles with five-sided symmetry. He agreed to try raising large numbers of sunflower sea stars to adulthood, even though no one had tried to do anything like this before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976131\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976131\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adult sunflower sea stars feed on mussels at the Friday Harbor Laboratories. Shells from earlier meals collect at the bottom of the tank. The sea star on the bottom, called Charlotte, is the mother of the lab’s 1-year-old juvenile stars. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For this species in particular, there were very few published efforts to raise them at all, even through embryo or larval stages,” Hodin says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He didn’t know the answer to some of the most basic questions, such as what did this species eat early on? And how fast could it grow?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody knows how to age a sea star, so you see something in the wild and you have no idea how old it is,” Hodin says. “It could be 2 years old. It could be 50. It could be 100.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His team started by taking some sunflower sea stars from the wild. About 30 of these giants now live outside the lab in large, burbling tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t really anticipate how exuberant their behaviors are,” Hodin says. “You get to know them, and you get to know them individually. We noticed early on that we could tell them apart by their color patterns. And we gave them names.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lot of their names are linked to their colors. Prince, for example, has arms with tips that are purple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976132\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976132\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An arm of an adult sunflower sea star has numerous orange and white tube feet that it uses for walking, breathing and sensing. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This here’s Deep Blue, and she’s our biggest,” researcher \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/fleur__flower?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fleur Anteau\u003c/a> says as she feeds the sea stars by gently tucking mussels under their arms. “Some of them, when I open the cage, will basically really start moving their arms to the surface, like Olga here. Some of them are a little shyer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the shy ones suddenly come to life once they clutch a mussel. They hunch over the prey so they can swallow it whole. “When food comes, then you really see the predator come out,” Anteau notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pointing to the red eye spot at the end of each arm, she adds, “They’re looking at you. They don’t have eyes like us, but they can see a light-and-dark kind of vision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This lab has figured out how to get sperm and eggs from the wild-caught adults and grow up their offspring. The oldest sea stars they’ve produced are now nearly a year and a half, and they are about 3 inches across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lab only has about a dozen young sea stars that have reached this stage. But considering how little was known at the start — and the fact that they had to work out their techniques during a pandemic that restricted who could go to the lab — Hodin says he feels lucky to have gotten that many.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re assuming that by next year, they might be reproductive, based on ones that we’ve seen in the field,” Hodin says. “It’s good news that they can grow relatively quickly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976133\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976133\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-800x266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-800x266.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-1020x339.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-768x255.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-1536x510.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-1920x638.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb.jpg 2005w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Hodin, the research scientist who is leading the captive rearing program, prepares to view sea star larvae under a microscope. Right: Sunflower sea star larvae, born in mid-January, are seen under a microscope. The dark oval shapes are stomachs. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Having learned the tricks needed to raise these sea stars, the research team’s new goal is to produce up to 1,000 more young stars. The lab is full of glass pickle jars that contain larvae, and food containers that hold the poppy seed-size juveniles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hodin says that first, lab-grown sea stars could be put into the local waters, where their parents came from, to test how well they fare in the wild. If that goes well, it might be possible in the coming years to try to restore populations off the California coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the danger of sea star wasting disease could still be out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would say at the outset that it’s critical to understand more about what’s killing them before trying to put them back,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/harvell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drew Harvell\u003c/a>, a professor emeritus with Cornell University who is also a researcher at the Friday Harbor Laboratories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, she says, scientists disagree on the nature of the killer. Some blame an infectious agent, such as a virus, while others point to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/01/30/690003678/massive-starfish-die-off-is-tied-to-global-warming\">warming oceans\u003c/a> or other environmental changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s extremely controversial,” says Harvell, author of a book called \u003cem>Ocean Outbreak: Confronting the Rising Tide of Marine Disease\u003c/em>. She believes there’s a lot of evidence that sea star wasting disease is infectious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This month, she and her colleagues are starting new lab experiments to test that idea. In a fish pathogen lab, extracts from sick sea stars will be injected into seemingly healthy ones. She’ll be using sunflower sea stars since they are so susceptible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are difficult experiments to get to run consistently, and so if you try to do them with a species that is somewhat resistant, sometimes just nothing happens,” Harvell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if scientists never are able to figure out what causes this illness, she says, eventually it could still be worth trying some kind of reintroduction of captive-bred sea stars to the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At some point we would just have to probably go forward,” Harvell says, “even though scientifically that wouldn’t be the very best plan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hodin wishes he knew whether the sea stars his lab is raising are susceptible to the disease. He’s constantly on the lookout for any signs that his beloved animals are falling ill. “We hope they don’t get it obviously,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He uses a pair of tweezers to tenderly feed a tiny mussel to one of the young sea stars. It curls its arm around the treat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their adult-like behaviors are starting to emerge at these small sizes, and that’s been really fascinating to watch,” says Hodin, who adds he feels a deep attachment to all of the animals that he’s raised. “I think of myself as their foster parent. I’m caring for them and trying to optimize their growth and watching them grow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says he even dreams about them. Just the night before, he’d dreamed of being surrounded by water in a house-size version of one of their tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=To+Save+A+Huge%2C+24-Armed+Sea+Creature%2C+Scientists+Become+Loving+Foster+Parents&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1724,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 37
},
"modified": 1704846487,
"excerpt": "A mysterious disease is killing off the West Coast's enormous sunflower sea star, so researchers have launched an ambitious effort to breed this species in captivity.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A mysterious disease is killing off the West Coast's enormous sunflower sea star, so researchers have launched an ambitious effort to breed this species in captivity.",
"title": "Scientists Are on a Mission to Save These 24-Armed, Bike-Wheel-Sized Sea Creatures | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Scientists Are on a Mission to Save These 24-Armed, Bike-Wheel-Sized Sea Creatures",
"datePublished": "2021-08-04T12:12:06-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:07-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "scientists-are-on-a-mission-to-save-these-24-armed-bike-wheel-sized-sea-creatures",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1023739729&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 04 Aug 2021 05:00:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 04 Aug 2021 12:16:58 -0400",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2021/08/04/1023739729/to-save-a-huge-24-armed-sea-creature-scientists-become-loving-foster-parents?ft=nprml&f=1023739729",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2021/08/20210804_me_to_save_a_huge_24-armed_sea_creature_scientists_become_loving_foster_parents.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1007&d=299&p=3&story=1023739729&ft=nprml&f=1023739729",
"nprImageAgency": "University of Washington",
"source": "NPR",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11024566875-7ed9e5.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1007&d=299&p=3&story=1023739729&ft=nprml&f=1023739729",
"nprStoryId": "1023739729",
"nprByline": "Nell Greenfieldboyce \u003cbr />NPR\u003cbr>",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Dennis Wise",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 04 Aug 2021 12:16:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1976127/scientists-are-on-a-mission-to-save-these-24-armed-bike-wheel-sized-sea-creatures",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2021/08/20210804_me_to_save_a_huge_24-armed_sea_creature_scientists_become_loving_foster_parents.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1007&d=299&p=3&story=1023739729&ft=nprml&f=1023739729",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://staff.washington.edu/hodin/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Hodin\u003c/a> hauls up a rope that’s hanging from a dock in the waters off San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest. At the end is a square, sandwich-size Tupperware container, with mesh-covered holes in the sides to let water flow through. Hodin pulls off the lid and peers inside at some crushed bits of shell. He points to some reddish-orange dots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“See that? That little dot right there in front of my finger?” Hodin says. “That’s a juvenile sea star that’s about a month old.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s only the size of a poppy seed. But when this baby is all grown up, it could be as big as a manhole cover. That’s because this is \u003cem>Pycnopodia helianthoides\u003c/em>, aka the \u003ca href=\"https://nc.iucnredlist.org/redlist/amazing-species/pycnopodia-helianthoides/pdfs/original/pycnopodia-helianthoides.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sunflower sea star\u003c/a>. It’s one of the biggest sea stars in the world, with an arm span that can be more than 3 feet across, and it used to be a common sight in the waters off the West Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, though, it’s critically endangered and is being driven toward extinction by a mysterious, devastating disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is why Hodin and his colleagues at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories have spent the last two years figuring out how to raise this species in captivity. It’s an act of desperation born out of the hope that someday, lab-grown sunflower sea stars could be reintroduced into places where this species has disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976130\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976130\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/research-lab-3_custom-96fc615a2325fa5450d6855bcebaf0250b7d8137.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jason Hodin, research scientist at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, works in the sea star captive rearing lab. The sunflower sea star breeding program is a partnership between the university and the Nature Conservancy. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This voracious predator used to prowl the waters across a nearly 2,000-mile range, from Alaska to Baja California. Their brightly colored bodies — which come in vivid shades of orange, pink, blue and green — would move along the seafloor on as many as 24 arms, gobbling up mussels and scallops and sea urchins. Their consumption of sea urchins, in particular, helped to protect vital forests of kelp, which are home to numerous marine species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, however, populations of the sunflower sea star \u003ca href=\"https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/1/eaau7042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">have declined\u003c/a> by 80% to 100%. In California, “sunflower sea stars are more than 95% gone,” Hodin says. “Some people think that they are entirely extinct in the wild down there. I’ve heard scattered reports of people maybe seeing a few.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This species seems particularly susceptible to a wasting disease that’s hit more than 20 sea star species since 2013. Hodin says the sick sea stars are horrible to behold. “I witnessed it, and it’s not pretty,” he says. “They really do kind of like dissolve into a pile of goo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, Hodin says, the Nature Conservancy approached him about the possibility of setting up a program to breed sunflower sea stars. He’d already been interested in the basic science of sea stars because of the way they are able to transform themselves from bilaterally symmetrical larvae to juveniles with five-sided symmetry. He agreed to try raising large numbers of sunflower sea stars to adulthood, even though no one had tried to do anything like this before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976131\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976131\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-feeding-4_custom-1a2ab2ba952bbd281e56f8bb0fc852e36a901d2e.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adult sunflower sea stars feed on mussels at the Friday Harbor Laboratories. Shells from earlier meals collect at the bottom of the tank. The sea star on the bottom, called Charlotte, is the mother of the lab’s 1-year-old juvenile stars. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For this species in particular, there were very few published efforts to raise them at all, even through embryo or larval stages,” Hodin says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He didn’t know the answer to some of the most basic questions, such as what did this species eat early on? And how fast could it grow?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody knows how to age a sea star, so you see something in the wild and you have no idea how old it is,” Hodin says. “It could be 2 years old. It could be 50. It could be 100.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His team started by taking some sunflower sea stars from the wild. About 30 of these giants now live outside the lab in large, burbling tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t really anticipate how exuberant their behaviors are,” Hodin says. “You get to know them, and you get to know them individually. We noticed early on that we could tell them apart by their color patterns. And we gave them names.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lot of their names are linked to their colors. Prince, for example, has arms with tips that are purple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976132\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976132\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf-1920x1279.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/adult-2_custom-9418999650d5ec9060a3ae1cdd9866eaf3953bcf.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An arm of an adult sunflower sea star has numerous orange and white tube feet that it uses for walking, breathing and sensing. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This here’s Deep Blue, and she’s our biggest,” researcher \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/fleur__flower?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fleur Anteau\u003c/a> says as she feeds the sea stars by gently tucking mussels under their arms. “Some of them, when I open the cage, will basically really start moving their arms to the surface, like Olga here. Some of them are a little shyer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the shy ones suddenly come to life once they clutch a mussel. They hunch over the prey so they can swallow it whole. “When food comes, then you really see the predator come out,” Anteau notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pointing to the red eye spot at the end of each arm, she adds, “They’re looking at you. They don’t have eyes like us, but they can see a light-and-dark kind of vision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This lab has figured out how to get sperm and eggs from the wild-caught adults and grow up their offspring. The oldest sea stars they’ve produced are now nearly a year and a half, and they are about 3 inches across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lab only has about a dozen young sea stars that have reached this stage. But considering how little was known at the start — and the fact that they had to work out their techniques during a pandemic that restricted who could go to the lab — Hodin says he feels lucky to have gotten that many.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re assuming that by next year, they might be reproductive, based on ones that we’ve seen in the field,” Hodin says. “It’s good news that they can grow relatively quickly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976133\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976133\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-800x266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-800x266.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-1020x339.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-768x255.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-1536x510.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb-1920x638.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/starfish_diptych_custom-7cdd2cdc72a88ff42af021707c3b6e4c62d731fb.jpg 2005w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Hodin, the research scientist who is leading the captive rearing program, prepares to view sea star larvae under a microscope. Right: Sunflower sea star larvae, born in mid-January, are seen under a microscope. The dark oval shapes are stomachs. \u003ccite>(Dennis Wise/University of Washington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Having learned the tricks needed to raise these sea stars, the research team’s new goal is to produce up to 1,000 more young stars. The lab is full of glass pickle jars that contain larvae, and food containers that hold the poppy seed-size juveniles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hodin says that first, lab-grown sea stars could be put into the local waters, where their parents came from, to test how well they fare in the wild. If that goes well, it might be possible in the coming years to try to restore populations off the California coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the danger of sea star wasting disease could still be out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would say at the outset that it’s critical to understand more about what’s killing them before trying to put them back,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/harvell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drew Harvell\u003c/a>, a professor emeritus with Cornell University who is also a researcher at the Friday Harbor Laboratories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, she says, scientists disagree on the nature of the killer. Some blame an infectious agent, such as a virus, while others point to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/01/30/690003678/massive-starfish-die-off-is-tied-to-global-warming\">warming oceans\u003c/a> or other environmental changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s extremely controversial,” says Harvell, author of a book called \u003cem>Ocean Outbreak: Confronting the Rising Tide of Marine Disease\u003c/em>. She believes there’s a lot of evidence that sea star wasting disease is infectious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This month, she and her colleagues are starting new lab experiments to test that idea. In a fish pathogen lab, extracts from sick sea stars will be injected into seemingly healthy ones. She’ll be using sunflower sea stars since they are so susceptible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are difficult experiments to get to run consistently, and so if you try to do them with a species that is somewhat resistant, sometimes just nothing happens,” Harvell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if scientists never are able to figure out what causes this illness, she says, eventually it could still be worth trying some kind of reintroduction of captive-bred sea stars to the wild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At some point we would just have to probably go forward,” Harvell says, “even though scientifically that wouldn’t be the very best plan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hodin wishes he knew whether the sea stars his lab is raising are susceptible to the disease. He’s constantly on the lookout for any signs that his beloved animals are falling ill. “We hope they don’t get it obviously,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He uses a pair of tweezers to tenderly feed a tiny mussel to one of the young sea stars. It curls its arm around the treat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their adult-like behaviors are starting to emerge at these small sizes, and that’s been really fascinating to watch,” says Hodin, who adds he feels a deep attachment to all of the animals that he’s raised. “I think of myself as their foster parent. I’m caring for them and trying to optimize their growth and watching them grow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says he even dreams about them. Just the night before, he’d dreamed of being surrounded by water in a house-size version of one of their tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=To+Save+A+Huge%2C+24-Armed+Sea+Creature%2C+Scientists+Become+Loving+Foster+Parents&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976127/scientists-are-on-a-mission-to-save-these-24-armed-bike-wheel-sized-sea-creatures",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1976127"
],
"categories": [
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_2873",
"science_4450"
],
"featImg": "science_1976128",
"label": "source_science_1976127"
},
"science_1976060": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976060",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976060",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1627995629000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1627995629,
"format": "standard",
"title": "The Latest Global Climate Report Is Set to Publish. Here's What to Expect",
"headTitle": "The Latest Global Climate Report Is Set to Publish. Here’s What to Expect | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>It’s been nearly a decade since the United Nations released its last climate change assessment. That dire \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report\u003c/a>, which was published in 2014, described in detail how the burning of fossil fuels is altering the climate, leading to increasingly severe drought, worsening wildfires, and mass die-offs of coral reefs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, hundreds of the world’s top scientists hashed out final details of the next U.N. report, as much of the world is tested, again, by scorching heat waves, destructive floods, and megafires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Lara Kueppers, climate scientist at Berkeley Lab\"]‘This is our best and most comprehensive update on the state of international climate science, and it provides a foundation for international policy development as we move forward.’[/pullquote]The next iteration of the assessment could be published on Aug. 9, pending approval by the researchers convened by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It will be the sixth edition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This latest report aims to guide government decisions on addressing global warming and adapting to its impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> reported\u003c/a> that the new IPCC study will include a set of five hypothetical policy scenarios, “a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.” These scenarios will take into account carbon emissions reductions, population growth, economic development, and technological change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is our best and most comprehensive update on the state of international climate science, and it provides a foundation for international policy development as we move forward,” Lara Kueppers, a UC Berkeley professor and climate scientist at Berkeley Lab, told KQED’s Brian Watt last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But given the breakneck pace at which climate science is evolving, and the escalating destruction from warming-driven environmental disasters, Kueppers thinks it’s time for faster, locally focused assessments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve really left it up to the IPCC, but it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do the IPCC assessments get used?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At best, this document will spur more concerted policy action on climate. At worst it will be a virtual doorstop. The printed and bound versions of these past assessments are quite weighty. Unfortunately, current climate commitments, including the pledges by the Biden administration and other nations, are still insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit warming to one-and-a-half degrees globally, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://climateactiontracker.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Climate Action Tracker,\u003c/a> which follows all of these commitments closely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]My hope is really that all that we’ve learned [since the last assessment published], from the warming that we’ve seen in the ocean, to the rapid changes that we’ve seen in the cryosphere, to even the more finely resolved images of future impacts on human health and livelihoods, spurs the needed policy progress that nations around the world hope to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you describe the pace at which climate science is evolving?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate research and the effects of human economic activity on the climate really have a long history. And the scope and the depth of the science has really advanced quite rapidly in recent decades. But at the same time, the fundamentals have really remained the same for a century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the end of the 1800s, a Swedish scientist named \u003ca href=\"https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1903/arrhenius/biographical/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Svante Arrhenius\u003c/a> provided the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.rsc.org/images/Arrhenius1896_tcm18-173546.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">estimate \u003c/a> of how increasing global CO2 from burning coal would push up temperatures around the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was a grainy black and white photograph of future climate. But the subsequent research has really added important color and resolution to that photograph. And I would say now the state of climate science has provided a high-definition image of what we can expect as the climate continues to evolve. And these recent events, even just the last year, are a trailer of our climate future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Our governor says California is experiencing climate change fast forward. The impacts are here now and happening fast. Sounds like you agree with him? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"climate-change\"]I absolutely agree. California, like everywhere else on the planet, is experiencing the changing climate right now. We know that episodic droughts are natural occurrences in the state, but coupled with higher temperatures, this really puts incredible stress on agriculture and on our natural ecosystems. The warmer temperatures are drying vegetation faster and leading to longer fire seasons. And our firefighters really recognize this as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the warmer winters are allowing populations of tree-damaging insects to multiply faster, and they’re putting drought-stressed forests at greater risk. We are well on the path to a new climate normal. And that path is going to be pretty rocky in nearly every part of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Given all of that, do we need these big U.N. reports to come faster?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think so. In the past decades, we’ve really been content to leave the climate change policy to international diplomats, our federal, and even state representatives. The science input that they get, we’ve left up to the IPCC. But it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing. An influx of information every seven years is not quite adequate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the U.N. has asked the IPCC for more specific, policy-directed interim reports. We need to address these needs. And to do that, we require new kinds of partnerships between scientists and communities and new organizational infrastructure as well. This is a pretty tall order, but I know it’s one that many climate researchers are willing to support. And I expect that there are communities around the state who would be very grateful to have more regular input and a clearer vision for what their communities can expect as they make decisions about issues like land-use planning or public safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1027,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 23
},
"modified": 1704846489,
"excerpt": "Hundreds of the world’s top scientists are hashing out final details of the next UN climate report, as the world is tested, again, by extreme heat, drought, flood and fires.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Hundreds of the world’s top scientists are hashing out final details of the next UN climate report, as the world is tested, again, by extreme heat, drought, flood and fires.",
"title": "The Latest Global Climate Report Is Set to Publish. Here's What to Expect | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Latest Global Climate Report Is Set to Publish. Here's What to Expect",
