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_809382": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_809382",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "809382",
"found": true
},
"parent": 808929,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-400x265.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 265
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-960x636.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 636
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1356
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-1440x953.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 953
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-800x530.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 530
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-1920x1271.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1271
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-1180x781.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 781
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-768x509.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 509
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/13065124275_a371b12191_k-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1467152682,
"modified": 1467220074,
"caption": "The study follows a previous report by the same author discussing children's exposure to BPA via school meals that often come from cans and other packaging.",
"description": null,
"title": "13065124275_a371b12191_k",
"credit": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/13065124275/in/photostream/\">Lance Cheung/USDA\u003c/a>",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_811378": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_811378",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "811378",
"found": true
},
"parent": 811377,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-400x272.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 272
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-960x652.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 652
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1.jpg",
"width": 1241,
"height": 843
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-800x543.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 543
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-1180x802.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 802
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-768x522.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 522
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/jet_custom-fe81b85ebe34b08a08f072e102abc51fc2766ebf-1-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1467219001,
"modified": 1467219449,
"caption": "The Joint European Torus, a European fusion project in the U.K., gets most of its funding from the EU. Brexit may change that, and the even larger ITER fusion project.",
"description": null,
"title": "The Joint European Torus, a European fusion project in the U.K., gets most of its funding from the EU. Brexit may change that, and the even larger ITER fusion project.",
"credit": "EUROfusion",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_806526": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_806526",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "806526",
"found": true
},
"parent": 806524,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-400x266.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 266
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 479
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/CC_Central_Valley_map-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1467056773,
"modified": 1467056805,
"caption": "California's parched Central Valley in 2014.\n",
"description": null,
"title": "CC_Central_Valley_map",
"credit": "Stuart Rankin/NASA/flickr",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_801697": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_801697",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "801697",
"found": true
},
"parent": 801694,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-400x207.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 207
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-960x497.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 497
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 993
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-1440x745.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 745
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-800x414.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 414
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-1920x993.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 993
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-1180x610.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 610
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-768x397.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 397
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo-plant-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466888390,
"modified": 1466888431,
"caption": "PG&E says it will close Diablo Canyon's two nuclear reactors in 2024 and 2025.",
"description": null,
"title": "Diablo-plant",
"credit": "Lauren Sommer/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_791543": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_791543",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "791543",
"found": true
},
"parent": 791538,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/55cancri-e-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466545782,
"modified": 1466545841,
"caption": "Artist concept of the super-Earth exoplanet 55 Cancri e, which may be a world of molten lava seas. ",
"description": "Artist concept of the super-Earth exoplanet 55 Cancri e, which may be a world of molten lava seas. ",
"title": "55cancri-e",
"credit": "JPL-CalTech/NASA",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_796388": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_796388",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "796388",
"found": true
},
"parent": 796281,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-1024x576.jpg",
"width": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-400x268.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 268
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-960x642.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 642
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o.jpg",
"width": 1024,
"height": 685
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-800x535.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 535
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-768x514.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 514
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/3540482311_1ef187d240_o-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466705820,
"modified": 1466706143,
"caption": "After a century of fire suppression, overgrown forests have encroached on Sierra meadows, harming their function as natural sponges that absorb and filter storm runoff.",
"description": null,