"datePublished": "2021-08-03T06:00:29-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:09-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-latest-global-climate-report-is-set-to-publish-next-month-heres-what-to-expect",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-4[…]f-aaef00f5a073/8b846060-bb90-4793-a774-ad75013a9d9b/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Change",
"path": "/science/1976060/the-latest-global-climate-report-is-set-to-publish-next-month-heres-what-to-expect",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s been nearly a decade since the United Nations released its last climate change assessment. That dire \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report\u003c/a>, which was published in 2014, described in detail how the burning of fossil fuels is altering the climate, leading to increasingly severe drought, worsening wildfires, and mass die-offs of coral reefs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, hundreds of the world’s top scientists hashed out final details of the next U.N. report, as much of the world is tested, again, by scorching heat waves, destructive floods, and megafires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘This is our best and most comprehensive update on the state of international climate science, and it provides a foundation for international policy development as we move forward.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"align": "right",
"size": "medium",
"citation": "Lara Kueppers, climate scientist at Berkeley Lab",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The next iteration of the assessment could be published on Aug. 9, pending approval by the researchers convened by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It will be the sixth edition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This latest report aims to guide government decisions on addressing global warming and adapting to its impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> reported\u003c/a> that the new IPCC study will include a set of five hypothetical policy scenarios, “a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.” These scenarios will take into account carbon emissions reductions, population growth, economic development, and technological change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is our best and most comprehensive update on the state of international climate science, and it provides a foundation for international policy development as we move forward,” Lara Kueppers, a UC Berkeley professor and climate scientist at Berkeley Lab, told KQED’s Brian Watt last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But given the breakneck pace at which climate science is evolving, and the escalating destruction from warming-driven environmental disasters, Kueppers thinks it’s time for faster, locally focused assessments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve really left it up to the IPCC, but it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do the IPCC assessments get used?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At best, this document will spur more concerted policy action on climate. At worst it will be a virtual doorstop. The printed and bound versions of these past assessments are quite weighty. Unfortunately, current climate commitments, including the pledges by the Biden administration and other nations, are still insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit warming to one-and-a-half degrees globally, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://climateactiontracker.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Climate Action Tracker,\u003c/a> which follows all of these commitments closely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>My hope is really that all that we’ve learned [since the last assessment published], from the warming that we’ve seen in the ocean, to the rapid changes that we’ve seen in the cryosphere, to even the more finely resolved images of future impacts on human health and livelihoods, spurs the needed policy progress that nations around the world hope to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you describe the pace at which climate science is evolving?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate research and the effects of human economic activity on the climate really have a long history. And the scope and the depth of the science has really advanced quite rapidly in recent decades. But at the same time, the fundamentals have really remained the same for a century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the end of the 1800s, a Swedish scientist named \u003ca href=\"https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1903/arrhenius/biographical/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Svante Arrhenius\u003c/a> provided the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.rsc.org/images/Arrhenius1896_tcm18-173546.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">estimate \u003c/a> of how increasing global CO2 from burning coal would push up temperatures around the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was a grainy black and white photograph of future climate. But the subsequent research has really added important color and resolution to that photograph. And I would say now the state of climate science has provided a high-definition image of what we can expect as the climate continues to evolve. And these recent events, even just the last year, are a trailer of our climate future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Our governor says California is experiencing climate change fast forward. The impacts are here now and happening fast. Sounds like you agree with him? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "related coverage ",
"tag": "climate-change"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I absolutely agree. California, like everywhere else on the planet, is experiencing the changing climate right now. We know that episodic droughts are natural occurrences in the state, but coupled with higher temperatures, this really puts incredible stress on agriculture and on our natural ecosystems. The warmer temperatures are drying vegetation faster and leading to longer fire seasons. And our firefighters really recognize this as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the warmer winters are allowing populations of tree-damaging insects to multiply faster, and they’re putting drought-stressed forests at greater risk. We are well on the path to a new climate normal. And that path is going to be pretty rocky in nearly every part of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Given all of that, do we need these big U.N. reports to come faster?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think so. In the past decades, we’ve really been content to leave the climate change policy to international diplomats, our federal, and even state representatives. The science input that they get, we’ve left up to the IPCC. But it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing. An influx of information every seven years is not quite adequate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the U.N. has asked the IPCC for more specific, policy-directed interim reports. We need to address these needs. And to do that, we require new kinds of partnerships between scientists and communities and new organizational infrastructure as well. This is a pretty tall order, but I know it’s one that many climate researchers are willing to support. And I expect that there are communities around the state who would be very grateful to have more regular input and a clearer vision for what their communities can expect as they make decisions about issues like land-use planning or public safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976060/the-latest-global-climate-report-is-set-to-publish-next-month-heres-what-to-expect",
"authors": [
"11608"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_33",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_3253",
"science_1460"
],
"featImg": "science_1976062",
"label": "source_science_1976060"
},
"science_1976066": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976066",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976066",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1627909218000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "gripped-by-drought-marin-considers-desalination-water-pipeline-over-the-richmond-bridge",
"title": "Gripped by Drought, Marin Considers Desalination, Water Pipeline Over the Richmond Bridge",
"publishDate": 1627909218,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Gripped by Drought, Marin Considers Desalination, Water Pipeline Over the Richmond Bridge | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>As the drought deepens across the West, coastal cities are considering whether or not to filter ocean water as a solution to their water woes. In the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.marinwater.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marin Water\u003c/a> is mulling plans to draw its drinking water from the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reservoir levels in Marin County are at historic lows this year, and water leaders are calling for a 40% reduction. So far the county has reached a 23% reduction, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.marinwater.org/board-contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cynthia Koehler\u003c/a>, president of the agency’s board of directors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to do more,” she said. “We’re expecting another relatively low rainfall year. So, we’re preparing not just for right now, but really for 2022.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The harrowing prospect of another dry winter has the district toying, once again, with the idea of desalination, a process — removing salt and minerals from the sea for clean drinking water — that is simple in principle, maddeningly complicated in practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how it works: Salty water is pumped in from the ocean, filtered, chemically treated and then forced with high pressure through hole-lined pipes, which are tightly bound by a special polymer membrane — basically a microscopic strainer. Salt, bacteria and viruses can’t get through the membrane. Fresh water escapes, brine remains in the tubes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marin Water looked at desalination twice in three decades. It shelved a desalination project in 2010 after water use declined, following a couple of dry years. One reason the agency ditched the idea? Cost concerns, which — at the time — could have been as much as $173 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The cost was disproportionately high,” Koehler said, who joined the district 15 years ago “It’s not a light switch, you can’t turn it on or off, you’ve got to run it all the time. And so it would have been our most expensive source of supply.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A shoreline project the district is now considering would cost in the ballpark of $37 million, and could clean enough water to fulfill about a third of the county’s drinking water needs. The agency could lease some facilities, keeping the costs down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agency staff are considering a floating facility on a barge, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They say the boat is likely more expensive and does “not appear feasible for a number of reasons” Koehler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The terrestrial plant, while cheaper than the floating barge and “technically feasible” still has “fairly high costs associated with it,” she noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third option — not desalination, a pipeline over the bridge from Richmond to San Rafael to pump water from the East Bay — is likely to win out, Koehler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency could buy water from farmers in the Central Valley and elsewhere. Koehler said it is still somewhat up in the air about where the water would come from, but staff is meeting with neighbor agencies like the East Bay Municipal Utility District and others much further away in Amador, Placer and Yuba counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if the drought worsens other areas of the state could be more in need and the water may go to them instead. If the 6-mile pipeline is successful it could provide for all essential homes, businesses, and other indoor water use, and it would cost between $66 million and $88 million — which is more expensive than the desalination option, but would cover a large percentage of the county’s water needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The preliminary information is that there would be water on the market in California, if we were able to get that infrastructure in place,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But these options are not quick fixes to the current water shortage and wouldn’t be ready until at least June 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decision could come by the end of the year, but Koehler says the best current option is water conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want a community that is beautiful and that has landscaping, but native landscaping, low-water landscaping, Earthscape, all of these are options that don’t require that level of investment,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marin isn’t the only Bay Area community considering desalination. The city of Antioch is \u003ca href=\"http://www.antiochbrackishdesal.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">building a plant to clean brackish water from the San Joaquin River\u003c/a>. It’s supposed to be completed in 2023. When the $100 million project is finished it will allow water to be used from the river year-round instead of purchasing costly water from other agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental factors essentially forced the city’s hand, says\u003ca href=\"https://eesa.lbl.gov/profiles/peter-sewell-fiske/\"> Peter Fiske\u003c/a>, director for the National Alliance for Water Innovation at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because of climate change and the drought the salinity of that river is getting worse and worse,” he said “They got to the point where they were like, ‘Oh, my God, I guess we’re going to have to desalinate.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desalination doesn’t make sense for every city, because of the high cost and harm it can cause to marine ecosystems. Fiske says other options should be adopted first, like cleaning wastewater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Across the Bay Area, we generate a lot of wastewater,” he said. “We are essentially throwing it back into the bay and much of that wastewater could be reprocessed and reused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AdrianCovert?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adrian Covert\u003c/a>, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, a business and industry group, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recently \u003ca href=\"https://adriancovert.substack.com/p/how-much-would-it-cost-to-drought\">evaluated desalination regionally\u003c/a> and found that recycling water could have a large impact. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every year, the Bay Area pumps about 500,000 acre feet of highly treated wastewater into the bay,” he said. “It’s more than enough to meet the Bay Area’s water demand through 2040. And because wastewater is cleaner than ocean water, treating it to potable standards is also about 20% cheaper than desalinating water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agencies like Santa Clara Valley Water, which provides water to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975989/san-jose-relies-on-water-from-the-sierra-nevada-climate-change-is-challenging-that-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2 million people in the San Jose area\u003c/a>, are planning on doubling recycling water efforts. But that still only equals about 10% of their water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/team/gregory-pierce/\">Gregory Pierce \u003c/a>agrees that recycling water or fixing infrastructure is a faster solution than constructing a desalination plant. In a \u003ca href=\"https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Analyzing_Southern_CA_Supply_Investments_from_a_Human_Right_to_Water_Perspective.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2019 study,\u003c/a> he examined the impact desalination could have on low-income or marginalized communities as the co-director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pierce says people need “an even higher ethic of water conservation” because saving water is about preserving life for all Californians, not just the wealthy, with sprawling green lawns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In California, I think desalination can be part of the answer. But it’s not the best answer right now or in the near term,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pierce says desalination can hurt the environment and water agencies often push the high cost onto ratepayers. Desalination doesn’t encourage people to use less water and could lead to agencies delaying upgrades to aging, leaky water systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a concept, desalination sounds good, he says, but it’s not usually delivered equitably. If water is truly a human right, it should be affordable to everyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AndreaLeon?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrea León-Grossmann\u003c/a>, director of climate action for the ocean conservation group Azul, advocates against desalination because the high costs are shouldered by ratepayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Proponents claim it will be a few dollars a month,” she said. “For them, it might be a few dollars a month, but for someone who’s struggling to put food on the table that is a struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says there are better options for dealing with water shortages, like recycling water and fixing leaky pipes that waste water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we were to plug all those pipes and invest in maintaining our infrastructure that could provide a lot more water than building desalination plants,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desalination isn’t just expensive, it’s hard on ocean life, says \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DanielOceanPhys\">Daniel Ellis\u003c/a>, a senior scientist with the state water board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re not just killing the phytoplankton, you’re also killing the food source for the broader food web,” he said. “The second part of the environmental impact is you take in ocean water, you take out the freshwater and you’re left with a lot of salt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ellis says the brine byproduct can be twice as salty, and when it’s pumped back into the ocean, can be toxic for some aquatic life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though desalination is theoretically becoming more popular — there are, at least, \u003ca href=\"https://adriancovert.substack.com/p/how-much-would-it-cost-to-drought\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">11 active seawater desalination plants statewide\u003c/a> — he says there are only a few new pending projects in the state, like those in \u003ca href=\"https://www.poseidonwater.com/huntington-beach-desalination-plant.html#:~:text=The%20Huntington%20Beach%20Desalination%20Plant,to%20be%20operational%20by%202023.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Huntington Beach\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://scwd.org/depts/engineering/projects/water_supply_projects/oceandesal3/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Laguna Beach\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of the story mislabeled the San Joaquin River. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The harrowing prospect of another dry winter has Marin County toying, once again, with the idea of desalination.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1725577039,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 42,
"wordCount": 1495
},
"headData": {
"title": "Gripped by Drought, Marin Considers Desalination, Water Pipeline Over the Richmond Bridge | KQED",
"description": "The harrowing prospect of another dry winter has Marin County toying, once again, with the idea of desalination.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Gripped by Drought, Marin Considers Desalination, Water Pipeline Over the Richmond Bridge",
"datePublished": "2021-08-02T06:00:18-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-05T15:57:19-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"source": "Drought",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/1976066/gripped-by-drought-marin-considers-desalination-water-pipeline-over-the-richmond-bridge",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As the drought deepens across the West, coastal cities are considering whether or not to filter ocean water as a solution to their water woes. In the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.marinwater.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marin Water\u003c/a> is mulling plans to draw its drinking water from the San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reservoir levels in Marin County are at historic lows this year, and water leaders are calling for a 40% reduction. So far the county has reached a 23% reduction, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.marinwater.org/board-contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cynthia Koehler\u003c/a>, president of the agency’s board of directors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to do more,” she said. “We’re expecting another relatively low rainfall year. So, we’re preparing not just for right now, but really for 2022.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The harrowing prospect of another dry winter has the district toying, once again, with the idea of desalination, a process — removing salt and minerals from the sea for clean drinking water — that is simple in principle, maddeningly complicated in practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how it works: Salty water is pumped in from the ocean, filtered, chemically treated and then forced with high pressure through hole-lined pipes, which are tightly bound by a special polymer membrane — basically a microscopic strainer. Salt, bacteria and viruses can’t get through the membrane. Fresh water escapes, brine remains in the tubes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marin Water looked at desalination twice in three decades. It shelved a desalination project in 2010 after water use declined, following a couple of dry years. One reason the agency ditched the idea? Cost concerns, which — at the time — could have been as much as $173 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The cost was disproportionately high,” Koehler said, who joined the district 15 years ago “It’s not a light switch, you can’t turn it on or off, you’ve got to run it all the time. And so it would have been our most expensive source of supply.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A shoreline project the district is now considering would cost in the ballpark of $37 million, and could clean enough water to fulfill about a third of the county’s drinking water needs. The agency could lease some facilities, keeping the costs down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agency staff are considering a floating facility on a barge, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They say the boat is likely more expensive and does “not appear feasible for a number of reasons” Koehler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The terrestrial plant, while cheaper than the floating barge and “technically feasible” still has “fairly high costs associated with it,” she noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A third option — not desalination, a pipeline over the bridge from Richmond to San Rafael to pump water from the East Bay — is likely to win out, Koehler said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency could buy water from farmers in the Central Valley and elsewhere. Koehler said it is still somewhat up in the air about where the water would come from, but staff is meeting with neighbor agencies like the East Bay Municipal Utility District and others much further away in Amador, Placer and Yuba counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if the drought worsens other areas of the state could be more in need and the water may go to them instead. If the 6-mile pipeline is successful it could provide for all essential homes, businesses, and other indoor water use, and it would cost between $66 million and $88 million — which is more expensive than the desalination option, but would cover a large percentage of the county’s water needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The preliminary information is that there would be water on the market in California, if we were able to get that infrastructure in place,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But these options are not quick fixes to the current water shortage and wouldn’t be ready until at least June 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decision could come by the end of the year, but Koehler says the best current option is water conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want a community that is beautiful and that has landscaping, but native landscaping, low-water landscaping, Earthscape, all of these are options that don’t require that level of investment,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marin isn’t the only Bay Area community considering desalination. The city of Antioch is \u003ca href=\"http://www.antiochbrackishdesal.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">building a plant to clean brackish water from the San Joaquin River\u003c/a>. It’s supposed to be completed in 2023. When the $100 million project is finished it will allow water to be used from the river year-round instead of purchasing costly water from other agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental factors essentially forced the city’s hand, says\u003ca href=\"https://eesa.lbl.gov/profiles/peter-sewell-fiske/\"> Peter Fiske\u003c/a>, director for the National Alliance for Water Innovation at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because of climate change and the drought the salinity of that river is getting worse and worse,” he said “They got to the point where they were like, ‘Oh, my God, I guess we’re going to have to desalinate.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desalination doesn’t make sense for every city, because of the high cost and harm it can cause to marine ecosystems. Fiske says other options should be adopted first, like cleaning wastewater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Across the Bay Area, we generate a lot of wastewater,” he said. “We are essentially throwing it back into the bay and much of that wastewater could be reprocessed and reused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AdrianCovert?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adrian Covert\u003c/a>, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, a business and industry group, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recently \u003ca href=\"https://adriancovert.substack.com/p/how-much-would-it-cost-to-drought\">evaluated desalination regionally\u003c/a> and found that recycling water could have a large impact. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every year, the Bay Area pumps about 500,000 acre feet of highly treated wastewater into the bay,” he said. “It’s more than enough to meet the Bay Area’s water demand through 2040. And because wastewater is cleaner than ocean water, treating it to potable standards is also about 20% cheaper than desalinating water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agencies like Santa Clara Valley Water, which provides water to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975989/san-jose-relies-on-water-from-the-sierra-nevada-climate-change-is-challenging-that-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2 million people in the San Jose area\u003c/a>, are planning on doubling recycling water efforts. But that still only equals about 10% of their water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/team/gregory-pierce/\">Gregory Pierce \u003c/a>agrees that recycling water or fixing infrastructure is a faster solution than constructing a desalination plant. In a \u003ca href=\"https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Analyzing_Southern_CA_Supply_Investments_from_a_Human_Right_to_Water_Perspective.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2019 study,\u003c/a> he examined the impact desalination could have on low-income or marginalized communities as the co-director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pierce says people need “an even higher ethic of water conservation” because saving water is about preserving life for all Californians, not just the wealthy, with sprawling green lawns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In California, I think desalination can be part of the answer. But it’s not the best answer right now or in the near term,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pierce says desalination can hurt the environment and water agencies often push the high cost onto ratepayers. Desalination doesn’t encourage people to use less water and could lead to agencies delaying upgrades to aging, leaky water systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a concept, desalination sounds good, he says, but it’s not usually delivered equitably. If water is truly a human right, it should be affordable to everyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AndreaLeon?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrea León-Grossmann\u003c/a>, director of climate action for the ocean conservation group Azul, advocates against desalination because the high costs are shouldered by ratepayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Proponents claim it will be a few dollars a month,” she said. “For them, it might be a few dollars a month, but for someone who’s struggling to put food on the table that is a struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says there are better options for dealing with water shortages, like recycling water and fixing leaky pipes that waste water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we were to plug all those pipes and invest in maintaining our infrastructure that could provide a lot more water than building desalination plants,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desalination isn’t just expensive, it’s hard on ocean life, says \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DanielOceanPhys\">Daniel Ellis\u003c/a>, a senior scientist with the state water board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re not just killing the phytoplankton, you’re also killing the food source for the broader food web,” he said. “The second part of the environmental impact is you take in ocean water, you take out the freshwater and you’re left with a lot of salt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ellis says the brine byproduct can be twice as salty, and when it’s pumped back into the ocean, can be toxic for some aquatic life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though desalination is theoretically becoming more popular — there are, at least, \u003ca href=\"https://adriancovert.substack.com/p/how-much-would-it-cost-to-drought\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">11 active seawater desalination plants statewide\u003c/a> — he says there are only a few new pending projects in the state, like those in \u003ca href=\"https://www.poseidonwater.com/huntington-beach-desalination-plant.html#:~:text=The%20Huntington%20Beach%20Desalination%20Plant,to%20be%20operational%20by%202023.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Huntington Beach\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://scwd.org/depts/engineering/projects/water_supply_projects/oceandesal3/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Laguna Beach\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of the story mislabeled the San Joaquin River. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976066/gripped-by-drought-marin-considers-desalination-water-pipeline-over-the-richmond-bridge",
"authors": [
"11746"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_2873",
"science_4450",
"science_98"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_1193",
"science_572",
"science_4417",
"science_4414",
"science_201"
],
"featImg": "science_1976074",
"label": "source_science_1976066"
},
"science_1975989": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975989",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975989",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1627477211000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1627477211,
"format": "image",
"title": "San Jose Relies On Water From the Sierra Nevada. Climate Change Is Challenging That System",
"headTitle": "San Jose Relies On Water From the Sierra Nevada. Climate Change Is Challenging That System | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In Santa Clara County, lawns are dry, a reservoir is nearly empty, and water restrictions are mandated. After two winters with very little rain — and San Jose’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/11/how-bad-is-this-fire-season-in-california-really-going-to-be/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">driest year in 128 years of record keeping\u003c/a> — the county is marked by one of the worst droughts in modern history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County’s experience of drought is set apart from the rest of the state by a myriad of issues — less water from the Sierra Nevada, the effect of human-caused climate change on water supplies, and a case of incredibly bad luck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a dire emergency caused by the confluence of several horrible things happening all at the same time,” said Gary Kremen, director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.valleywater.org/director-gary-kremen-biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Santa Clara Valley Water\u003c/a>. “This isn’t like someone crying wolf.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valley Water relies heavily on water from the Sierra Nevada snowpack more than 100 miles away. But the agency only received 5% of the water it contracts from the state this year, a quarter of what it sources from the feds, and very little local rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have 2 million people in the county, compared to San Francisco’s 800,000 or Oakland’s 500,000,” he noted. “This is where the people live. We use a lot of water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kremen likens the drought situation in his water district to someone losing their job without savings to fall back on and no outside help to get them through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You got no money coming in and none of your relatives want to send you any money because they have their own difficulties,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County is so dry and the water levels so low, that Kremen’s agency now requires a 15% reduction in water use from all people and businesses. That amount may not not sound like a lot, but if it doesn’t rain this winter, places like San Jose could be in deep trouble next spring or summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do not believe there’s enough water for a third year [of drought],” Kremen said. “It’s gotten horrible very quick.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975990\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975990\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anderson Lake is 3% full after it was drained so the dam could undergo a seismic retrofit. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Kicker\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kicker on top of two very dry years in a row? The largest reservoir in Valley Water’s system is virtually empty at 3% full, after it was emptied so that the Anderson Dam near Morgan Hill could undergo seismic retrofitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it’s full this is our primary water supply in addition to our aquifer,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.valleywater.org/director-john-varela-biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Varela\u003c/a> , a director on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors. “But it’s empty, and we’re in a drought, so it’s not a good time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency drained the reservoir because the dam is vulnerable to shaking from a severe earthquake. The state wanted to make sure it could withstand at least a magnitude 7.0 quake, and the federal government mandated the retrofit. The work won’t be finished for about a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Fundamentally Different Climate\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Varela says the water district is exploring one possible solution for future water shortages: recycling wastewater. That clean water would then go back into the earth, restoring aquifers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We feel that recycled water is the sustainable water supply of the future,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency currently recycles 5% of its water at a facility in San Jose. Varela says the district is partnering with Palo Alto and Mountain View to build a second facility, and with Morgan Hill and Gilroy for a third. He said preliminary conversations are taking place around creating pipelines throughout the county to share water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district would like to double the amount of recycled water in the coming years. But warming temperatures are threatening the very system that supplies water to San Jose, and recycling efforts and other measures might not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now live in a fundamentally different climate,” said climate scientist \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/katerina_gonz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Katerina Gonzales,\u003c/a> who studies the causes and impacts of extreme precipitation at the University of Minnesota. She recently finished her dissertation at Stanford, where she focused on the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975993\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975993\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tall, dry grass grows across from a green yard in the Cambrian neighborhood located in West San Jose on July 21, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED).\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She says warming has condensed the rainy season and is decreasing the annual snowpack. Both are challenging California’s aging water system, which was designed to gradually collect runoff from snowmelt. Not to capture a winter’s worth of rainfall during a couple big, wet storms, known as atmospheric rivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Changes in atmospheric rivers affect almost every part of our infrastructure that deals with our relationship to water,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If storms come too early in the rain season, reservoirs fill up, creating a flooding risk. If water managers release water too soon in a drought year, it could mean dry reservoirs down the line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t rely on this assurance of drought busting atmospheric rivers because of the way that the ingredients in the atmosphere have changed,” Gonzales said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If California’s water system doesn’t evolve to mitigate impacts from climate change, Gonzales says places like San Jose will continue to have water issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State water officials seem to agree that the system has to change. \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/Executive-Bios-Director\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Karla Nemeth\u003c/a>, director of the California Department of Water Resources, says the state’s water system needs a major overhaul and Californians will need to save more water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re still working off past hydrology that was feeding a state that had fewer people,” she said. “All that needs to change, and it can change, if we get focused on how we adapt all of our modeling and operations to accommodate more climate extremes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975995\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975995\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adam Whyte, 18, spreads mulch around his front yard. The family lawn died in the last drought. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Drought Means For Residents\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For residents in the San Jose region, these water woes translate to mandatory 15% water restrictions. People are cutting back mostly on irrigation, like watering lawns, gardens and parks. Even though people are letting their lawns go, water leaders say that can be avoided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your lawn is still going to be nice, it just takes a little bit more time to be judicious about it, reprogramming your irrigation control to the right duration,” said John Tang, vice president of regulatory affairs for \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjwater.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Jose Water. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tang says people have learned to save water since the last drought in San Jose. Statewide, Californians use 16% less water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s certain homes around here that have really heeded the call for conservation,” he said. “People are ripping out lawns and putting in drought tolerant landscaping.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the 15% water reduction is mandatory, but the city is focusing on education and not enforcement. During the last drought, reduction grew to 30%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have any water cops driving around giving people tickets,” he said. “We see it as more of a cooperative partnership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Jose, brown lawns and drought-tolerant yards are becoming commonplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eighteen-year-old Adam Whyte’s family allowed their lawn to die during the last drought. “It was an eyesore compared to everybody else in the neighborhood who had all this perfectly nice grass,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, his family is mulching the yard with bark from a neighbor. The high school senior is spending part of his summer break with a shovel in hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re just gonna spread it out, put up some bricks, maybe a little border,” he said. “Clearly, if we want grass that’s just gonna up the water bill. We’re not doing that.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1358,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 39
},
"modified": 1704846498,
"excerpt": "Water officials in Santa Clara County are exploring a possible drought solution: recycling wastewater. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Water officials in Santa Clara County are exploring a possible drought solution: recycling wastewater. ",
"title": "San Jose Relies On Water From the Sierra Nevada. Climate Change Is Challenging That System | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "San Jose Relies On Water From the Sierra Nevada. Climate Change Is Challenging That System",
"datePublished": "2021-07-28T06:00:11-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:18-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "san-jose-relies-on-water-from-the-sierra-nevada-climate-change-is-challenging-that-system",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/e36004ba-6fc4-4ae8-b959-ad71011cb9bd/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Drought",
"path": "/science/1975989/san-jose-relies-on-water-from-the-sierra-nevada-climate-change-is-challenging-that-system",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In Santa Clara County, lawns are dry, a reservoir is nearly empty, and water restrictions are mandated. After two winters with very little rain — and San Jose’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/11/how-bad-is-this-fire-season-in-california-really-going-to-be/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">driest year in 128 years of record keeping\u003c/a> — the county is marked by one of the worst droughts in modern history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County’s experience of drought is set apart from the rest of the state by a myriad of issues — less water from the Sierra Nevada, the effect of human-caused climate change on water supplies, and a case of incredibly bad luck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a dire emergency caused by the confluence of several horrible things happening all at the same time,” said Gary Kremen, director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.valleywater.org/director-gary-kremen-biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Santa Clara Valley Water\u003c/a>. “This isn’t like someone crying wolf.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Valley Water relies heavily on water from the Sierra Nevada snowpack more than 100 miles away. But the agency only received 5% of the water it contracts from the state this year, a quarter of what it sources from the feds, and very little local rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have 2 million people in the county, compared to San Francisco’s 800,000 or Oakland’s 500,000,” he noted. “This is where the people live. We use a lot of water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kremen likens the drought situation in his water district to someone losing their job without savings to fall back on and no outside help to get them through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You got no money coming in and none of your relatives want to send you any money because they have their own difficulties,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County is so dry and the water levels so low, that Kremen’s agency now requires a 15% reduction in water use from all people and businesses. That amount may not not sound like a lot, but if it doesn’t rain this winter, places like San Jose could be in deep trouble next spring or summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do not believe there’s enough water for a third year [of drought],” Kremen said. “It’s gotten horrible very quick.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975990\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975990\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50396_IMG_5850_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anderson Lake is 3% full after it was drained so the dam could undergo a seismic retrofit. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Kicker\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The kicker on top of two very dry years in a row? The largest reservoir in Valley Water’s system is virtually empty at 3% full, after it was emptied so that the Anderson Dam near Morgan Hill could undergo seismic retrofitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it’s full this is our primary water supply in addition to our aquifer,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.valleywater.org/director-john-varela-biography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Varela\u003c/a> , a director on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors. “But it’s empty, and we’re in a drought, so it’s not a good time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency drained the reservoir because the dam is vulnerable to shaking from a severe earthquake. The state wanted to make sure it could withstand at least a magnitude 7.0 quake, and the federal government mandated the retrofit. The work won’t be finished for about a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Fundamentally Different Climate\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, Varela says the water district is exploring one possible solution for future water shortages: recycling wastewater. That clean water would then go back into the earth, restoring aquifers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We feel that recycled water is the sustainable water supply of the future,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency currently recycles 5% of its water at a facility in San Jose. Varela says the district is partnering with Palo Alto and Mountain View to build a second facility, and with Morgan Hill and Gilroy for a third. He said preliminary conversations are taking place around creating pipelines throughout the county to share water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district would like to double the amount of recycled water in the coming years. But warming temperatures are threatening the very system that supplies water to San Jose, and recycling efforts and other measures might not be enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now live in a fundamentally different climate,” said climate scientist \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/katerina_gonz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Katerina Gonzales,\u003c/a> who studies the causes and impacts of extreme precipitation at the University of Minnesota. She recently finished her dissertation at Stanford, where she focused on the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975993\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975993\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50378_013_SanJose_Drought_07212021-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tall, dry grass grows across from a green yard in the Cambrian neighborhood located in West San Jose on July 21, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED).\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She says warming has condensed the rainy season and is decreasing the annual snowpack. Both are challenging California’s aging water system, which was designed to gradually collect runoff from snowmelt. Not to capture a winter’s worth of rainfall during a couple big, wet storms, known as atmospheric rivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Changes in atmospheric rivers affect almost every part of our infrastructure that deals with our relationship to water,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If storms come too early in the rain season, reservoirs fill up, creating a flooding risk. If water managers release water too soon in a drought year, it could mean dry reservoirs down the line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t rely on this assurance of drought busting atmospheric rivers because of the way that the ingredients in the atmosphere have changed,” Gonzales said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If California’s water system doesn’t evolve to mitigate impacts from climate change, Gonzales says places like San Jose will continue to have water issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State water officials seem to agree that the system has to change. \u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/Executive-Bios-Director\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Karla Nemeth\u003c/a>, director of the California Department of Water Resources, says the state’s water system needs a major overhaul and Californians will need to save more water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re still working off past hydrology that was feeding a state that had fewer people,” she said. “All that needs to change, and it can change, if we get focused on how we adapt all of our modeling and operations to accommodate more climate extremes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975995\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975995\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50394_IMG_5815_Science_EzraRomero_SanJose-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adam Whyte, 18, spreads mulch around his front yard. The family lawn died in the last drought. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Drought Means For Residents\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For residents in the San Jose region, these water woes translate to mandatory 15% water restrictions. People are cutting back mostly on irrigation, like watering lawns, gardens and parks. Even though people are letting their lawns go, water leaders say that can be avoided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your lawn is still going to be nice, it just takes a little bit more time to be judicious about it, reprogramming your irrigation control to the right duration,” said John Tang, vice president of regulatory affairs for \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjwater.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Jose Water. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tang says people have learned to save water since the last drought in San Jose. Statewide, Californians use 16% less water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s certain homes around here that have really heeded the call for conservation,” he said. “People are ripping out lawns and putting in drought tolerant landscaping.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the 15% water reduction is mandatory, but the city is focusing on education and not enforcement. During the last drought, reduction grew to 30%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have any water cops driving around giving people tickets,” he said. “We see it as more of a cooperative partnership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Jose, brown lawns and drought-tolerant yards are becoming commonplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eighteen-year-old Adam Whyte’s family allowed their lawn to die during the last drought. “It was an eyesore compared to everybody else in the neighborhood who had all this perfectly nice grass,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, his family is mulching the yard with bark from a neighbor. The high school senior is spending part of his summer break with a shovel in hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re just gonna spread it out, put up some bricks, maybe a little border,” he said. “Clearly, if we want grass that’s just gonna up the water bill. We’re not doing that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975989/san-jose-relies-on-water-from-the-sierra-nevada-climate-change-is-challenging-that-system",
"authors": [
"11746"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_98"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_572",
"science_5177",
"science_2003",
"science_201"
],
"featImg": "science_1975992",
"label": "source_science_1975989"
},
"science_1975970": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975970",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975970",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1627325755000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1627325755,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Climate Scientists Meet as Dangerous Fires, Floods, and Droughts Test the World",
"headTitle": "Climate Scientists Meet as Dangerous Fires, Floods, and Droughts Test the World | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>More than 200 of the world’s leading climate scientists will begin meeting today to finalize a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">landmark report\u003c/a> summarizing how Earth’s climate has already changed, and what humans can expect for the rest of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report is the sixth edition of an assessment of the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body that coordinates research about global warming. The last edition of this report \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">came out in 2013\u003c/a> — an eternity in the world of climate science, where the pace of both warming and research are steadily accelerating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The urgency of addressing global warming has never been more clear. The two-week virtual meeting of IPCC scientists coincides with a raft of deadly climate-driven disasters unfolding around the world, from flash floods in Europe, North America and Asia, to intense wildfires in Siberia, to widespread persistent heat waves and droughts that threaten to upend food supplies in the U.S., Middle East and much of Africa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be a crucial document for world leaders. It represents the international scientific consensus about human-caused climate change. Governments rely on its predictions as they develop policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage forests and fisheries and decide how to protect their citizens from extreme weather. In November, world leaders will meet for the first time since 2019 to discuss promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions — promises that are still insufficient to prevent catastrophic warming this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes years to put together the IPCC report. It has 12 chapters, covering everything from the heat-trapping properties of individual greenhouse gases to extreme weather events to the regional impacts of global warming. Over the next two weeks, the authors of the report will hash out the final draft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are three things to watch for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Climate Science Has Come a Long Way in the Last Decade\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be the most comprehensive, detailed and accurate picture of the global climate ever released. The computer models that scientists use to predict how the climate will change in the future are a lot more advanced than they were a decade ago, when the last edition was published. And the data that feeds those models is also more robust, thanks to satellites, buoys and information about the historical climate gathered from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/974774461/drawing-a-line-in-the-mud-scientists-debate-when-age-of-humans-began\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rock, ice and mud\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Together, those advances allow scientists to say with more certainty how quickly the Earth is heating up, and how the extra heat being trapped by greenhouse gases will affect everything from sea levels and hurricanes to droughts and heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this report, scientists considered all the climate research published \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/2020/05/29/ipcc-extends-working-group-i-literature-cut-off-date-postpones-final-lead-author-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">before February 2021\u003c/a>. That’s thousands of studies about the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, forests and weather patterns. The meeting that kicks off today will focus on how to phrase key takeaways, such as how quickly the Earth is barreling toward the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold set by the Paris climate agreement in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There Are Five Future Scenarios that Scientists Imagine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A critical goal of the forthcoming report is to help governments make decisions about how to address climate change. The report won’t tell governments what to do, but it is meant to help leaders understand the effects of different policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, if humans stop burning coal immediately, it will dramatically reduce the rate of global warming. But what if humans stop burning coal in the next five years? Or ten years? Or what if solar panels get really cheap and population growth slows down? How does that affect climate change? The new IPCC report is meant to help answer such questions using a set of 5 hypothetical policy scenarios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC has used these scenarios, which are essentially a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, in one world countries work together to develop low-cost, low-carbon technologies and put them into use quickly for everyone. In another, some countries or groups of people transition very quickly to wind, solar and other clean energy sources while others move much more slowly. In a third imaginary world, nationalism surges around the world and governments focus on local energy and food security rather than global economic changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://tntcat.iiasa.ac.at/SspDb/dsd?Action=htmlpage&page=about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Each of the five scenarios\u003c/a> takes into account population growth, GDP and a host of other demographic, economic and technological possibilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under most of the scenarios, it’s still possible to keep global warming below the 2 degree Celsius threshold set by the Paris agreement, says Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. In other words, there are many ways to address climate change, and the new report will help describe those options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Biden administration has promised to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/04/16/987667828/how-the-u-s-could-halve-climate-emissions-by-2030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030\u003c/a>, but has not released a specific plan for how to achieve that goal. A major infrastructure package that would invest in cleaner transportation and electricity is facing an uncertain future in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Report Will Include Regional Information for the First Time\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC will break down its global climate science findings by region. That’s a big deal because the climate is changing in different ways depending on where you live. For example, the Arctic is warming about \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/12/18/943219856/2020-may-be-the-hottest-year-on-record-heres-the-damage-it-did\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">twice as fast\u003c/a> as the rest of the Earth, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/02/16/968461863/encore-why-sea-level-rise-varies-across-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sea levels\u003c/a> are rising much more quickly in some areas than in others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/11/782918005/meteorologists-cant-keep-up-with-climate-change-in-mozambique\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">countries don’t have the resources\u003c/a> to systematically study how the climate is changing in their region, or what to expect in the future. That leaves governments in the dark about the rate of local sea level rise, for example, or the likelihood of regional drought or extreme rain. Without localized information, it’s impossible to prioritize infrastructure and housing that’s built for the climate of the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The forthcoming IPCC report includes a chapter on regional climate change. The IPCC is also releasing an interactive, online regional dashboard that allows policymakers to choose their region and see current and future climate conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. government will not rely on the new regional data from the IPCC. The U.S. already has access to localized data through the \u003ca href=\"https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Climate Assessment\u003c/a>, which is produced by the federal government every few years. The next edition is scheduled to be published in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Climate+Scientists+Meet+As+Floods%2C+Fires%2C+Droughts+And+Heat+Waves+Batter+Countries&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1118,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 25