"title": "DSC_0030_2",
"credit": "Jason Goecke/flickr",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_796277": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_796277",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "796277",
"found": true
},
"parent": 796263,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-400x266.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 266
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 532
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-800x532.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 532
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-768x511.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 511
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NPR_running-pic-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466705105,
"modified": 1466705123,
"caption": "Researchers have long known that exercise is good for the brain. An enzyme produced by muscles might help explain why.\n",
"description": null,
"title": "NPR_running pic",
"credit": "Monalyn Gracia/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_796275": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_796275",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "796275",
"found": true
},
"parent": 796268,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-960x576.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-960x640.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 640
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o.jpg",
"width": 960,
"height": 640
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/25827348764_47414a8625_o-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466704879,
"modified": 1466704916,
"caption": "CAL FIRE Firefighters tend to a controlled pile burn. Fuel reduction projects help reduce wildfire risk.",
"description": null,
"title": "25827348764_47414a8625_o",
"credit": "CAL FIRE",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_793827": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_793827",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "793827",
"found": true
},
"parent": 793825,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 480
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Oil-wells-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466621846,
"modified": 1466621865,
"caption": "Oil wells in North Dakota.\n",
"description": null,
"title": "Oil wells",
"credit": "Geof Wilson/flickr",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_793714": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_793714",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "793714",
"found": true
},
"title": "Cal fire employees cut dead tree",
"publishDate": 1466618073,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 793711,
"modified": 1749146549,
"caption": "U.S. Forest Service firefighters cut down a tree after a wildfire getting it ready to harvest where it will eventually be turned into lumber planks. ",
"credit": "CAL FIRE",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"height": 267,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-1440x960.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"height": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-1180x786.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"height": 786,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-960x640.jpg",
"width": 960,
"height": 640,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"height": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Cal-fire-employees-cut-dead-tree.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1365
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_791669": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_791669",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "791669",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-400x268.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 268
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-960x643.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 643
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected.jpg",
"width": 3872,
"height": 2592
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-1440x964.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 964
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-800x536.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 536
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-1920x1285.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1285
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-1180x790.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 790
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-768x514.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 514
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Diablo_Canyon_levels-corrected-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466550438,
"modified": 1466550466,
"caption": "Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, which sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County is set to close by 2025. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Diablo_Canyon_levels corrected",
"credit": "KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_790998": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_790998",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "790998",
"found": true
},
"parent": 790997,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-400x266.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 266
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-960x638.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 638
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic.jpg",
"width": 1280,
"height": 850
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-800x531.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 531
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-1180x784.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 784
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-768x510.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 510
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/Water-Deeply-pic-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1466526546,
"modified": 1466526566,
"caption": "San Diego County Water Authority contracts with Borrego Solar to help supply renewable energy to the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Water Deeply pic",
"credit": "Borrego Solar",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_science_811377": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_811377",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_811377",
"name": "Geoff Brumfiel\u003c/br>NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_806524": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_806524",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_806524",
"name": "Bobby Magill\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_796281": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_796281",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_796281",