},
"modified": 1704846502,
"excerpt": "Hundreds of scientists are meeting to finalize a landmark climate report. It's meant to guide the next decade of international climate policy, but it's unclear if politicians will act on it. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Hundreds of scientists are meeting to finalize a landmark climate report. It's meant to guide the next decade of international climate policy, but it's unclear if politicians will act on it. ",
"title": "Climate Scientists Meet as Dangerous Fires, Floods, and Droughts Test the World | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Climate Scientists Meet as Dangerous Fires, Floods, and Droughts Test the World",
"datePublished": "2021-07-26T11:55:55-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:22-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1019433734&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprStoryDate": "Mon, 26 Jul 2021 05:00:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Mon, 26 Jul 2021 07:14:11 -0400",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2021/07/26/1019433734/climate-scientists-meet-as-floods-fires-droughts-and-heat-waves-batter-countries?ft=nprml&f=1019433734",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2021/07/20210726_me_climate_scientists_meet_as_floods_fires_droughts_and_heat_waves_batter_countries.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1007&d=217&p=3&story=1019433734&ft=nprml&f=1019433734",
"nprImageAgency": "AP",
"source": "NPR",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11020612193-6d1b51.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1007&d=217&p=3&story=1019433734&ft=nprml&f=1019433734",
"nprStoryId": "1019433734",
"nprByline": "Rebecca Hersher \u003cbr />NPR\u003cbr>",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Ivan Nikiforov",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Mon, 26 Jul 2021 11:48:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2021/07/20210726_me_climate_scientists_meet_as_floods_fires_droughts_and_heat_waves_batter_countries.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1007&d=217&p=3&story=1019433734&ft=nprml&f=1019433734",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 200 of the world’s leading climate scientists will begin meeting today to finalize a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">landmark report\u003c/a> summarizing how Earth’s climate has already changed, and what humans can expect for the rest of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report is the sixth edition of an assessment of the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body that coordinates research about global warming. The last edition of this report \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">came out in 2013\u003c/a> — an eternity in the world of climate science, where the pace of both warming and research are steadily accelerating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The urgency of addressing global warming has never been more clear. The two-week virtual meeting of IPCC scientists coincides with a raft of deadly climate-driven disasters unfolding around the world, from flash floods in Europe, North America and Asia, to intense wildfires in Siberia, to widespread persistent heat waves and droughts that threaten to upend food supplies in the U.S., Middle East and much of Africa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be a crucial document for world leaders. It represents the international scientific consensus about human-caused climate change. Governments rely on its predictions as they develop policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage forests and fisheries and decide how to protect their citizens from extreme weather. In November, world leaders will meet for the first time since 2019 to discuss promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions — promises that are still insufficient to prevent catastrophic warming this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes years to put together the IPCC report. It has 12 chapters, covering everything from the heat-trapping properties of individual greenhouse gases to extreme weather events to the regional impacts of global warming. Over the next two weeks, the authors of the report will hash out the final draft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are three things to watch for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Climate Science Has Come a Long Way in the Last Decade\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be the most comprehensive, detailed and accurate picture of the global climate ever released. The computer models that scientists use to predict how the climate will change in the future are a lot more advanced than they were a decade ago, when the last edition was published. And the data that feeds those models is also more robust, thanks to satellites, buoys and information about the historical climate gathered from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/974774461/drawing-a-line-in-the-mud-scientists-debate-when-age-of-humans-began\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rock, ice and mud\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Together, those advances allow scientists to say with more certainty how quickly the Earth is heating up, and how the extra heat being trapped by greenhouse gases will affect everything from sea levels and hurricanes to droughts and heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this report, scientists considered all the climate research published \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/2020/05/29/ipcc-extends-working-group-i-literature-cut-off-date-postpones-final-lead-author-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">before February 2021\u003c/a>. That’s thousands of studies about the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, forests and weather patterns. The meeting that kicks off today will focus on how to phrase key takeaways, such as how quickly the Earth is barreling toward the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold set by the Paris climate agreement in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There Are Five Future Scenarios that Scientists Imagine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A critical goal of the forthcoming report is to help governments make decisions about how to address climate change. The report won’t tell governments what to do, but it is meant to help leaders understand the effects of different policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, if humans stop burning coal immediately, it will dramatically reduce the rate of global warming. But what if humans stop burning coal in the next five years? Or ten years? Or what if solar panels get really cheap and population growth slows down? How does that affect climate change? The new IPCC report is meant to help answer such questions using a set of 5 hypothetical policy scenarios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC has used these scenarios, which are essentially a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, in one world countries work together to develop low-cost, low-carbon technologies and put them into use quickly for everyone. In another, some countries or groups of people transition very quickly to wind, solar and other clean energy sources while others move much more slowly. In a third imaginary world, nationalism surges around the world and governments focus on local energy and food security rather than global economic changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://tntcat.iiasa.ac.at/SspDb/dsd?Action=htmlpage&page=about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Each of the five scenarios\u003c/a> takes into account population growth, GDP and a host of other demographic, economic and technological possibilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under most of the scenarios, it’s still possible to keep global warming below the 2 degree Celsius threshold set by the Paris agreement, says Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. In other words, there are many ways to address climate change, and the new report will help describe those options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Biden administration has promised to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/04/16/987667828/how-the-u-s-could-halve-climate-emissions-by-2030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030\u003c/a>, but has not released a specific plan for how to achieve that goal. A major infrastructure package that would invest in cleaner transportation and electricity is facing an uncertain future in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Report Will Include Regional Information for the First Time\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC will break down its global climate science findings by region. That’s a big deal because the climate is changing in different ways depending on where you live. For example, the Arctic is warming about \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/12/18/943219856/2020-may-be-the-hottest-year-on-record-heres-the-damage-it-did\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">twice as fast\u003c/a> as the rest of the Earth, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/02/16/968461863/encore-why-sea-level-rise-varies-across-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sea levels\u003c/a> are rising much more quickly in some areas than in others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/11/782918005/meteorologists-cant-keep-up-with-climate-change-in-mozambique\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">countries don’t have the resources\u003c/a> to systematically study how the climate is changing in their region, or what to expect in the future. That leaves governments in the dark about the rate of local sea level rise, for example, or the likelihood of regional drought or extreme rain. Without localized information, it’s impossible to prioritize infrastructure and housing that’s built for the climate of the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The forthcoming IPCC report includes a chapter on regional climate change. The IPCC is also releasing an interactive, online regional dashboard that allows policymakers to choose their region and see current and future climate conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. government will not rely on the new regional data from the IPCC. The U.S. already has access to localized data through the \u003ca href=\"https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Climate Assessment\u003c/a>, which is produced by the federal government every few years. The next edition is scheduled to be published in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Climate+Scientists+Meet+As+Floods%2C+Fires%2C+Droughts+And+Heat+Waves+Batter+Countries&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1975970"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_33",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_4414",
"science_2936"
],
"featImg": "science_1975975",
"label": "source_science_1975970"
},
"science_1975923": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975923",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975923",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1627001021000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1627001021,
"format": "standard",
"title": "The Moon 'Wobble' Isn’t New. What's New is the Impact of Climate Change",
"headTitle": "The Moon ‘Wobble’ Isn’t New. What’s New is the Impact of Climate Change | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>So, about that moon wobble …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, NASA published a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01077-8\"> new study\u003c/a> in the journal Nature Climate Change that found rising sea levels plus higher tides caused by an oscillation in the moon’s orbit will dramatically increase the number of sunny day floods experienced in U.S. coastal communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is one of the most populous and flood-threatened shorelines of the entire West Coast. Places like San Francisco’s Embarcadero and the exit off Northbound Highway 101 toward Mill Valley already regularly flood during King Tides, along with communities like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11871855/sea-levels-are-rising-in-the-bay-and-east-palo-alto-is-on-the-front-lines\">East Palo Alto\u003c/a> in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA researchers say it could get a lot worse — and sooner than expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The assessment we made for the tide gauge in San Francisco is that we’d see about a five time increase in the number of high-tide flood days,” said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/bhamlington?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">Ben Hamlington\u003c/a>, who co-authored the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With that in mind, he says the region’s current sea level rise adaptation plans may not go far enough, and might be moving too slowly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A regular oscillation in the lunar orbit — what researchers have dubbed a “moon wobble” — will temporarily suppress flooding from rising sea levels this decade, only to worsen across the Bay Area in the mid-2030s as the moon sways back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carbon pollution is trapping heat and warming the planet, even as companies and governments continue to emit planet warming gases with little abatement. The wobble will do nothing to limit the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, which is accelerating and being driven by these rising temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that the moon wobbles is not a new discovery. Scientists have known about the lunar sways, which take 18.6 years to complete, for centuries. The first half of the pattern is marked in the U.S. by lower tides and the second — which the moon is currently in — by high tides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/PeterGleick/status/1417663167409229827?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing new or dangerous about the wobble; it was first reported in 1728,” NASA’s release \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/study-projects-a-surge-in-coastal-flooding-starting-in-2030s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said\u003c/a>. “What’s new is how one of the wobble’s effects on the moon’s gravitational pull — the main cause of Earth’s tides — will combine with rising sea levels resulting from the planet’s warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists worry that as the tides amplify in the next decade, cities around the Bay will see more flooding. The San Francisco Bay has risen by about eight inches since 1990, the Mercury News \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/13/san-francisco-bay-protection-from-future-disasters-is-being-thrown-away-scientists-say/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported\u003c/a>. But by the midcentury that could increase by up to \u003ca href=\"http://www.opc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/docs/rising-seas-in-california-an-update-on-sea-level-rise-science.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">1.9 feet, before accelerating even more towards the end of the century. \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Phil Thompson, lead author of the study, said cities will likely experience accumulating impacts from what academics call nuisance flooding — water from high tides spilling on streets, into parking lots, parks, and neighborhoods, regularly disrupting life and business. “If it floods 10 or 15 times a month, a business can’t keep operating with its parking lot under water,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The real doozy, Hamlington says, is that a certain level of sea rise is already baked in, and will surge as the temperatures rise and oceans warm. San Francisco could see 31 additional flooding days per year on average during the 2030s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team examined the impacts under low-medium and medium climate warming emissions scenarios. They forecast that flooding will be experienced at different moments across the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamlington says natural drivers of flooding like El Niño could also make flooding worse, and the impact of sea level rise will be clearly evident in the next decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of those flooding days that you see now are going to be that much more severe,” he said. “We are going to see some abrupt transitions. I think it’s important for coastal planners to understand that, in a lot of cases, you need to start preparing now. Some of the adaptation strategies that are being discussed need to be put in place sooner rather than later.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 711,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 18
},
"modified": 1704846504,
"excerpt": "What researchers have dubbed a “moon wobble” will temporarily suppress Bay Area flooding from rising sea levels this decade, only to worsen in the mid-2030s. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "What researchers have dubbed a “moon wobble” will temporarily suppress Bay Area flooding from rising sea levels this decade, only to worsen in the mid-2030s. ",
"title": "The Moon 'Wobble' Isn’t New. What's New is the Impact of Climate Change | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Moon 'Wobble' Isn’t New. What's New is the Impact of Climate Change",
"datePublished": "2021-07-22T17:43:41-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:24-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-moon-has-always-wobbled-whats-new-is-climate-change",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/2021/07/Moon.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Sea Level Rise",
"path": "/science/1975923/the-moon-has-always-wobbled-whats-new-is-climate-change",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>So, about that moon wobble …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, NASA published a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01077-8\"> new study\u003c/a> in the journal Nature Climate Change that found rising sea levels plus higher tides caused by an oscillation in the moon’s orbit will dramatically increase the number of sunny day floods experienced in U.S. coastal communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is one of the most populous and flood-threatened shorelines of the entire West Coast. Places like San Francisco’s Embarcadero and the exit off Northbound Highway 101 toward Mill Valley already regularly flood during King Tides, along with communities like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11871855/sea-levels-are-rising-in-the-bay-and-east-palo-alto-is-on-the-front-lines\">East Palo Alto\u003c/a> in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA researchers say it could get a lot worse — and sooner than expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The assessment we made for the tide gauge in San Francisco is that we’d see about a five time increase in the number of high-tide flood days,” said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/bhamlington?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">Ben Hamlington\u003c/a>, who co-authored the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With that in mind, he says the region’s current sea level rise adaptation plans may not go far enough, and might be moving too slowly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A regular oscillation in the lunar orbit — what researchers have dubbed a “moon wobble” — will temporarily suppress flooding from rising sea levels this decade, only to worsen across the Bay Area in the mid-2030s as the moon sways back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carbon pollution is trapping heat and warming the planet, even as companies and governments continue to emit planet warming gases with little abatement. The wobble will do nothing to limit the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, which is accelerating and being driven by these rising temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that the moon wobbles is not a new discovery. Scientists have known about the lunar sways, which take 18.6 years to complete, for centuries. The first half of the pattern is marked in the U.S. by lower tides and the second — which the moon is currently in — by high tides.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "1417663167409229827"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing new or dangerous about the wobble; it was first reported in 1728,” NASA’s release \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/study-projects-a-surge-in-coastal-flooding-starting-in-2030s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said\u003c/a>. “What’s new is how one of the wobble’s effects on the moon’s gravitational pull — the main cause of Earth’s tides — will combine with rising sea levels resulting from the planet’s warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists worry that as the tides amplify in the next decade, cities around the Bay will see more flooding. The San Francisco Bay has risen by about eight inches since 1990, the Mercury News \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/13/san-francisco-bay-protection-from-future-disasters-is-being-thrown-away-scientists-say/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported\u003c/a>. But by the midcentury that could increase by up to \u003ca href=\"http://www.opc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/docs/rising-seas-in-california-an-update-on-sea-level-rise-science.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">1.9 feet, before accelerating even more towards the end of the century. \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Phil Thompson, lead author of the study, said cities will likely experience accumulating impacts from what academics call nuisance flooding — water from high tides spilling on streets, into parking lots, parks, and neighborhoods, regularly disrupting life and business. “If it floods 10 or 15 times a month, a business can’t keep operating with its parking lot under water,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The real doozy, Hamlington says, is that a certain level of sea rise is already baked in, and will surge as the temperatures rise and oceans warm. San Francisco could see 31 additional flooding days per year on average during the 2030s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team examined the impacts under low-medium and medium climate warming emissions scenarios. They forecast that flooding will be experienced at different moments across the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamlington says natural drivers of flooding like El Niño could also make flooding worse, and the impact of sea level rise will be clearly evident in the next decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of those flooding days that you see now are going to be that much more severe,” he said. “We are going to see some abrupt transitions. I think it’s important for coastal planners to understand that, in a lot of cases, you need to start preparing now. Some of the adaptation strategies that are being discussed need to be put in place sooner rather than later.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975923/the-moon-has-always-wobbled-whats-new-is-climate-change",
"authors": [
"11746"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_2873",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_856",
"science_4414",
"science_2114",
"science_206"
],
"featImg": "science_1975953",
"label": "source_science_1975923"
},
"science_1975855": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975855",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975855",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1626827433000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1626827433,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs",
"headTitle": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Two years ago the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut off electricity at Will Hollman’s home in the San Fernando Valley, forcing the family to rely on a gasoline generator. In late June of this year, the department disconnected the water, too — despite a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/4.2.20-EO-N-42-20.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statewide moratorium on water shutoffs\u003c/a> that Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recently extended through Sept. 30\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman, his 10-year-old son and his 16-year-old stepdaughter endured 11 days of temperatures in the high 90s to low 100s without water or power. For 11 days, they camped out in air-conditioned grocery stores, Starbucks or his truck. They couchsurfed and used friends’ showers. Hollman played it off with the kids as some kind of fun obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He called the department’s customer service, and said a representative told him that he must pay off his utility debt of $9,064.13 — largely consisting of charges that Hollman disputes as erroneous — before water or power could be restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been demoralizing, humiliating,” Hollman said on the eighth day. “I have a history of paying my bills, working, being a good provider. You… start having feelings of failure as a parent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately the state’s water agency convinced the LA department to turn on Hollman’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those 11 days without water or power are a window into what could happen to millions of Californians in the coming months and years, depending on how swiftly and effectively the state distributes relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Official estimates of unpaid water and energy bills accumulated during the pandemic verge on $2.7 billion, affecting a few million Californians — and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/SozYyHYaDUI?t=2096\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">those figures have been growing\u003c/a> rapidly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has so far prioritized rent relief — keeping people housed — over utilities relief. A spokesperson for the state’s COVID-19 Rent Relief program said that of the $158 million distributed as of July 16, less than $40,000 had gone to utilities relief. Utility debt makes up about 6% of all assistance requested so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 11, lawmakers revealed a plan to use one-time federal relief money to address the debt. The deal is a patchwork of new programs to forgive $2 billion of utilities debt and old programs to help households chip away at the rest, with a wide range of eligibility criteria and timelines. But it doesn’t extend current shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re laser-focused on getting this assistance out the door as quickly as possible,” Newsom said in a statement about ongoing rent relief and the utilities relief plan. He has signed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/07/16/governor-newsom-signs-state-budget-legislation-7-16-21/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">energy bills relief into law\u003c/a>, while the water bills relief still awaits his signature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This will be an important “reboot” to protect Californians and utility companies, said Ellen Hanak, director of the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t want people to be shut off from basic services,” Hanak said, “But it’s also a hit to the entire community if utilities aren’t able to balance their books, because that can have all sorts of ripple effects on the abilities of water and electrical systems to run well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to forgiving California’s utility debt, key questions remain:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Will $2 billion be nearly enough?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Can the money be distributed quickly enough to prevent shutoffs?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“For public health and safety, it’s important for people to have roofs over their heads, clean water and power. Those are all pieces of the puzzle,” Hanak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-catch-22-at-la-s-utilities-department\">\u003cstrong>A Catch-22 at \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>LA’s Utilities Department?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman’s utilities troubles began well before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After opening an account in 2017, he began receiving unusually high electricity charges topping $1,000 — even during months when no one was living in the house because he was staying with his parents — which Hollman attributes to billing errors by the LA utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under financial stress following a messy separation, Hollman said he let the bills pile up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By early 2019, his unpaid balance had mounted to nearly $9,000. He applied for $2,000 of assistance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services to keep service on. But the water agency insisted on full payment of his bill, according to correspondence from his social worker reviewed by CalMatters. In March of 2019, the department shut off his power due to non-payment. He bought a generator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the power shutoff, the electricity charges continued, labeled as “unmetered estimated consumption” in bills reviewed by CalMatters, meaning the utility generated them without checking Hollman’s meter. In December 2019, a customer service representative credited his account with several thousand dollars, but, according to Hollman, told him that the department couldn’t stop the continuing energy charges or issue more credits until a technician read his meter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which required that the power be turned back on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which couldn’t happen until he paid off the debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Hollman tells it, he was caught in a Catch-22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2020, amid the first pandemic surge, the LA utilities department closed Hollman’s account with an unpaid balance of $9,064.13, meaning that he couldn’t open a new account until he paid off the debt, which could affect his credit score or be taken to small claims court. But, Hollman said, a representative promised that water would stay on while the pandemic lasted. For over a year, it did — until a technician arrived unannounced in late June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The LA utilities department tells a somewhat different story. In a statement, a department spokesperson said that it had disconnected Hollman’s water in October 2017 and power in March 2019 because Hollman had made no payments since opening his account in March 2017. The spokesperson said the department turned off his water twice more after detecting unauthorized use, in April 2019 and again this past June, when it “came to light to LADWP… that water service had illegally been turned back on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While declining to comment on the high “unmetered estimated consumption” charges or Hollman’s apparent Catch-22, the spokesperson said the department restored water service in early July “in an attempt to work out a payment plan… for the water and power that was consumed since 2017.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman disputes that he illegally reconnected the water, saying it never stopped flowing and that he never received notices it would be shut off. He said that a water department representative told him last week that he had to pay a third of his outstanding bill — money that he said he doesn’t have — before he can qualify for a payment plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-mounting-debt-and-shutoffs-despite-protections\">\u003cstrong>Mounting Debt, and Shutoffs Despite Protections\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman is not alone. Despite shutoff protections, the California State Water Resources Control Board has received 308 \u003ca href=\"https://watershut-off.covid19.ca.gov/#:~:text=State%20of%20California%20COVID%2D19%20Water%20Shutoff%20Report&text=If%20you%20require%20translation%20assistance,submitting%20a%20water%20shutoff%20report.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports of water disconnections during the pandemic\u003c/a>. No agency tracks power shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson said the state water board got water restored in each case, including for Hollman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the state water board estimated that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1.6 million households were late on water bills that totaled over $1 billion across California\u003c/a>, and were growing quickly. The California Municipal Utilities Association estimated \u003ca href=\"https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/CSDA/b24702e8-8a42-4614-8c45-bc3cba37ea2c/UploadedImages/Advocate/Take_Action/covid19_utility_debt_assistance_coalition_letter.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unpaid energy bills at publicly owned utilities topped $300 million\u003c/a>, while close to 4 million customers of investor-owned utilities were behind on energy bills, totaling $1.4 billion, as of late June, according to a California Public Utilities Commission spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people don’t know that they are still protected from shutoffs. Some no longer are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the state reopened in mid-June, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quietly extended the moratorium on water shutoffs to Sept. 30.\u003c/a> One water system has already said \u003ca href=\"https://www.padredam.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">that it will resume shutoffs the next day.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M389/K401/389401945.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">also extended the power shutoff moratorium to Sept. 30\u003c/a>, days before it was set to expire on June 30. But that only applies to customers of investor-owned utilities, leaving the quarter of Californians served by publicly owned utilities vulnerable, said Mad Stano, an energy equity attorney at the Greenlining Institute, a racial justice nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA’s water department is the largest publicly owned utility in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11747148/map-public-power-providers-in-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the United States\u003c/a>. During the pandemic, customers’ unpaid bills there increased more than 10-fold, from $37 million accrued during 2019 to $400 million accrued during the first eight months of the pandemic, according to a state Water Board report. \u003ca href=\"https://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2021/21-0540_misc_05-19-21.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">More than one in five customers behind on bills had debt over $1,000\u003c/a>. The department has voluntarily chosen to extend its own moratorium on shutoffs for nonpayment, according to a spokesperson, but has not yet announced an end date. It has also not publicized that decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deborah Bell-Holt\u003c/a> didn’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975857\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975857\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1-160x240.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deborah Bell-Holt sits in front of her house in Jefferson Park near Downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 21, 2021, holding her water and power bill. \u003ccite>(Shae Hammond/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her utilities bill ballooned to $19,308.45 during the pandemic as her South Los Angeles household grew to include 12 children, grandchildren and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt assumed that disconnections would start June 30, when evictions were set to begin had lawmakers not made \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/06/california-eviction-moratorium-deal/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a last-minute deal.\u003c/a> She scrambled to send the department $500 in late May and $200 on June 25th, hoping a few payments would stave off shutoffs. To afford that, she said she took out a $500 loan with 347% interest, which she’s still paying back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt said that if she’d known she wasn’t at risk on June 30, “I wouldn’t put us in a hole like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state and utilities haven’t done enough to inform Californians about protections, Stano contends. “The state needs to require… communications to people so they don’t make financial decisions that they don’t have to make,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-living-without-water-or-power\">\u003cstrong>Living Without Water or Power\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Hollman’s third day this summer without water or power, it hit 100 degrees outside. Inside the house was even hotter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman and his kids are used to life without air conditioning in one of California’s hottest regions. Their generator — which requires $10 of fuel per day, on average — only powers the lights, electronics and refrigerator. Normally, Hollman might cool the house by hosing down the roof and outdoor plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, the family lingered at McDonald’s. “It becomes very difficult to keep your spirit up, but you have to for your kids,” Hollman said. “You can’t crack.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the fifth day, his son thanked Hollman for the best day ever, after the two spent the afternoon cutting through the heat on skateboards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the ninth morning, Hollman ran out of generator fuel. He reminded his kids not to open the refrigerator, so the food wouldn’t spoil. He knew his car’s radiator was low, but he was out of coolant and bottled water. He crossed his fingers that the old truck wouldn’t overheat on the way to the gas station. It did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a dance that people shouldn’t have to f—ing do,” Hollman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975859\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Will Hollman’s day typically begins by filling this container with gas for the generator he’s relied on since electricity was shut off to his San Fernando Valley home. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp id=\"h-relief-on-the-way-for-california-utility-bills\">\u003cstrong>Relief On the Way\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>for California Utility Bills\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theoretically, lawmakers’ new deal could prevent more people from that dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newsom proposed $2 billion to relieve utilities debt\u003c/a>. Legislators agreed to the price tag in June, but continued negotiating the distribution plan in private.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/07/california-budget-legislature/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The result is two budget bills\u003c/a> that would create new programs that pay utilities directly to forgive customer debt accrued during the pandemic, prioritizing those at greatest risk of shutoffs. The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive $994 million in energy debt, while the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB129\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$985 million\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both cases, utilities must opt in. They must also offer all customers with pandemic debt a payment plan that would protect them from shutoffs as long as they enroll and stay current on the plan. Plus, the first forbids energy utilities from disconnecting power to a customer for 90 days after applying forgiveness to their account. Neither bill extends the shutoff moratoria, though the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M393/K048/393048062.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Utilities Commission has extended a moratorium\u003c/a> on shutoffs for a segment of water utilities, which cover about 16% of customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pending legislation also funnels an unspecified amount of federal relief money into two \u003ca href=\"https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/LIHEAPProgram.aspx\">existing\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/lihwap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">programs\u003c/a> for which households must be income-eligible and apply for the assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear whether Hollman will be eligible for the programs, given that he accrued his debt before the COVID-19 pandemic. He may be at risk of another water shutoff soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-repeat-of-rent-relief-troubles\">\u003cstrong>A Repeat of Rent Relief Troubles?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has created countless new assistance programs during the pandemic — many mired by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/12/why-few-farmworkers-isolate-in-californias-free-covid-19-hotel-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">delays\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/05/undocumented-immigrants-state-disaster-aid-unreachable/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bureaucracy\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/01/bank-of-america-lost-hundreds-of-millions-on-california-unemployment-fiasco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scandals\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s \u003ca href=\"https://housing.ca.gov/covid_rr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID rent relief program\u003c/a> is one example. As \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/04/california-rent-relief-tenants/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CalMatters reported\u003c/a>, lengthy online applications available in too few languages initially blocked access to vulnerable renters, while distribution has been painfully slow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California utility bill debt forgiveness programs proposed last week sidestep some of these problems by requiring utilities, instead of customers, to apply, and by not requiring customers to prove eligibility. Advocates cheered that choice, but worried lawmakers didn’t go far enough to prevent shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water program legislation requires the water board to start distributing funds by Nov. 1. But that’s a month after the shutoff moratorium ends, said Jennifer Clary, California state director of nonprofit Clean Water Action. “I’m a little concerned about that gap,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stano of the Greenlining Institute said that the bill language doesn’t prevent publicly owned utilities from shutting off power right now. They said it also doesn’t provide enough guidance to ensure that payment plans are sufficiently accessible and reasonable to keep people safe from shutoffs — especially given that only about two-thirds of the debt is expected to be forgiven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will not be celebrating anything until the risk of disconnection is removed,” said Stano, who is pushing for the energy shutoff moratorium to be extended past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A life-long Democrat, Hollman finds his faith in government assistance tested. He says he’s never relied much on it until his work as a telecommunications salesman for brick-and-mortar businesses came to a sudden halt last March. He applied for unemployment benefits so that he could focus on overseeing his children’s virtual schooling without any electricity coming to the house, but the checks don’t cover rent, food and generator fuel. He borrowed money, sold assets and made partial rent payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like millions of Californians, Hollman has run into \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-edd-unemployment-crisis-explained/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unemployment benefits snafus.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last one happened several nights after the water department turned the water back on. Hollman received his unemployment payment to his Bank of America unemployment benefits account, but said when he tried paying bills the next morning, the money had already been withdrawn. He said he filed reports of identity theft with police and the Employment Development Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman also said he called his landlord to tell him he wouldn’t be able to make July’s rent — and that he hasn’t heard back about the $5,000 in rent relief he’s applied for from the city of Los Angeles. He said he planned to find work this summer, but has been in crisis mode since the water shutoff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t be understated,” Hollman texted, “how delicate the balance of survival is.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2755,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 63
},
"modified": 1704846509,
"excerpt": "Lawmakers have agreed to pay off $2 billion of Californians’ utilities debt, but haven’t extended the shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30. One family’s experience of surviving a heat wave without water or power reveals what’s at stake.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Lawmakers have agreed to pay off $2 billion of Californians’ utilities debt, but haven’t extended the shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30. One family’s experience of surviving a heat wave without water or power reveals what’s at stake.",
"title": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs",
"datePublished": "2021-07-20T17:30:33-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:29-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "unpaid-utility-bills-california-will-pay-off-2-billion-to-avoid-shutoffs",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Jackie Botts \u003cbr />CalMatters\u003cbr>",
"sticky": false,
"source": "CalMatters",
"path": "/science/1975855/unpaid-utility-bills-california-will-pay-off-2-billion-to-avoid-shutoffs",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two years ago the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut off electricity at Will Hollman’s home in the San Fernando Valley, forcing the family to rely on a gasoline generator. In late June of this year, the department disconnected the water, too — despite a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/4.2.20-EO-N-42-20.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statewide moratorium on water shutoffs\u003c/a> that Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recently extended through Sept. 30\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman, his 10-year-old son and his 16-year-old stepdaughter endured 11 days of temperatures in the high 90s to low 100s without water or power. For 11 days, they camped out in air-conditioned grocery stores, Starbucks or his truck. They couchsurfed and used friends’ showers. Hollman played it off with the kids as some kind of fun obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He called the department’s customer service, and said a representative told him that he must pay off his utility debt of $9,064.13 — largely consisting of charges that Hollman disputes as erroneous — before water or power could be restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been demoralizing, humiliating,” Hollman said on the eighth day. “I have a history of paying my bills, working, being a good provider. You… start having feelings of failure as a parent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately the state’s water agency convinced the LA department to turn on Hollman’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those 11 days without water or power are a window into what could happen to millions of Californians in the coming months and years, depending on how swiftly and effectively the state distributes relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Official estimates of unpaid water and energy bills accumulated during the pandemic verge on $2.7 billion, affecting a few million Californians — and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/SozYyHYaDUI?t=2096\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">those figures have been growing\u003c/a> rapidly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has so far prioritized rent relief — keeping people housed — over utilities relief. A spokesperson for the state’s COVID-19 Rent Relief program said that of the $158 million distributed as of July 16, less than $40,000 had gone to utilities relief. Utility debt makes up about 6% of all assistance requested so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 11, lawmakers revealed a plan to use one-time federal relief money to address the debt. The deal is a patchwork of new programs to forgive $2 billion of utilities debt and old programs to help households chip away at the rest, with a wide range of eligibility criteria and timelines. But it doesn’t extend current shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re laser-focused on getting this assistance out the door as quickly as possible,” Newsom said in a statement about ongoing rent relief and the utilities relief plan. He has signed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/07/16/governor-newsom-signs-state-budget-legislation-7-16-21/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">energy bills relief into law\u003c/a>, while the water bills relief still awaits his signature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This will be an important “reboot” to protect Californians and utility companies, said Ellen Hanak, director of the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t want people to be shut off from basic services,” Hanak said, “But it’s also a hit to the entire community if utilities aren’t able to balance their books, because that can have all sorts of ripple effects on the abilities of water and electrical systems to run well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to forgiving California’s utility debt, key questions remain:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Will $2 billion be nearly enough?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Can the money be distributed quickly enough to prevent shutoffs?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“For public health and safety, it’s important for people to have roofs over their heads, clean water and power. Those are all pieces of the puzzle,” Hanak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-catch-22-at-la-s-utilities-department\">\u003cstrong>A Catch-22 at \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>LA’s Utilities Department?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman’s utilities troubles began well before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After opening an account in 2017, he began receiving unusually high electricity charges topping $1,000 — even during months when no one was living in the house because he was staying with his parents — which Hollman attributes to billing errors by the LA utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under financial stress following a messy separation, Hollman said he let the bills pile up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By early 2019, his unpaid balance had mounted to nearly $9,000. He applied for $2,000 of assistance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services to keep service on. But the water agency insisted on full payment of his bill, according to correspondence from his social worker reviewed by CalMatters. In March of 2019, the department shut off his power due to non-payment. He bought a generator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the power shutoff, the electricity charges continued, labeled as “unmetered estimated consumption” in bills reviewed by CalMatters, meaning the utility generated them without checking Hollman’s meter. In December 2019, a customer service representative credited his account with several thousand dollars, but, according to Hollman, told him that the department couldn’t stop the continuing energy charges or issue more credits until a technician read his meter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which required that the power be turned back on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which couldn’t happen until he paid off the debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Hollman tells it, he was caught in a Catch-22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2020, amid the first pandemic surge, the LA utilities department closed Hollman’s account with an unpaid balance of $9,064.13, meaning that he couldn’t open a new account until he paid off the debt, which could affect his credit score or be taken to small claims court. But, Hollman said, a representative promised that water would stay on while the pandemic lasted. For over a year, it did — until a technician arrived unannounced in late June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The LA utilities department tells a somewhat different story. In a statement, a department spokesperson said that it had disconnected Hollman’s water in October 2017 and power in March 2019 because Hollman had made no payments since opening his account in March 2017. The spokesperson said the department turned off his water twice more after detecting unauthorized use, in April 2019 and again this past June, when it “came to light to LADWP… that water service had illegally been turned back on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While declining to comment on the high “unmetered estimated consumption” charges or Hollman’s apparent Catch-22, the spokesperson said the department restored water service in early July “in an attempt to work out a payment plan… for the water and power that was consumed since 2017.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman disputes that he illegally reconnected the water, saying it never stopped flowing and that he never received notices it would be shut off. He said that a water department representative told him last week that he had to pay a third of his outstanding bill — money that he said he doesn’t have — before he can qualify for a payment plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-mounting-debt-and-shutoffs-despite-protections\">\u003cstrong>Mounting Debt, and Shutoffs Despite Protections\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman is not alone. Despite shutoff protections, the California State Water Resources Control Board has received 308 \u003ca href=\"https://watershut-off.covid19.ca.gov/#:~:text=State%20of%20California%20COVID%2D19%20Water%20Shutoff%20Report&text=If%20you%20require%20translation%20assistance,submitting%20a%20water%20shutoff%20report.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports of water disconnections during the pandemic\u003c/a>. No agency tracks power shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson said the state water board got water restored in each case, including for Hollman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the state water board estimated that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1.6 million households were late on water bills that totaled over $1 billion across California\u003c/a>, and were growing quickly. The California Municipal Utilities Association estimated \u003ca href=\"https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/CSDA/b24702e8-8a42-4614-8c45-bc3cba37ea2c/UploadedImages/Advocate/Take_Action/covid19_utility_debt_assistance_coalition_letter.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unpaid energy bills at publicly owned utilities topped $300 million\u003c/a>, while close to 4 million customers of investor-owned utilities were behind on energy bills, totaling $1.4 billion, as of late June, according to a California Public Utilities Commission spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people don’t know that they are still protected from shutoffs. Some no longer are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the state reopened in mid-June, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quietly extended the moratorium on water shutoffs to Sept. 30.\u003c/a> One water system has already said \u003ca href=\"https://www.padredam.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">that it will resume shutoffs the next day.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M389/K401/389401945.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">also extended the power shutoff moratorium to Sept. 30\u003c/a>, days before it was set to expire on June 30. But that only applies to customers of investor-owned utilities, leaving the quarter of Californians served by publicly owned utilities vulnerable, said Mad Stano, an energy equity attorney at the Greenlining Institute, a racial justice nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA’s water department is the largest publicly owned utility in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11747148/map-public-power-providers-in-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the United States\u003c/a>. During the pandemic, customers’ unpaid bills there increased more than 10-fold, from $37 million accrued during 2019 to $400 million accrued during the first eight months of the pandemic, according to a state Water Board report. \u003ca href=\"https://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2021/21-0540_misc_05-19-21.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">More than one in five customers behind on bills had debt over $1,000\u003c/a>. The department has voluntarily chosen to extend its own moratorium on shutoffs for nonpayment, according to a spokesperson, but has not yet announced an end date. It has also not publicized that decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deborah Bell-Holt\u003c/a> didn’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975857\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975857\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1-160x240.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deborah Bell-Holt sits in front of her house in Jefferson Park near Downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 21, 2021, holding her water and power bill. \u003ccite>(Shae Hammond/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her utilities bill ballooned to $19,308.45 during the pandemic as her South Los Angeles household grew to include 12 children, grandchildren and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt assumed that disconnections would start June 30, when evictions were set to begin had lawmakers not made \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/06/california-eviction-moratorium-deal/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a last-minute deal.\u003c/a> She scrambled to send the department $500 in late May and $200 on June 25th, hoping a few payments would stave off shutoffs. To afford that, she said she took out a $500 loan with 347% interest, which she’s still paying back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt said that if she’d known she wasn’t at risk on June 30, “I wouldn’t put us in a hole like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state and utilities haven’t done enough to inform Californians about protections, Stano contends. “The state needs to require… communications to people so they don’t make financial decisions that they don’t have to make,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-living-without-water-or-power\">\u003cstrong>Living Without Water or Power\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Hollman’s third day this summer without water or power, it hit 100 degrees outside. Inside the house was even hotter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman and his kids are used to life without air conditioning in one of California’s hottest regions. Their generator — which requires $10 of fuel per day, on average — only powers the lights, electronics and refrigerator. Normally, Hollman might cool the house by hosing down the roof and outdoor plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, the family lingered at McDonald’s. “It becomes very difficult to keep your spirit up, but you have to for your kids,” Hollman said. “You can’t crack.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the fifth day, his son thanked Hollman for the best day ever, after the two spent the afternoon cutting through the heat on skateboards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the ninth morning, Hollman ran out of generator fuel. He reminded his kids not to open the refrigerator, so the food wouldn’t spoil. He knew his car’s radiator was low, but he was out of coolant and bottled water. He crossed his fingers that the old truck wouldn’t overheat on the way to the gas station. It did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a dance that people shouldn’t have to f—ing do,” Hollman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975859\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Will Hollman’s day typically begins by filling this container with gas for the generator he’s relied on since electricity was shut off to his San Fernando Valley home. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp id=\"h-relief-on-the-way-for-california-utility-bills\">\u003cstrong>Relief On the Way\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>for California Utility Bills\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theoretically, lawmakers’ new deal could prevent more people from that dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newsom proposed $2 billion to relieve utilities debt\u003c/a>. Legislators agreed to the price tag in June, but continued negotiating the distribution plan in private.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/07/california-budget-legislature/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The result is two budget bills\u003c/a> that would create new programs that pay utilities directly to forgive customer debt accrued during the pandemic, prioritizing those at greatest risk of shutoffs. The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive $994 million in energy debt, while the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB129\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$985 million\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both cases, utilities must opt in. They must also offer all customers with pandemic debt a payment plan that would protect them from shutoffs as long as they enroll and stay current on the plan. Plus, the first forbids energy utilities from disconnecting power to a customer for 90 days after applying forgiveness to their account. Neither bill extends the shutoff moratoria, though the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M393/K048/393048062.