"name": "Matt Weiser\u003c/br>Water Deeply",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_796263": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_796263",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_796263",
"name": "Jon Hamilton\u003c/br>NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_796268": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_796268",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_796268",
"name": "Climate Central",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_793825": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_793825",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_793825",
"name": "Bobby McGill\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_793711": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_793711",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_793711",
"name": "John Upton\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_790997": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_790997",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_790997",
"name": "Tara Lohan\u003c/br>Water Deeply",
"isLoading": false
},
"laurensommer": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "239",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "239",
"found": true
},
"name": "Lauren Sommer",
"firstName": "Lauren",
"lastName": "Sommer",
"slug": "laurensommer",
"email": "lsommer@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Lauren is a radio reporter formerly covering environment, water, and energy for KQED Science. As part of her day job, she has scaled Sierra Nevada peaks, run from charging elephant seals, and desperately tried to get her sea legs - all in pursuit of good radio. Her work has appeared on Marketplace, Living on Earth, Science Friday and NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. You can find her on Twitter at \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/lesommer\">@lesommer\u003c/a>.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/33aa3772bb86c6ad45b8aca6a238bbdf?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor",
"manage_content_types",
"manage_taxonomies"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Lauren Sommer | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/33aa3772bb86c6ad45b8aca6a238bbdf?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/33aa3772bb86c6ad45b8aca6a238bbdf?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/laurensommer"
},
"lindseyhoshaw": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "5432",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "5432",
"found": true
},
"name": "Lindsey Hoshaw",
"firstName": "Lindsey",
"lastName": "Hoshaw",
"slug": "lindseyhoshaw",
"email": "lhoshaw@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Lindsey Hoshaw is a former interactive producer for KQED Science. Before joining KQED, Lindsey was a science correspondent for The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Forbes and Scientific American. On Twitter @lindseyhoshaw",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/274b07694c998eaa8f26cfabaa941186?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twitter": "lindseyhoshaw",
"facebook": "lindsey.hoshaw.9",
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"edit_theme_options",
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"edit_post_subscriptions",
"edit_usergroups",
"unfiltered_html",
"unfiltered_upload",
"leadcoordinator",
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "food",
"roles": []
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Lindsey Hoshaw | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/274b07694c998eaa8f26cfabaa941186?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/274b07694c998eaa8f26cfabaa941186?s=600&d=mm&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lindseyhoshaw"
},
"ben-burress": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "6180",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "6180",
"found": true
},
"name": "Ben Burress",
"firstName": "Ben",
"lastName": "Burress",
"slug": "ben-burress",
"email": "bburress@chabotspace.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "\u003cstrong>Benjamin Burress\u003c/strong> has been a staff astronomer at Chabot Space & Science Center since July 1999. He graduated from Sonoma State University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in physics (and minor in astronomy), after which he signed on for a two-year stint in the Peace Corps, where he taught physics and mathematics in the African nation of Cameroon. From 1989-96 he served on the crew of NASA’s Kuiper Airborne Observatory at Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. From 1996-99, he was Head Observer at the Naval Prototype Optical Interferometer program at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ.\r\n\r\nRead his \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/author/ben-burress/\">previous contributions\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/\">QUEST\u003c/a>, a project dedicated to exploring the Science of Sustainability.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8263bffa345b7e4923a0b8b9f0f6a161?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "quest",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Ben Burress | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8263bffa345b7e4923a0b8b9f0f6a161?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8263bffa345b7e4923a0b8b9f0f6a161?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ben-burress"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"science_category_news": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_40",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "40",
"score": 10.810295
},
"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,
"title": "News",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "science",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 221
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/science?category=news",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 221
}
},
{
"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_808929": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_808929",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "808929",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1467220180000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1467220180,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Canned Food Increases Exposure to Toxic Chemical BPA, Study Finds",
"headTitle": "Canned Food Increases Exposure to Toxic Chemical BPA, Study Finds | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If you’re already agonizing over your grocery shopping list, this study might not help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935116302407\">New research\u003c/a> from \u003ca href=\"https://www.stanford.edu/\">Stanford University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.jhu.edu/\">Johns Hopkins University\u003c/a> suggests a direct link between eating canned foods and levels of the chemical BPA found in the body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”ujv2GLH2jNgj4YtbDnKm1MbQbqX7geb9″]BPA or Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics and resins, like the lining that prevents bacteria from entering through dented cans. Small amounts of BPA in food packaging can transfer to food and drinks, which has raised concerns among \u003ca href=\"http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331\">health\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.ewg.org/research/bpa-canned-food\">environmental\u003c/a> groups since the chemical is a known hormone disruptor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration \u003ca href=\"http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm355155.htm\">banned BPA\u003c/a> from baby bottles and children’s drinking cups. The following year, it banned BPA from infant formula packaging, though the administration’s current position is that BPA is “\u003ca href=\"http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm355155.htm\">safe\u003c/a>” for the “for the currently approved uses in food containers and packaging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since diet is the main source of BPA, Stanford medical research fellow \u003ca href=\"https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/jennifer-hartle\">Jennifer Hartle\u003c/a> wanted to see just how much BPA in food packaging could end up in our bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study she led included more than 6,000 children and adults. The individuals are part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/\">ongoing health survey\u003c/a>, which is intended to be representative of the entire U.S. population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study found that subjects who ate canned food within the past 24 hours had higher levels of urinary BPA than those who did not. And the more canned food people ate, the more BPA showed up in their urine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who ate the most canned food (two or more items per day) had up to 54 percent more BPA in their urine than those who ate less or no canned food at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also found that not all foods are created equal. Eating canned soup led to higher BPA levels than eating fruits, possibly because cans for fruit have the lowest BPA concentrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of all the different kinds of BPA exposure that people can have, I didn’t know that I’d find the clear relationship between canned food and urinary BPA.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rene Vinas, a toxicologist with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a food industry trade group, says eliminating BPA from all packaging will time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a lot of work being done for BPA in metal cans,” says Vinas. “There are some alternatives which our members are using, like acrylic, but the transition away from BPA isn’t complete. It requires numerous levels of testing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some companies including Amy’s Kitchen, Muir Glen and Eden Organic use BPA-free linings, but the alternatives are not necessarily healthier. Substitutes include acrylic, polyester and polyvinyl chloride which is \u003ca href=\"https://www3.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/vinylchl.html\">a known carcinogen\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hartle’s study didn’t examine whether the amount of BPA consumed exceeded the FDA’s daily recommended dose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she pointed out that, “even very low doses can have a health effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://biology.missouri.edu/people/?person=97#section-2\">In animals tests\u003c/a>, the chemical has affected fetal development and led to an increased risk for cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most Americans have some levels of BPA, from their diets and the environment, though they may not know it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2008 \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2199288/\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study\u003c/a> found 92 percent of Americans contain traces of BPA in their urine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hartle concedes that counseling consumers to avoid canned food all together could be a tough sell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people live on canned food because it is very affordable and it is non-perishable so it’s a bigger picture problem than to just tell people not to eat canned food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said more research needs to be conducted on the long-term effects of BPA, which are not yet fully understood.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 664,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 23
},
"modified": 1704929992,
"excerpt": "A new Stanford University study suggests a direct link between eating canned foods and levels of the chemical BPA found in the body.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A new Stanford University study suggests a direct link between eating canned foods and levels of the chemical BPA found in the body.",
"title": "Canned Food Increases Exposure to Toxic Chemical BPA, Study Finds | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Canned Food Increases Exposure to Toxic Chemical BPA, Study Finds",
"datePublished": "2016-06-29T10:09:40-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:39:52-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "canned-food-increases-exposure-to-toxic-chemical-bpa-study-finds",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/808929/canned-food-increases-exposure-to-toxic-chemical-bpa-study-finds",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you’re already agonizing over your grocery shopping list, this study might not help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935116302407\">New research\u003c/a> from \u003ca href=\"https://www.stanford.edu/\">Stanford University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.jhu.edu/\">Johns Hopkins University\u003c/a> suggests a direct link between eating canned foods and levels of the chemical BPA found in the body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>BPA or Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics and resins, like the lining that prevents bacteria from entering through dented cans. Small amounts of BPA in food packaging can transfer to food and drinks, which has raised concerns among \u003ca href=\"http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331\">health\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.ewg.org/research/bpa-canned-food\">environmental\u003c/a> groups since the chemical is a known hormone disruptor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration \u003ca href=\"http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm355155.htm\">banned BPA\u003c/a> from baby bottles and children’s drinking cups. The following year, it banned BPA from infant formula packaging, though the administration’s current position is that BPA is “\u003ca href=\"http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm355155.htm\">safe\u003c/a>” for the “for the currently approved uses in food containers and packaging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since diet is the main source of BPA, Stanford medical research fellow \u003ca href=\"https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/jennifer-hartle\">Jennifer Hartle\u003c/a> wanted to see just how much BPA in food packaging could end up in our bodies.