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Utilities Commission has extended a moratorium\u003c/a> on shutoffs for a segment of water utilities, which cover about 16% of customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pending legislation also funnels an unspecified amount of federal relief money into two \u003ca href=\"https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/LIHEAPProgram.aspx\">existing\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/lihwap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">programs\u003c/a> for which households must be income-eligible and apply for the assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear whether Hollman will be eligible for the programs, given that he accrued his debt before the COVID-19 pandemic. He may be at risk of another water shutoff soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-repeat-of-rent-relief-troubles\">\u003cstrong>A Repeat of Rent Relief Troubles?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has created countless new assistance programs during the pandemic — many mired by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/12/why-few-farmworkers-isolate-in-californias-free-covid-19-hotel-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">delays\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/05/undocumented-immigrants-state-disaster-aid-unreachable/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bureaucracy\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/01/bank-of-america-lost-hundreds-of-millions-on-california-unemployment-fiasco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scandals\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s \u003ca href=\"https://housing.ca.gov/covid_rr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID rent relief program\u003c/a> is one example. As \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/04/california-rent-relief-tenants/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CalMatters reported\u003c/a>, lengthy online applications available in too few languages initially blocked access to vulnerable renters, while distribution has been painfully slow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California utility bill debt forgiveness programs proposed last week sidestep some of these problems by requiring utilities, instead of customers, to apply, and by not requiring customers to prove eligibility. Advocates cheered that choice, but worried lawmakers didn’t go far enough to prevent shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water program legislation requires the water board to start distributing funds by Nov. 1. But that’s a month after the shutoff moratorium ends, said Jennifer Clary, California state director of nonprofit Clean Water Action. “I’m a little concerned about that gap,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stano of the Greenlining Institute said that the bill language doesn’t prevent publicly owned utilities from shutting off power right now. They said it also doesn’t provide enough guidance to ensure that payment plans are sufficiently accessible and reasonable to keep people safe from shutoffs — especially given that only about two-thirds of the debt is expected to be forgiven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will not be celebrating anything until the risk of disconnection is removed,” said Stano, who is pushing for the energy shutoff moratorium to be extended past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A life-long Democrat, Hollman finds his faith in government assistance tested. He says he’s never relied much on it until his work as a telecommunications salesman for brick-and-mortar businesses came to a sudden halt last March. He applied for unemployment benefits so that he could focus on overseeing his children’s virtual schooling without any electricity coming to the house, but the checks don’t cover rent, food and generator fuel. He borrowed money, sold assets and made partial rent payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like millions of Californians, Hollman has run into \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-edd-unemployment-crisis-explained/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unemployment benefits snafus.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last one happened several nights after the water department turned the water back on. Hollman received his unemployment payment to his Bank of America unemployment benefits account, but said when he tried paying bills the next morning, the money had already been withdrawn. He said he filed reports of identity theft with police and the Employment Development Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman also said he called his landlord to tell him he wouldn’t be able to make July’s rent — and that he hasn’t heard back about the $5,000 in rent relief he’s applied for from the city of Los Angeles. He said he planned to find work this summer, but has been in crisis mode since the water shutoff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t be understated,” Hollman texted, “how delicate the balance of survival is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975855/unpaid-utility-bills-california-will-pay-off-2-billion-to-avoid-shutoffs",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1975855"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_33",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_98"
],
"tags": [
"science_3969",
"science_4329",
"science_134"
],
"featImg": "science_1975856",
"label": "source_science_1975855"
},
"science_1975879": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975879",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975879",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1626826574000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1626826574,
"format": "audio",
"title": "More Heat Waves Coming, Scientists Say. But The Health Impacts Are Largely Preventable",
"headTitle": "More Heat Waves Coming, Scientists Say. But The Health Impacts Are Largely Preventable | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The heat goes on, the heat goes on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has baked under blistering heat this summer, as temperatures in Death Valley climbed to 130 degrees earlier this month, one of the hottest recorded temperatures on Earth. And there’s still more summer to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s July heat wave followed one in the Pacific Northwest that was so hot it buckled streets and melted power cables around Portland, Oregon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/PDXStreetcar/status/1409287314870837253?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1409287314870837253%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2021%2F06%2F29%2F1011269025%2Fphotos-the-pacific-northwest-heatwave-is-melting-power-cables-and-buckling-roads\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists have long warned that severe heat waves will be one result of humans belching tons of planet warming gases into the atmosphere. And they say the heat is here to stay, and with time, these events will only increase due to a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of all the extreme weather events that are tied to climate change, heat waves are the ones that are most telling,” says Sean Sublette, meteorologist at the science and news organization Climate Central. “That’s the kind of event that ties most directly to a warming climate. Just statistically, if the overall temperature of the planet is going up, you’re going to have hotter spells than you had in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Does Science Tell Us About the Long-term Trends for Heat Waves? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll increase: in how hot they get, in how long they last, and in how frequently they happen. We do have some control here, however. One way is through mitigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mitigation is actually reducing how much greenhouse gases we are putting out into the atmosphere,” says Jane Baldwin, assistant professor of Earth Systems Science at the UC Irvine. “And hopefully at some point reducing the actual levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which would reduce global warming and in turn curtail these trends.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate Central’s Sublette says society would need to make rapid and dramatic changes to perhaps experience a leveling off of warming before the century’s end. “Look, there’s room for some optimism,” he says. “We’ve made big changes in society before. So this can be done. We just have to decide that it’s important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Secondly, we have control over how we adapt to heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The good news here is that there is a fair amount of evidence that heat wave related health impacts, at least, are largely preventable,” Baldwin adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878134/bay-area-heat-wave-how-to-stay-safe-during-dangerously-hot-weather\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Here are some tips\u003c/a> on how to protect yourself during a heatwave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How are Heat Waves Dangerous?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Humans can acclimatize to very hot temperatures — if they are well adjusted, generally healthy and hydrated, then their bodies can manage heat up to a point. It takes about two weeks to acclimatize to new climates or sudden temperature changes. For people with certain pre-existing conditions, or those in more vulnerable groups, dealing with heat can be harder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s what’s happening inside a person’s body when confronting high temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When their blood warms, the brain signals the body to shift blood flow, moving heat away from vital organs, like the brain, heart, and lungs, to the surface of the body. This triggers sweating, and resulting evaporation, the final step of moving heat from the body into the outside environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We run into problems when these physiological systems fail. Certain groups of people are more vulnerable to heat than others, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Older adults. We become less able to adjust to heat the more we age. Older adults are also at risk due to social isolation, therefore it is essential that family, neighbors, and friends check on elderly people who live alone during a heat wave, making sure they can access a cooling center if needed.“Even if you don’t know them well, try to make that connection, even if it’s just getting a phone number ahead of time and then just calling and checking,” says Helene Margolis, associate adjunct professor of medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Children. Check in on what your kid’s schools or extracurricular groups are doing to make sure they’re safe from heat. Children don’t perceive thirst as well as adults, so remind them to drink water.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Teenage and young adult athletes. This group has higher instances of death from heat illnesses due to exertion.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>People with some pre-existing conditions. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, obesity and diabetes. Taking certain\u003ca href=\"https://mha.ohio.gov/Portals/0/assets/ResearchersAndMedia/News%20and%20Events/NewsNowBlog/2020%20heat-related%20illness%20brochure.pdf?ver=2020-07-15-141754-190\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> common medications\u003c/a> also puts some people at greater risk for heat illness.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Beyond these categories, environmental factors also increase someone’s risk for heat illness, such as living in what are known in the public health world as “heat islands.” These neighborhoods typically have lots of heat-trapping asphalt and concrete, fewer trees and green spaces, and can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/learn-about-heat-islands#:~:text=A%20review%20of%20research%20studies,2%E2%80%935%C2%B0F%20higher.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">five or more degrees hotter than surrounding areas\u003c/a>. Heat islands are often in urban centers, but can be outside of them too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even without a major heat spike, people living in these areas can suffer due to persistent heat, especially if buildings don’t cool down well at night, giving their bodies time to recover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are getting sick from the heat. It’s causing them to go to emergency rooms,” says Jen Brady, senior data analyst at Climate Central.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If our body temperature reaches 103-104 degrees Fahrenheit, we are at risk of heat illness and heat stroke, which can be deadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you or someone you know exhibits symptoms of heat stroke, call 911 immediately. Symptoms are: a temperature over 103 degrees; red, hot, dry or damp skin; fast pulse; nausea; headache; dizziness; confusion; or passing out. While waiting for help, move the person to a cooler area and help them reduce their temperature with a shower or wet towels. Do not give them anything to drink as they could pass out, and the liquid could obstruct their airway. More symptoms of other kinds of heat-related illnesses, and what to do if you see them, are listed on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/warning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website\u003c/a> of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat fatalities are underreported, say meteorologist Sublette, because they are not as visually gripping as tornadoes or hurricanes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Sublette says, “When we look at the multi-year average, heat kills more than any other extreme weather event.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1117,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 26
},
"modified": 1704846510,
"excerpt": "Heat waves are getting hotter, lasting longer, and happening more frequently. But mitigation and adaptation can help, especially for those most vulnerable. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Heat waves are getting hotter, lasting longer, and happening more frequently. But mitigation and adaptation can help, especially for those most vulnerable. ",
"title": "More Heat Waves Coming, Scientists Say. But The Health Impacts Are Largely Preventable | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "More Heat Waves Coming, Scientists Say. But The Health Impacts Are Largely Preventable",
"datePublished": "2021-07-20T17:16:14-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:30-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "more-heat-waves-coming-scientists-say-but-the-health-impacts-are-largely-preventable",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-4[…]f-aaef00f5a073/e38c6404-69d4-4471-9dfc-ad6401235f40/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Heat",
"path": "/science/1975879/more-heat-waves-coming-scientists-say-but-the-health-impacts-are-largely-preventable",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The heat goes on, the heat goes on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has baked under blistering heat this summer, as temperatures in Death Valley climbed to 130 degrees earlier this month, one of the hottest recorded temperatures on Earth. And there’s still more summer to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s July heat wave followed one in the Pacific Northwest that was so hot it buckled streets and melted power cables around Portland, Oregon.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "1409287314870837253"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists have long warned that severe heat waves will be one result of humans belching tons of planet warming gases into the atmosphere. And they say the heat is here to stay, and with time, these events will only increase due to a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of all the extreme weather events that are tied to climate change, heat waves are the ones that are most telling,” says Sean Sublette, meteorologist at the science and news organization Climate Central. “That’s the kind of event that ties most directly to a warming climate. Just statistically, if the overall temperature of the planet is going up, you’re going to have hotter spells than you had in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Does Science Tell Us About the Long-term Trends for Heat Waves? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll increase: in how hot they get, in how long they last, and in how frequently they happen. We do have some control here, however. One way is through mitigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mitigation is actually reducing how much greenhouse gases we are putting out into the atmosphere,” says Jane Baldwin, assistant professor of Earth Systems Science at the UC Irvine. “And hopefully at some point reducing the actual levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which would reduce global warming and in turn curtail these trends.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate Central’s Sublette says society would need to make rapid and dramatic changes to perhaps experience a leveling off of warming before the century’s end. “Look, there’s room for some optimism,” he says. “We’ve made big changes in society before. So this can be done. We just have to decide that it’s important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Secondly, we have control over how we adapt to heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The good news here is that there is a fair amount of evidence that heat wave related health impacts, at least, are largely preventable,” Baldwin adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878134/bay-area-heat-wave-how-to-stay-safe-during-dangerously-hot-weather\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Here are some tips\u003c/a> on how to protect yourself during a heatwave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How are Heat Waves Dangerous?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Humans can acclimatize to very hot temperatures — if they are well adjusted, generally healthy and hydrated, then their bodies can manage heat up to a point. It takes about two weeks to acclimatize to new climates or sudden temperature changes. For people with certain pre-existing conditions, or those in more vulnerable groups, dealing with heat can be harder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s what’s happening inside a person’s body when confronting high temperatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When their blood warms, the brain signals the body to shift blood flow, moving heat away from vital organs, like the brain, heart, and lungs, to the surface of the body. This triggers sweating, and resulting evaporation, the final step of moving heat from the body into the outside environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We run into problems when these physiological systems fail. Certain groups of people are more vulnerable to heat than others, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Older adults. We become less able to adjust to heat the more we age. Older adults are also at risk due to social isolation, therefore it is essential that family, neighbors, and friends check on elderly people who live alone during a heat wave, making sure they can access a cooling center if needed.“Even if you don’t know them well, try to make that connection, even if it’s just getting a phone number ahead of time and then just calling and checking,” says Helene Margolis, associate adjunct professor of medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Children. Check in on what your kid’s schools or extracurricular groups are doing to make sure they’re safe from heat. Children don’t perceive thirst as well as adults, so remind them to drink water.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Teenage and young adult athletes. This group has higher instances of death from heat illnesses due to exertion.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>People with some pre-existing conditions. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, obesity and diabetes. Taking certain\u003ca href=\"https://mha.ohio.gov/Portals/0/assets/ResearchersAndMedia/News%20and%20Events/NewsNowBlog/2020%20heat-related%20illness%20brochure.pdf?ver=2020-07-15-141754-190\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> common medications\u003c/a> also puts some people at greater risk for heat illness.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Beyond these categories, environmental factors also increase someone’s risk for heat illness, such as living in what are known in the public health world as “heat islands.” These neighborhoods typically have lots of heat-trapping asphalt and concrete, fewer trees and green spaces, and can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/learn-about-heat-islands#:~:text=A%20review%20of%20research%20studies,2%E2%80%935%C2%B0F%20higher.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">five or more degrees hotter than surrounding areas\u003c/a>. Heat islands are often in urban centers, but can be outside of them too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even without a major heat spike, people living in these areas can suffer due to persistent heat, especially if buildings don’t cool down well at night, giving their bodies time to recover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are getting sick from the heat. It’s causing them to go to emergency rooms,” says Jen Brady, senior data analyst at Climate Central.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If our body temperature reaches 103-104 degrees Fahrenheit, we are at risk of heat illness and heat stroke, which can be deadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you or someone you know exhibits symptoms of heat stroke, call 911 immediately. Symptoms are: a temperature over 103 degrees; red, hot, dry or damp skin; fast pulse; nausea; headache; dizziness; confusion; or passing out. While waiting for help, move the person to a cooler area and help them reduce their temperature with a shower or wet towels. Do not give them anything to drink as they could pass out, and the liquid could obstruct their airway. More symptoms of other kinds of heat-related illnesses, and what to do if you see them, are listed on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/warning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website\u003c/a> of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat fatalities are underreported, say meteorologist Sublette, because they are not as visually gripping as tornadoes or hurricanes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Sublette says, “When we look at the multi-year average, heat kills more than any other extreme weather event.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975879/more-heat-waves-coming-scientists-say-but-the-health-impacts-are-largely-preventable",
"authors": [
"8648"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_39",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_4417",
"science_4414",
"science_2184"
],
"featImg": "science_1975880",
"label": "source_science_1975879"
},
"science_1975814": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975814",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975814",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1626699604000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1626699604,
"format": "standard",
"title": "A Harrowing California Fire Season is Here, Fueled by Historic Drought",
"headTitle": "A Harrowing California Fire Season is Here, Fueled by Historic Drought | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Two years of record dry winters and scorching early summer heat waves have primed forests across California to burn, just as the state heads into the hottest months of summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire season is here; fast, furious and early — exacerbated by dry conditions across most of the state, Paul Rogers, with the Mercury News, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/11/how-bad-is-this-fire-season-in-california-really-going-to-be/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">reported,\u003c/span>\u003c/a> writing that “memories of last year’s destructive fires are still fresh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Remember, last year we saw the most acres burned in California as we’d ever seen in recorded history — 4.3 million acres burned,” Rogers said. “One out of every 24 acres of land in California burned last year. This year, like last year, it’s all about drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And California is not alone, wildfires are ripping through forests, torching homes, and forcing evacuations \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11881024/we-are-under-extreme-weather-conditions-wildfires-rage-from-california-to-alaska\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">across the Western U.S.\u003c/span>\u003c/a> The largest wildfire of the year has incinerated an area more than twice the size of the city of Portland and is still burning in southwestern Oregon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rogers and KQED’s Raquel Maria Dillon spoke with Brian Watt, KQED’s morning news anchor, about how the drought is exacerbating the fire season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975816\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975816\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-800x1422.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1422\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-800x1422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-1020x1813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-160x284.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oregon’s Bootleg Fire. \u003ccite>(Image provided by Planet Labs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: We’ve been told this fire season is already starting off worse than in previous years. Exactly how bad are we talking?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: There’s good news and bad news. From January 1 to July 6, California had 4,922 wildfires on state, federal and private land. That is 720 more than we had a year ago over the same time period. The good news is those fires haven’t burned as many acres as we’ve seen in some previous years. They burned 83,000 acres — twice as much as last year during the same time period, but not any kind of record. The reason is because firefighters are on edge right now. They’re throwing all sorts of resources at these fires when they start. Lots of planes, helicopters, boots on the ground. So far, they’ve put most of them out pretty quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: It’s really hard to imagine this fire situation getting worse. Walk us through what is making this fire season so dire.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: I know a lot of folks have gone camping. And if you think when you go camping and you’re sitting there trying to start a campfire, everybody knows wet wood doesn’t really burn very well. But dry wood or dry brush burn very easily. And unfortunately, just about everything around the state right now is dry. And that’s because we’re in the worst drought that California has experienced in 50-years. San Jose experienced its driest year ever in 128 years of record keeping. It got about the same amount of rain — five inches — as Las Vegas or Palm Springs gets in a normal year. And the same in San Francisco, which experienced its third driest year since the gold rush in 1849. This is similar all across California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Add to that, climate change is making our heat waves hotter.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Which further dries out the soil and vegetation. And on top of all that, we’ve had about 100 years of fire suppression. Historically, when you look at forests throughout California, conifer forests up in the Sierra Nevada burned about every decade or two, naturally due to lightning strikes. Those fires cleared out dead vegetation. They left the forests with something like 40 or 50 trees per acre, and those forests were healthy. But after 100 hundred years of people putting out fires, we’ve now got up to 400 trees per acre in some places. The forests are unnaturally thick. They’re choked with dead vegetation. When they do burn, they burn hotter and out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Both of you talked to San Jose State researchers who are studying the dry conditions. What have they found?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raquel Maria Dillon: Fire scientists are seeing lower vegetation moisture levels than ever before — well, since they started eight years ago measuring in the Bay Area. The researchers know this because they’ve been testing native plants that have evolved to survive and thrive in California. They snip off twigs from a bush called chamise at the same locations every two weeks. They measure that plant material to see how much moisture it holds. The issue is that in a fire, this kind of dry, semi-dormant vegetation becomes fuel for the flames. In firefighting, fuel is trees, grass, brush or buildings. And it’s one of the three sides of the triangle that firefighters talk about when they assess the risk of a major wildfire. The other sides are weather conditions and topography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975825\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975825\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lava Fire was ignited by a lightning strike northeast of the community of Weed, California. This image has been rotated. \u003ccite>(Image provided by Planet Labs.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: What do these dry conditions mean for fire danger around the Bay Area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Well, all places are not created equal when it comes to fire danger. There’s an area that fire experts call the wildland urban interface, or WUI, and that’s basically places where homes have been built right next to forests and chaparral, and other fire-prone areas. Those types of places are at particular risk. Think about communities in the East Bay Hills, where we had the historic Oakland Hills fire in 1991 that killed 25 people and burned nearly 3,000 homes, towns like Mill Valley up against Mount Tamalpais, towns in the Santa Cruz Mountains from Los Gatos all the way up to Boulder Creek, where the CZU fire burned a thousand homes last year and also all around Lake Tahoe. That’s a particular risk. It’s surrounded by forest and there are very few roads in and out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: How are fire officials in the Bay Area getting ready for this, to respond to this elevated risk?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raquel Maria Dillon: Well, it sort of depends on the jurisdiction and their budget. One example is in Berkeley, where the city is sending an extra $12 million to the fire department to prepare to improve emergency warning systems and clear more dry brush and other fire prevention projects. That money came from a ballot measure that Berkeley voters passed in 2020. Fire officials and elected officials are also begging homeowners to clear away vegetation around their homes. They say it’s a neighborhood effort and everybody has to be in it together because these neighborhoods have burned before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Anyone who has hiked in the East Bay Hills recently knows, it just feels dry out there. How exactly are the dry conditions affecting the forests in the region?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975826\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975826\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-800x1422.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1422\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-800x1422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-1020x1813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-160x284.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Washington’s Dry Gulch Fire. \u003ccite>(Image provided by Planet Labs.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Raquel Maria Dillon: Yeah, it’s dry all over. In my backyard. In the forests and parks. The entire region is experiencing a tree die-off. Foresters with the East Bay Regional Parks District first identified dead or dying trees this spring. They don’t know exactly what’s causing this tree mortality, but it’s affecting all different kinds of species. It’s likely drought-related, but it could be bark beetles or a fungus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this point, it doesn’t matter to them. They’re focused on mitigation, and that means clearing away dead trees and brush and conducting controlled burns. But that kind of thing is expensive. The parks district in the East Bay has spent more than $5 million on vegetation management in the past couple of years. Now, their big goal is to expand prescribed burns, which is super complicated here because there are so many different jurisdictions that have a say in when and how they can burn. Plus, there are valid concerns about air quality. But fire officials are surprisingly hopeful because of the recent episodes of extremely bad air quality. The public is more open to prescribed burns than ever before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Paul, we’ve been hearing about prescribed burns and that controlled burns are actually key to restoring forest health and mitigating big fire. How is California doing with prescribed burns?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Not particularly well. The state has 100 million acres in total land area, about 20 million acres are forests that need to be thinned or cleared with prescribed fires. The problem is that you can’t do these kinds of controlled burns in the summer. They explode out of control. What you have to do is mechanical thinning. First, you’ve got to get out there with chainsaws. But there isn’t really much of a market for a lot of this dead wood. It’s expensive. It’s going to be a big job. California treated about 300,000 acres last year and needs to do about a million acres a year. It’ll take many years and billions of dollars to get this job done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Could we be coming up on a situation where we’ve got fire season, and then we’ve got prescribed burn season?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Yes, I think so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Prescribed fire season?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Prescribed burns work best when the ground is a little bit wet and you don’t have the risk of the fires getting out of control. Once officials do a mechanical thinning of an area, they have to come back with prescribed burns to keep the conditions right; that continues in perpetuity, when you live in an area with a Mediterranean climate that’s prone to fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1674,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 29