\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>The study she led included more than 6,000 children and adults. The individuals are part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/\">ongoing health survey\u003c/a>, which is intended to be representative of the entire U.S. population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study found that subjects who ate canned food within the past 24 hours had higher levels of urinary BPA than those who did not. And the more canned food people ate, the more BPA showed up in their urine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who ate the most canned food (two or more items per day) had up to 54 percent more BPA in their urine than those who ate less or no canned food at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also found that not all foods are created equal. Eating canned soup led to higher BPA levels than eating fruits, possibly because cans for fruit have the lowest BPA concentrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of all the different kinds of BPA exposure that people can have, I didn’t know that I’d find the clear relationship between canned food and urinary BPA.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rene Vinas, a toxicologist with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a food industry trade group, says eliminating BPA from all packaging will time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a lot of work being done for BPA in metal cans,” says Vinas. “There are some alternatives which our members are using, like acrylic, but the transition away from BPA isn’t complete. It requires numerous levels of testing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some companies including Amy’s Kitchen, Muir Glen and Eden Organic use BPA-free linings, but the alternatives are not necessarily healthier. Substitutes include acrylic, polyester and polyvinyl chloride which is \u003ca href=\"https://www3.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/vinylchl.html\">a known carcinogen\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hartle’s study didn’t examine whether the amount of BPA consumed exceeded the FDA’s daily recommended dose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she pointed out that, “even very low doses can have a health effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://biology.missouri.edu/people/?person=97#section-2\">In animals tests\u003c/a>, the chemical has affected fetal development and led to an increased risk for cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most Americans have some levels of BPA, from their diets and the environment, though they may not know it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2008 \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2199288/\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study\u003c/a> found 92 percent of Americans contain traces of BPA in their urine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hartle concedes that counseling consumers to avoid canned food all together could be a tough sell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people live on canned food because it is very affordable and it is non-perishable so it’s a bigger picture problem than to just tell people not to eat canned food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said more research needs to be conducted on the long-term effects of BPA, which are not yet fully understood.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/808929/canned-food-increases-exposure-to-toxic-chemical-bpa-study-finds",
"authors": [
"5432"
],
"categories": [
"science_29",
"science_39",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_809382",
"label": "science"
},
"science_811377": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_811377",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "811377",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1467219615000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1467219615,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Deep Space to Nuclear Fusion: Brexit's Impact Stretches Far and Wide",
"headTitle": "Deep Space to Nuclear Fusion: Brexit’s Impact Stretches Far and Wide | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The U.K.’s fraught decision to exit the European Union was motivated by everyday issues such as trade and immigration. But its impact could soon be felt in some of Europe’s most esoteric locales — like particle accelerators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because scientists in Europe pool their resources to build everything from massive telescopes to deep space probes. And the U.K. is a major scientific player. Britain’s vote to depart the European Union won’t totally upend scientific cooperation, but “scientists are nonetheless worried,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.stfc.ac.uk/about-us/how-we-are-governed/our-structure/professor-john-womersley/\">John Womersley\u003c/a>, the head of the U.K.’s Science and Technology Facilities Council, which oversees participation in large projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest experiment affected is a nuclear fusion reactor being built in the south of France. Known as \u003ca href=\"http://www.iter.org/\">ITER\u003c/a>, the roughly $20 billion project is designed to produce energy through the fusion of light atoms of hydrogen. It’s an unprecedented technical endeavor that involves seven international partners, including the European Union, which is shouldering some 46 percent of its construction cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_811382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-811382\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The ExoMars rover, a joint European-Russian mission, is to be assembled by the U.K. arm of the European aerospace giant Airbus. The Brexit could cause export-control problems or other industrial snags that might affect they way it's built.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-1440x1079.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-1920x1439.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ExoMars rover, a joint European-Russian mission, is to be assembled by the U.K. arm of the European aerospace giant Airbus. The Brexit could cause export-control problems or other industrial snags that might affect they way it’s built. \u003ccite>(ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project is already suffering from massive cost overruns and schedule delays, and Brexit is just adding to the worries. Although a complete U.K. withdrawal from the project is unlikely, there is no plan in place for post-Brexit participation, says Steven Cowley, who heads the U.K.’