},
"modified": 1704846513,
"excerpt": "California is not alone, wildfires are ripping through forests, torching homes, and forcing evacuations across the West.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "California is not alone, wildfires are ripping through forests, torching homes, and forcing evacuations across the West.",
"title": "A Harrowing California Fire Season is Here, Fueled by Historic Drought | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "A Harrowing California Fire Season is Here, Fueled by Historic Drought",
"datePublished": "2021-07-19T06:00:04-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:33-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-punishing-california-fire-season-is-here-fueled-by-historic-drought",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-4[…]f-aaef00f5a073/c95ce76f-8674-426f-b85e-ad6a0128135e/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Wildfire",
"path": "/science/1975814/a-punishing-california-fire-season-is-here-fueled-by-historic-drought",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two years of record dry winters and scorching early summer heat waves have primed forests across California to burn, just as the state heads into the hottest months of summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire season is here; fast, furious and early — exacerbated by dry conditions across most of the state, Paul Rogers, with the Mercury News, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/07/11/how-bad-is-this-fire-season-in-california-really-going-to-be/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">reported,\u003c/span>\u003c/a> writing that “memories of last year’s destructive fires are still fresh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Remember, last year we saw the most acres burned in California as we’d ever seen in recorded history — 4.3 million acres burned,” Rogers said. “One out of every 24 acres of land in California burned last year. This year, like last year, it’s all about drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And California is not alone, wildfires are ripping through forests, torching homes, and forcing evacuations \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11881024/we-are-under-extreme-weather-conditions-wildfires-rage-from-california-to-alaska\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">across the Western U.S.\u003c/span>\u003c/a> The largest wildfire of the year has incinerated an area more than twice the size of the city of Portland and is still burning in southwestern Oregon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rogers and KQED’s Raquel Maria Dillon spoke with Brian Watt, KQED’s morning news anchor, about how the drought is exacerbating the fire season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975816\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975816\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-800x1422.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1422\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-800x1422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-1020x1813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-160x284.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/BOOTLEG_OR_20210709.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oregon’s Bootleg Fire. \u003ccite>(Image provided by Planet Labs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: We’ve been told this fire season is already starting off worse than in previous years. Exactly how bad are we talking?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: There’s good news and bad news. From January 1 to July 6, California had 4,922 wildfires on state, federal and private land. That is 720 more than we had a year ago over the same time period. The good news is those fires haven’t burned as many acres as we’ve seen in some previous years. They burned 83,000 acres — twice as much as last year during the same time period, but not any kind of record. The reason is because firefighters are on edge right now. They’re throwing all sorts of resources at these fires when they start. Lots of planes, helicopters, boots on the ground. So far, they’ve put most of them out pretty quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: It’s really hard to imagine this fire situation getting worse. Walk us through what is making this fire season so dire.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: I know a lot of folks have gone camping. And if you think when you go camping and you’re sitting there trying to start a campfire, everybody knows wet wood doesn’t really burn very well. But dry wood or dry brush burn very easily. And unfortunately, just about everything around the state right now is dry. And that’s because we’re in the worst drought that California has experienced in 50-years. San Jose experienced its driest year ever in 128 years of record keeping. It got about the same amount of rain — five inches — as Las Vegas or Palm Springs gets in a normal year. And the same in San Francisco, which experienced its third driest year since the gold rush in 1849. This is similar all across California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Add to that, climate change is making our heat waves hotter.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Which further dries out the soil and vegetation. And on top of all that, we’ve had about 100 years of fire suppression. Historically, when you look at forests throughout California, conifer forests up in the Sierra Nevada burned about every decade or two, naturally due to lightning strikes. Those fires cleared out dead vegetation. They left the forests with something like 40 or 50 trees per acre, and those forests were healthy. But after 100 hundred years of people putting out fires, we’ve now got up to 400 trees per acre in some places. The forests are unnaturally thick. They’re choked with dead vegetation. When they do burn, they burn hotter and out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Both of you talked to San Jose State researchers who are studying the dry conditions. What have they found?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raquel Maria Dillon: Fire scientists are seeing lower vegetation moisture levels than ever before — well, since they started eight years ago measuring in the Bay Area. The researchers know this because they’ve been testing native plants that have evolved to survive and thrive in California. They snip off twigs from a bush called chamise at the same locations every two weeks. They measure that plant material to see how much moisture it holds. The issue is that in a fire, this kind of dry, semi-dormant vegetation becomes fuel for the flames. In firefighting, fuel is trees, grass, brush or buildings. And it’s one of the three sides of the triangle that firefighters talk about when they assess the risk of a major wildfire. The other sides are weather conditions and topography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975825\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975825\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/LAVA_CA_20210628.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lava Fire was ignited by a lightning strike northeast of the community of Weed, California. This image has been rotated. \u003ccite>(Image provided by Planet Labs.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: What do these dry conditions mean for fire danger around the Bay Area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Well, all places are not created equal when it comes to fire danger. There’s an area that fire experts call the wildland urban interface, or WUI, and that’s basically places where homes have been built right next to forests and chaparral, and other fire-prone areas. Those types of places are at particular risk. Think about communities in the East Bay Hills, where we had the historic Oakland Hills fire in 1991 that killed 25 people and burned nearly 3,000 homes, towns like Mill Valley up against Mount Tamalpais, towns in the Santa Cruz Mountains from Los Gatos all the way up to Boulder Creek, where the CZU fire burned a thousand homes last year and also all around Lake Tahoe. That’s a particular risk. It’s surrounded by forest and there are very few roads in and out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: How are fire officials in the Bay Area getting ready for this, to respond to this elevated risk?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raquel Maria Dillon: Well, it sort of depends on the jurisdiction and their budget. One example is in Berkeley, where the city is sending an extra $12 million to the fire department to prepare to improve emergency warning systems and clear more dry brush and other fire prevention projects. That money came from a ballot measure that Berkeley voters passed in 2020. Fire officials and elected officials are also begging homeowners to clear away vegetation around their homes. They say it’s a neighborhood effort and everybody has to be in it together because these neighborhoods have burned before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Anyone who has hiked in the East Bay Hills recently knows, it just feels dry out there. How exactly are the dry conditions affecting the forests in the region?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975826\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975826\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-800x1422.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1422\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-800x1422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-1020x1813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-160x284.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/DRYGULCH_WA_20210710.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Washington’s Dry Gulch Fire. \u003ccite>(Image provided by Planet Labs.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Raquel Maria Dillon: Yeah, it’s dry all over. In my backyard. In the forests and parks. The entire region is experiencing a tree die-off. Foresters with the East Bay Regional Parks District first identified dead or dying trees this spring. They don’t know exactly what’s causing this tree mortality, but it’s affecting all different kinds of species. It’s likely drought-related, but it could be bark beetles or a fungus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this point, it doesn’t matter to them. They’re focused on mitigation, and that means clearing away dead trees and brush and conducting controlled burns. But that kind of thing is expensive. The parks district in the East Bay has spent more than $5 million on vegetation management in the past couple of years. Now, their big goal is to expand prescribed burns, which is super complicated here because there are so many different jurisdictions that have a say in when and how they can burn. Plus, there are valid concerns about air quality. But fire officials are surprisingly hopeful because of the recent episodes of extremely bad air quality. The public is more open to prescribed burns than ever before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Paul, we’ve been hearing about prescribed burns and that controlled burns are actually key to restoring forest health and mitigating big fire. How is California doing with prescribed burns?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Not particularly well. The state has 100 million acres in total land area, about 20 million acres are forests that need to be thinned or cleared with prescribed fires. The problem is that you can’t do these kinds of controlled burns in the summer. They explode out of control. What you have to do is mechanical thinning. First, you’ve got to get out there with chainsaws. But there isn’t really much of a market for a lot of this dead wood. It’s expensive. It’s going to be a big job. California treated about 300,000 acres last year and needs to do about a million acres a year. It’ll take many years and billions of dollars to get this job done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Could we be coming up on a situation where we’ve got fire season, and then we’ve got prescribed burn season?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Yes, I think so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Brian Watt: Prescribed fire season?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Rogers: Prescribed burns work best when the ground is a little bit wet and you don’t have the risk of the fires getting out of control. Once officials do a mechanical thinning of an area, they have to come back with prescribed burns to keep the conditions right; that continues in perpetuity, when you live in an area with a Mediterranean climate that’s prone to fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975814/a-punishing-california-fire-season-is-here-fueled-by-historic-drought",
"authors": [
"11608",
"11501"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_4414",
"science_2184",
"science_113"
],
"featImg": "science_1975845",
"label": "source_science_1975814"
},
"science_1975782": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975782",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975782",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1626470908000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1626470908,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Drought-Stricken California Hasn't Mandated Statewide Water Restrictions. Here's Why",
"headTitle": "Drought-Stricken California Hasn’t Mandated Statewide Water Restrictions. Here’s Why | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>After two consecutive dry winters and a series of early summer heat waves, the vast majority of California is gripped by drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water levels in reservoirs like Lake Oroville, Shasta Lake and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975549/russian-river-drought-sonoma-and-mendocino-residents-save-the-little-water-they-have\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lake Mendocino \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">are dangerously low. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/06/california-water-drought-shortage-crisis-well-failure-teviston/\">Wells in parts of the San Joaquin Valley\u003c/a> and along the Russian River are drying up, and local water officials have mandated water restrictions up to 40% in some areas.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align='right' citation='\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Veronica Garibay\u003c/span>']‘It’s 109 degrees in Fresno today. Imagine having to work outside all day and come home and not being able to shower in your own home. I think it’s infuriating, and disappointing and sort of feels hopeless. Have we not learned our lesson here?’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already, more than \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA\">85%\u003c/a> of California is experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the latest drought monitor released on July 15, and experts forewarn a third year of drought could be on the horizon if the state doesn’t see significant winter rain storms.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former Gov. Jerry Brown required Californians to conserve \u003ca href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/california-governor-orders-25-reduction-in-water-usage-statewide/\">25%\u003c/a> of their water during the third year of the last major drought. State leaders have not yet taken that step during this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcDjaknk4QU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">15% voluntary statewide water reduction, \u003c/a>noting California isn’t what he called a “nanny state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not trying to be oppressive,” Newsom said during a press conference. “Again, these are voluntary standards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/Executive-Bios-Director\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Karla Nemeth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, director of the California Department of Water Resources, says one reason for the voluntary restrictions is that Californian’s water use is down 16% compared to the last drought. That’s when many people ditched their grassy lawns in favor of native plants and rock gardens. Others have installed home graywater systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nemeth says water officials are pursuing a more targeted approach this time around, relying on regional restrictions to reduce water waste, with the recognition that water supplies vary across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, she says, if the rains don’t fall, the state could require water savings again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the end of this year, if we’re preparing for another extraordinarily dry year, then we could see California move towards mandatory water reduction,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the last drought, the state asked for water conservation before requiring it, but many Californians shrugged off that ask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nemeth says she expects more compliance this time around. “I actually believe that we are going to see some better results from voluntary water conservation this year than we did during the [last] drought,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with all that California is facing — heat waves, wildfire risk and lack of rain — \u003ca href=\"https://watershed.ucdavis.edu/people/jay-r-lund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">UC Davis water resources expert Jay Lund\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> says requiring places that don’t need to conserve as much water right now, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, would “make them less receptive to being told later on when you really need to conserve a lot of water to do so.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lund says the slow rollout of drought emergency declarations and restrictions is about “retaining” the public’s trust, recognizing that conditions could stay dry for a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think particularly in this era where [people are] a lot more distrustful of government, we really need to be careful with the public’s trust and to treat that as a scarce resource,” Lund said. “In this case, there’s a lot of precedent for not pressing urban water conservation too hard, especially when most of the state is in fairly good shape — at least most of the population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rethinking How California Manages Water\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for many people who live in places like the San Joaquin Valley where wells are going dry, the light water restrictions feels like a gut punch, says \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/vgaribay19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Veronica Garibay\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, co-executive director with the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s 109 degrees in Fresno today,” she said over Zoom during the second week of July. “Imagine having to work outside all day and come home and not being able to shower in your own home. I think it’s infuriating, and disappointing and sort of feels hopeless. Have we not learned our lesson here?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garibay’s group advocates for communities in the Central Valley and the Coachella Valley where the drought is making existing inequities worse. She hopes existing legislation will help bring drought relief to communities dealing with the worst of the drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why is the burden on communities and people of color in particular, who have the least access to safe water and are disproportionately impacted by dry wells and access to safe drinking water to begin with?” she asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the most vulnerable in mind, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/frkearns?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">Faith Kearns\u003c/a>, a scientist for the California Institute of Water Resources, says it’s time officials started thinking of drought as a chronic issue, as opposed to an acute idea where California could be saved by rain each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the set of actions we might take will start to look a little bit different,” she said. “I don’t totally know what those are yet. Maybe those voluntary water reductions are permanent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether the current reductions become part of our permanent California way of life is still to be determined, but scientists like Kearns say climate change is stressing the state’s water system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solutions for future dry times in California may require the state to rethink how it manages water, Kearns says, beyond measures needed to get the state through this drought. Water managers need to consider that the state is experiencing a “drier, hotter climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not an acute issue where we’re having a drought emergency, but one where we’re really going, ‘No, this is the long-term trend, and we need to be long-term adapting to it,’ ” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blessed With a Wet Winter? ‘It’s Equally Likely That We Won’t Be’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University’s \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/people/noah-diffenbaugh\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Noah Diffenbaugh\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> says people should adhere to the 15% voluntary restriction as if it were mandatory. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have drought relief on the horizon and we can expect these conditions to intensify,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diffenbaugh has authored scientific papers with titles like “\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25733875/\">Anthropogenic warming has increased drought risk in California\u003c/a>.” But, he says he still didn’t expect the state to be “in this severe drought, this soon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we shouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “And there’s not a lot of reason to expect that we’ll just get out of it soon, either.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last multiyear drought lasted from 2011 to 2017. If it is any indicator of what could happen this time around, then all water restrictions should be taken seriously. That’s because the outlook for a wet winter is likely still less then 50-50, says UCLA climate scientist \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Weather_West\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daniel Swain\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The situation is arguably more precarious than last time,” he said. “Now we could be blessed with a wet winter, but it’s equally likely that we won’t be and that we could see another dry winter. There’s a decent chance that things actually get worse still before they get better. And that’s pretty concerning, because they’re already quite serious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Swain says a wet fall would be contrary to the trend: California is having shorter rainy seasons, more concentrated in the winter. And some scientists consider California’s current dry period as part of the West’s \u003ca href=\"https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/314\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">megadrought, \u003c/span>\u003c/a>the first to be \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">driven by human-caused climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My fervent hope is that we see some early onset to the rainy season this year,” he said. “It’s possible. There’s no indication of it, but it’s hypothetically possible.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1377,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 37
},
"modified": 1704846515,
"excerpt": "Water officials are pursuing a more targeted approach to restrictions this drought, relying on regional water reduction mandates. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Water officials are pursuing a more targeted approach to restrictions this drought, relying on regional water reduction mandates. ",
"title": "Drought-Stricken California Hasn't Mandated Statewide Water Restrictions. Here's Why | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Drought-Stricken California Hasn't Mandated Statewide Water Restrictions. Here's Why",
"datePublished": "2021-07-16T14:28:28-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:35-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "drought-stricken-california-hasnt-mandated-statewide-water-restrictions-heres-why",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/c2d29383-38a1-4048-866c-ad6500f6d44c/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Drought",
"path": "/science/1975782/drought-stricken-california-hasnt-mandated-statewide-water-restrictions-heres-why",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After two consecutive dry winters and a series of early summer heat waves, the vast majority of California is gripped by drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water levels in reservoirs like Lake Oroville, Shasta Lake and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975549/russian-river-drought-sonoma-and-mendocino-residents-save-the-little-water-they-have\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lake Mendocino \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">are dangerously low. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/06/california-water-drought-shortage-crisis-well-failure-teviston/\">Wells in parts of the San Joaquin Valley\u003c/a> and along the Russian River are drying up, and local water officials have mandated water restrictions up to 40% in some areas.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘It’s 109 degrees in Fresno today. Imagine having to work outside all day and come home and not being able to shower in your own home. I think it’s infuriating, and disappointing and sort of feels hopeless. Have we not learned our lesson here?’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"align": "right",
"citation": "\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Veronica Garibay\u003c/span>",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already, more than \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA\">85%\u003c/a> of California is experiencing extreme drought conditions, according to the latest drought monitor released on July 15, and experts forewarn a third year of drought could be on the horizon if the state doesn’t see significant winter rain storms.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former Gov. Jerry Brown required Californians to conserve \u003ca href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/california-governor-orders-25-reduction-in-water-usage-statewide/\">25%\u003c/a> of their water during the third year of the last major drought. State leaders have not yet taken that step during this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcDjaknk4QU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">15% voluntary statewide water reduction, \u003c/a>noting California isn’t what he called a “nanny state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not trying to be oppressive,” Newsom said during a press conference. “Again, these are voluntary standards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://water.ca.gov/Executive-Bios-Director\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Karla Nemeth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, director of the California Department of Water Resources, says one reason for the voluntary restrictions is that Californian’s water use is down 16% compared to the last drought. That’s when many people ditched their grassy lawns in favor of native plants and rock gardens. Others have installed home graywater systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nemeth says water officials are pursuing a more targeted approach this time around, relying on regional restrictions to reduce water waste, with the recognition that water supplies vary across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, she says, if the rains don’t fall, the state could require water savings again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the end of this year, if we’re preparing for another extraordinarily dry year, then we could see California move towards mandatory water reduction,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the last drought, the state asked for water conservation before requiring it, but many Californians shrugged off that ask.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nemeth says she expects more compliance this time around. “I actually believe that we are going to see some better results from voluntary water conservation this year than we did during the [last] drought,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with all that California is facing — heat waves, wildfire risk and lack of rain — \u003ca href=\"https://watershed.ucdavis.edu/people/jay-r-lund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">UC Davis water resources expert Jay Lund\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> says requiring places that don’t need to conserve as much water right now, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, would “make them less receptive to being told later on when you really need to conserve a lot of water to do so.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lund says the slow rollout of drought emergency declarations and restrictions is about “retaining” the public’s trust, recognizing that conditions could stay dry for a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think particularly in this era where [people are] a lot more distrustful of government, we really need to be careful with the public’s trust and to treat that as a scarce resource,” Lund said. “In this case, there’s a lot of precedent for not pressing urban water conservation too hard, especially when most of the state is in fairly good shape — at least most of the population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rethinking How California Manages Water\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for many people who live in places like the San Joaquin Valley where wells are going dry, the light water restrictions feels like a gut punch, says \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/vgaribay19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Veronica Garibay\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, co-executive director with the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s 109 degrees in Fresno today,” she said over Zoom during the second week of July. “Imagine having to work outside all day and come home and not being able to shower in your own home. I think it’s infuriating, and disappointing and sort of feels hopeless. Have we not learned our lesson here?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garibay’s group advocates for communities in the Central Valley and the Coachella Valley where the drought is making existing inequities worse. She hopes existing legislation will help bring drought relief to communities dealing with the worst of the drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why is the burden on communities and people of color in particular, who have the least access to safe water and are disproportionately impacted by dry wells and access to safe drinking water to begin with?” she asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the most vulnerable in mind, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/frkearns?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">Faith Kearns\u003c/a>, a scientist for the California Institute of Water Resources, says it’s time officials started thinking of drought as a chronic issue, as opposed to an acute idea where California could be saved by rain each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the set of actions we might take will start to look a little bit different,” she said. “I don’t totally know what those are yet. Maybe those voluntary water reductions are permanent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether the current reductions become part of our permanent California way of life is still to be determined, but scientists like Kearns say climate change is stressing the state’s water system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solutions for future dry times in California may require the state to rethink how it manages water, Kearns says, beyond measures needed to get the state through this drought. Water managers need to consider that the state is experiencing a “drier, hotter climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not an acute issue where we’re having a drought emergency, but one where we’re really going, ‘No, this is the long-term trend, and we need to be long-term adapting to it,’ ” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blessed With a Wet Winter? ‘It’s Equally Likely That We Won’t Be’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University’s \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/people/noah-diffenbaugh\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Noah Diffenbaugh\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> says people should adhere to the 15% voluntary restriction as if it were mandatory. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have drought relief on the horizon and we can expect these conditions to intensify,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diffenbaugh has authored scientific papers with titles like “\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25733875/\">Anthropogenic warming has increased drought risk in California\u003c/a>.” But, he says he still didn’t expect the state to be “in this severe drought, this soon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we shouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “And there’s not a lot of reason to expect that we’ll just get out of it soon, either.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last multiyear drought lasted from 2011 to 2017. If it is any indicator of what could happen this time around, then all water restrictions should be taken seriously. That’s because the outlook for a wet winter is likely still less then 50-50, says UCLA climate scientist \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Weather_West\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daniel Swain\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The situation is arguably more precarious than last time,” he said. “Now we could be blessed with a wet winter, but it’s equally likely that we won’t be and that we could see another dry winter. There’s a decent chance that things actually get worse still before they get better. And that’s pretty concerning, because they’re already quite serious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Swain says a wet fall would be contrary to the trend: California is having shorter rainy seasons, more concentrated in the winter. And some scientists consider California’s current dry period as part of the West’s \u003ca href=\"https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6488/314\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">megadrought, \u003c/span>\u003c/a>the first to be \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">driven by human-caused climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My fervent hope is that we see some early onset to the rainy season this year,” he said. “It’s possible. There’s no indication of it, but it’s hypothetically possible.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975782/drought-stricken-california-hasnt-mandated-statewide-water-restrictions-heres-why",
"authors": [
"11746"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_98"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_572",
"science_4414",
"science_201"
],
"featImg": "science_1975784",
"label": "source_science_1975782"
},
"science_1975710": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1975710",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1975710",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1625785879000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1625785879,
"format": "standard",
"title": "How to Keep Indoor Air Clean During a Wildfire",
"headTitle": "How to Keep Indoor Air Clean During a Wildfire | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Wildfire smoke is \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/air/wildfire-smoke/default.htm#:~:text=Wildfire%20smoke%20can%20make%20anyone,Trouble%20breathing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">incredibly unhealthy\u003c/a> for all people, and especially for those with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease. Children, pregnant women and firefighters are also extremely vulnerable to the negative health impacts of wildfire smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s best to stay indoors on days when smoke outside reaches unhealthy levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As California and the Bay Area brace for what could be another severe fire season, KQED spoke with scientists and engineers about how to keep indoor air clean — both at home and in shared spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Clean Air at Home\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Keep windows and doors closed and focus on cleaning the air inside your home. You can do that with an air purifier that uses a high-efficiency particulate air filter, or HEPA filter. These \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/lists/get-better-indoor-air-quality/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">portable air purifiers\u003c/a> force air through a filter, which catches harmful particles like those from smoke, dust or mold. HEPA filters are particularly good at cleaning the air in smaller spaces or individual rooms. While these purifiers won’t remove all hazardous particles from the air, studies have shown that they are \u003ca href=\"https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20170005166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">effective at reducing them\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portable HEPA air purifiers can be purchased online and in stores. They range in cost, but you \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">don’t have to spring for top price\u003c/a> to get top quality. Alternatively, some people are building \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968863/helping-kids-protect-themselves-from-dirty-air-one-diy-filter-at-a-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their own air purifiers\u003c/a> out of a box fan, a minimum efficiency reporting value — or MERV filter — and heavy-duty tape, for a price of roughly $50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cires.colorado.edu/council-fellows/jose-luis-jimenez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose-Luis Jimenez\u003c/a>, a chemistry professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, says the do-it-yourself purifiers work. But it’s important not to leave them unattended, as it could be a fire hazard if the fan gets too hot, Jimenez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those running air conditioning units, check that they are not bringing in outside air. If outside air is coming in, make sure it passes through a MERV filter, preferably MERV 14, 15 or 16.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, it’s important to reduce the amount of indoor air pollution we create, says \u003ca href=\"https://wcec.ucdavis.edu/about/directory/theresa-pistochini/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Theresa Pistochini\u003c/a>, an engineering manager at the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute and Western Cooling Efficiency Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Avoid generating other pollutants indoors: temporarily avoid cooking on a gas stove, candles, incense, etc.,” she said. “Shut off kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to reduce air exchange with [the] outdoors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Clean Air in Shared Spaces\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Smoke particles range in size — from large to ultra fine. \u003ca href=\"https://www.pdx.edu/engineering/dean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Richard Corsi\u003c/a>, dean of engineering and computer science at Portland State University, says using strong MERV filters in building HVAC systems is the most effective in catching very small particles. The air filters used in HVAC systems have ratings. If your HVAC system can accommodate it, a MERV 14, 15, 16 or a HEPA filter is ideal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If buildings can’t accommodate stronger filters, Corsi advises not using the building for the time being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To learn about the capacity of filters used in HVAC systems, it may be best to ask the facilities department, a building manager or human resources. Portable HEPA air filters can further clean the indoor air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This post is adapted from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1969474/the-air-qualitys-terrible-out-there-so-how-can-you-keep-it-clean-indoors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an earlier KQED story.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 534,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 15
},
"modified": 1704846526,
"excerpt": "From air purifiers to reducing indoor air pollution, there are things you can do to keep indoor air clean.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "From air purifiers to reducing indoor air pollution, there are things you can do to keep indoor air clean.",
"title": "How to Keep Indoor Air Clean During a Wildfire | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How to Keep Indoor Air Clean During a Wildfire",
"datePublished": "2021-07-08T16:11:19-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:28:46-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-to-keep-indoor-air-clean-during-a-wildfire",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/1975710/how-to-keep-indoor-air-clean-during-a-wildfire",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Wildfire smoke is \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/air/wildfire-smoke/default.htm#:~:text=Wildfire%20smoke%20can%20make%20anyone,Trouble%20breathing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">incredibly unhealthy\u003c/a> for all people, and especially for those with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease. Children, pregnant women and firefighters are also extremely vulnerable to the negative health impacts of wildfire smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s best to stay indoors on days when smoke outside reaches unhealthy levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As California and the Bay Area brace for what could be another severe fire season, KQED spoke with scientists and engineers about how to keep indoor air clean — both at home and in shared spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Clean Air at Home\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Keep windows and doors closed and focus on cleaning the air inside your home. You can do that with an air purifier that uses a high-efficiency particulate air filter, or HEPA filter. These \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/lists/get-better-indoor-air-quality/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">portable air purifiers\u003c/a> force air through a filter, which catches harmful particles like those from smoke, dust or mold. HEPA filters are particularly good at cleaning the air in smaller spaces or individual rooms. While these purifiers won’t remove all hazardous particles from the air, studies have shown that they are \u003ca href=\"https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20170005166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">effective at reducing them\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portable HEPA air purifiers can be purchased online and in stores. They range in cost, but you \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">don’t have to spring for top price\u003c/a> to get top quality. Alternatively, some people are building \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968863/helping-kids-protect-themselves-from-dirty-air-one-diy-filter-at-a-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their own air purifiers\u003c/a> out of a box fan, a minimum efficiency reporting value — or MERV filter — and heavy-duty tape, for a price of roughly $50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cires.colorado.edu/council-fellows/jose-luis-jimenez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose-Luis Jimenez\u003c/a>, a chemistry professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, says the do-it-yourself purifiers work. But it’s important not to leave them unattended, as it could be a fire hazard if the fan gets too hot, Jimenez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those running air conditioning units, check that they are not bringing in outside air. If outside air is coming in, make sure it passes through a MERV filter, preferably MERV 14, 15 or 16.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, it’s important to reduce the amount of indoor air pollution we create, says \u003ca href=\"https://wcec.ucdavis.edu/about/directory/theresa-pistochini/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Theresa Pistochini\u003c/a>, an engineering manager at the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute and Western Cooling Efficiency Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Avoid generating other pollutants indoors: temporarily avoid cooking on a gas stove, candles, incense, etc.,” she said. “Shut off kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to reduce air exchange with [the] outdoors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Clean Air in Shared Spaces\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Smoke particles range in size — from large to ultra fine. \u003ca href=\"https://www.pdx.edu/engineering/dean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Richard Corsi\u003c/a>, dean of engineering and computer science at Portland State University, says using strong MERV filters in building HVAC systems is the most effective in catching very small particles. The air filters used in HVAC systems have ratings. If your HVAC system can accommodate it, a MERV 14, 15, 16 or a HEPA filter is ideal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If buildings can’t accommodate stronger filters, Corsi advises not using the building for the time being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To learn about the capacity of filters used in HVAC systems, it may be best to ask the facilities department, a building manager or human resources. Portable HEPA air filters can further clean the indoor air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This post is adapted from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1969474/the-air-qualitys-terrible-out-there-so-how-can-you-keep-it-clean-indoors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an earlier KQED story.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1975710/how-to-keep-indoor-air-clean-during-a-wildfire",
"authors": [
"8648"
],
"categories": [
"science_35",
"science_39",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_3693"
],
"featImg": "science_1975723",
"label": "science"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"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.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"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.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"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.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026PresidentialReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/science?category=environment": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 264,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 2654,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"science_1976109",
"science_1976127",
"science_1976060",
"science_1976066",
"science_1975989",
"science_1975970",
"science_1975923",
"science_1975855",
"science_1975879",
"science_1975814",
"science_1975782",
"science_1975710"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science_category_environment": {
"isLoading": true
},
"science_35": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_35",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "35",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Environment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Environment Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 37,
"slug": "environment",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/environment"
},
"source_science_1976109": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976109",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Wildfire",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976127": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976127",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976060": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976060",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Change",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976066": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976066",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Drought",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1975989": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1975989",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Drought",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1975970": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1975970",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1975923": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1975923",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Sea Level Rise",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1975855": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1975855",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "CalMatters",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1975879": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1975879",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Heat",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1975814": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1975814",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Wildfire",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1975782": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1975782",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Drought",
"isLoading": false
},
"science_40": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_40",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "40",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 42,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/news"
},
"science_4450": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4450",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4450",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4450,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/science"
},
"science_3730": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3730",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3730",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Wildfires",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Wildfires Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3730,
"slug": "wildfires",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/wildfires"
},
"science_4414": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4414",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4414",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4414,
"slug": "featured-science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/featured-science"
},
"science_113": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_113",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "113",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wildfire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wildfire Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 117,
"slug": "wildfire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/wildfire"
},
"science_2873": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2873",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2873",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oceans",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oceans Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2873,
"slug": "oceans",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/oceans"
},
"science_31": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_31",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "31",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Climate",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Climate Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33,
"slug": "climate",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/climate"
},
"science_33": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_33",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "33",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Energy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Energy Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 35,
"slug": "energy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/energy"
},
"science_194": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_194",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "194",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "climate change",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "climate change Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 198,
"slug": "climate-change",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/climate-change"
},
"science_3253": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3253",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3253",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "climate science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "climate science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3253,
"slug": "climate-science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/climate-science"
},
"science_1460": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1460",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1460",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ipcc",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ipcc Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1469,
"slug": "ipcc",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/ipcc"
},
"science_98": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_98",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "98",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Water",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Water Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 102,
"slug": "water",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/water"
},
"science_1193": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1193",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1193",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "desalination",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "desalination Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1202,
"slug": "desalination",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/desalination"
},
"science_572": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_572",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "572",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "drought",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "drought Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 578,
"slug": "drought",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/drought"
},
"science_4417": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4417",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4417",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-news Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4417,
"slug": "featured-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/featured-news"
},
"science_201": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_201",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "201",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "water",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "water Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 205,
"slug": "water-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/water-2"
},
"science_5177": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5177",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5177",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Jose",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Jose Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5177,
"slug": "san-jose",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/san-jose"
},
"science_2003": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2003",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2003",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Santa Clara County",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Santa Clara County Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2014,
"slug": "santa-clara-county",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/santa-clara-county"
},
"science_2936": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2936",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2936",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "NPR",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NPR Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2936,
"slug": "npr",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/npr"
},
"science_856": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_856",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "856",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "bay area",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "bay area Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 862,
"slug": "bay-area",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/bay-area"
},
"science_2114": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2114",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2114",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "flooding",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "flooding Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2125,
"slug": "flooding",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/flooding"
},
"science_206": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_206",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "206",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "sea level rise",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "sea level rise Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 210,
"slug": "sea-level-rise",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/sea-level-rise"
},
"science_3969": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3969",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3969",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "CALMATTERS",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "CALMATTERS Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3969,
"slug": "calmatters",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/calmatters"
},
"science_4329": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4329",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4329",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Coronavirus",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Coronavirus Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4329,
"slug": "coronavirus",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/coronavirus"
},
"science_134": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_134",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "134",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "energy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "energy Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 138,
"slug": "energy-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/energy-2"
},
"science_39": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_39",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "39",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 41,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/health"
},
"science_2184": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2184",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2184",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "heat",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "heat Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2196,
"slug": "heat",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/heat"
},
"science_3693": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3693",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3693",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wildfire smoke",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wildfire smoke Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3693,
"slug": "wildfire-smoke",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/wildfire-smoke"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
}
}