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/\">Culham Center for Fusion Energy\u003c/a>, which is a major center for ITER R&D. “We are rudderless at the moment,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.K. cooperation in other projects is more clearly defined. Many scientific organizations, such as high-energy physics laboratory CERN, based in Switzerland, and the European Space Agency (ESA), were actually formed before the European Union. British membership in these organizations would not be directly affected, but its role could change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take the ExoMars rover, a joint European-Russian mission scheduled for launch in 2020. The academic side of the project is protected because the U.K.’s participation in ESA is separate from its EU membership. “The only possible problems I can imagine are associated with paperwork,” says Andrew Coates, a researcher at University College London, who is working on a sensor for ExoMars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Coates warns that there could be changes to way the project is actually built. The U.K. wing of the pan-European aerospace company, Airbus, is putting ExoMars together. Brexit could cause export-control problems or other industrial snags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an extreme case, Womersley frets, Airbus could even decide to move a portion of its U.K. manufacturing facilities to Europe, though it’s unlikely to happen quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Womersley adds that Britain may end up paying more for scientific projects because its financial contributions to European organizations are paid in pounds. The pound has dropped by 10 percent against the U.S. dollar since the June 23 vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the case of Geneva-based CERN, the lab that holds the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, tiny shifts in the exchange rate between the pound and the Swiss franc can lead to huge changes in financial support. “Every 1 percent shift in the value of the pound against the franc is one million pounds that the Treasury has to find,” Womersley says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But perhaps the biggest problems will come for the scientists themselves. More than 150 top U.K. scientists, \u003ca href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/12189587/Stephen-Hawking-leads-150-Royal-Society-scientists-against-Brexit.html\">including Stephen Hawking\u003c/a>, warned back in March that a Brexit would be a “disaster for U.K. science and universities.” A \u003ca href=\"http://scientistsforeu.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SfEU_factsheet_12-2-2016.pdf\">pro-Remain group of scientists\u003c/a> estimates that 21 percent of Britain’s science and math academic workforce is made up of EU immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The free mobility of scientists is a “worry” in the post-Brexit world, says Richard Hook, a spokesperson for the \u003ca href=\"http://www.eso.org/public/\">European Southern Observatory\u003c/a>, which oversees massive European telescopes in South America. “Collaboration is an essential component of how science works,” he says, “and this should know no borders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Brexit%27s+Impact+Stretches+From+Deep+Space+To+Nuclear+Fusion&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 726,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 14
},
"modified": 1704929994,
"excerpt": "Scientists are worried about how Britain's departure from the European Union would hurt the continent's mega-projects and its researchers. Scientific collaboration \"should know no borders,\" says one.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Scientists are worried about how Britain's departure from the European Union would hurt the continent's mega-projects and its researchers. Scientific collaboration "should know no borders," says one.",
"title": "Deep Space to Nuclear Fusion: Brexit's Impact Stretches Far and Wide | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Deep Space to Nuclear Fusion: Brexit's Impact Stretches Far and Wide",
"datePublished": "2016-06-29T10:00:15-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:39:54-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "deep-space-to-nuclear-fusion-brexits-impact-stretches-far-and-wide",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.npr.org/",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=484004457&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Geoff Brumfiel\u003c/br>NPR",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 29 Jun 2016 12:34:54 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 29 Jun 2016 12:34:54 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/06/29/484004457/brexit-s-impact-stretches-from-deep-space-to-nuclear-fusion?ft=nprml&f=484004457",
"nprImageAgency": "EUROfusion",
"source": "NPR",
"nprStoryId": "484004457",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 29 Jun 2016 12:34:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/811377/deep-space-to-nuclear-fusion-brexits-impact-stretches-far-and-wide",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The U.K.’s fraught decision to exit the European Union was motivated by everyday issues such as trade and immigration. But its impact could soon be felt in some of Europe’s most esoteric locales — like particle accelerators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because scientists in Europe pool their resources to build everything from massive telescopes to deep space probes. And the U.K. is a major scientific player. Britain’s vote to depart the European Union won’t totally upend scientific cooperation, but “scientists are nonetheless worried,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.stfc.ac.uk/about-us/how-we-are-governed/our-structure/professor-john-womersley/\">John Womersley\u003c/a>, the head of the U.K.’s Science and Technology Facilities Council, which oversees participation in large projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest experiment affected is a nuclear fusion reactor being built in the south of France. Known as \u003ca href=\"http://www.iter.org/\">ITER\u003c/a>, the roughly $20 billion project is designed to produce energy through the fusion of light atoms of hydrogen. It’s an unprecedented technical endeavor that involves seven international partners, including the European Union, which is shouldering some 46 percent of its construction cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_811382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-811382\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The ExoMars rover, a joint European-Russian mission, is to be assembled by the U.K. arm of the European aerospace giant Airbus. The Brexit could cause export-control problems or other industrial snags that might affect they way it's built.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-1440x1079.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-1920x1439.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/exomars_rover_201403_orig-22b264e95bdd6efebe6d59dc7eff4c92baba7d02-1-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ExoMars rover, a joint European-Russian mission, is to be assembled by the U.K. arm of the European aerospace giant Airbus. The Brexit could cause export-control problems or other industrial snags that might affect they way it’s built. \u003ccite>(ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project is already suffering from massive cost overruns and schedule delays, and Brexit is just adding to the worries. Although a complete U.K. withdrawal from the project is unlikely, there is no plan in place for post-Brexit participation, says Steven Cowley, who heads the U.K.’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/\">Culham Center for Fusion Energy\u003c/a>, which is a major center for ITER R&D. “We are rudderless at the moment,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.K. cooperation in other projects is more clearly defined. Many scientific organizations, such as high-energy physics laboratory CERN, based in Switzerland, and the European Space Agency (ESA), were actually formed before the European Union. British membership in these organizations would not be directly affected, but its role could change.\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>Take the ExoMars rover, a joint European-Russian mission scheduled for launch in 2020. The academic side of the project is protected because the U.K.’s participation in ESA is separate from its EU membership. “The only possible problems I can imagine are associated with paperwork,” says Andrew Coates, a researcher at University College London, who is working on a sensor for ExoMars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Coates warns that there could be changes to way the project is actually built. The U.K. wing of the pan-European aerospace company, Airbus, is putting ExoMars together. Brexit could cause export-control problems or other industrial snags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an extreme case, Womersley frets, Airbus could even decide to move a portion of its U.K. manufacturing facilities to Europe, though it’s unlikely to happen quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Womersley adds that Britain may end up paying more for scientific projects because its financial contributions to European organizations are paid in pounds. The pound has dropped by 10 percent against the U.S. dollar since the June 23 vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the case of Geneva-based CERN, the lab that holds the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, tiny shifts in the exchange rate between the pound and the Swiss franc can lead to huge changes in financial support. “Every 1 percent shift in the value of the pound against the franc is one million pounds that the Treasury has to find,” Womersley says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But perhaps the biggest problems will come for the scientists themselves. More than 150 top U.K. scientists, \u003ca href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/12189587/Stephen-Hawking-leads-150-Royal-Society-scientists-against-Brexit.html\">including Stephen Hawking\u003c/a>, warned back in March that a Brexit would be a “disaster for U.K. science and universities.” A \u003ca href=\"http://scientistsforeu.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SfEU_factsheet_12-2-2016.pdf\">pro-Remain group of scientists\u003c/a> estimates that 21 percent of Britain’s science and math academic workforce is made up of EU immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The free mobility of scientists is a “worry” in the post-Brexit world, says Richard Hook, a spokesperson for the \u003ca href=\"http://www.eso.org/public/\">European Southern Observatory\u003c/a>, which oversees massive European telescopes in South America. “Collaboration is an essential component of how science works,” he says, “and this should know no borders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Brexit%27s+Impact+Stretches+From+Deep+Space+To+Nuclear+Fusion&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/811377/deep-space-to-nuclear-fusion-brexits-impact-stretches-far-and-wide",
"authors": [
"byline_science_811377"
],
"categories": [
"science_40",
"science_42"
],
"featImg": "science_811378",
"label": "source_science_811377"
},
"science_806524": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_806524",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "806524",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1467057144000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1467057144,
"format": "standard",
"title": "‘Water Windfall’ Found in Drought-Stricken California",
"headTitle": "‘Water Windfall’ Found in Drought-Stricken California | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California’s Central Valley has three times more freshwater in underground aquifers than previously thought, drinking water that could help the state weather future drought and fortify itself against a changing climate, according to a new Stanford University \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1600400113\">study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But tapping that water, locked thousands of feet beneath the ground, will be expensive and comes with an enormous risk — it could cause the valley floor to sink, according to the study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Sinking land in the Central Valley is threatening roads, homes and other infrastructure, and reduces the amount of water some aquifers can hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”72P76I8tIuQzRZWDlAPOl130H3QbhPQJ”]“It’s not often that you find a ‘water windfall,’ but we just did,” said study co-author \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/rob-jackson\">Rob Jackson\u003c/a>, an earth system science professor at Stanford University. “California’s already using an increasing amount of groundwater from deeper than 1,000 feet. Our goal was to estimate how much water is potentially available.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate change is \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/weird-weather-entrenched-californias-drought-20438\">exposing the state\u003c/a> to a greater threat of drought, reducing the amount of water available for farming and drinking as higher temperatures evaporate reservoirs. More precipitation is expected to fall as rain instead of snow in California as the world warms, forcing the state to find new ways to store rain water for municipal and agricultural use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To stave off losses during its four-year \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-bully-california-drought-19354\">drought\u003c/a>, California has relied on groundwater to irrigate its farm fields. So much groundwater is being used that the water table has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Amid-El-Ni-o-a-push-to-save-California-s-6764490.php\">fallen by 50 feet\u003c/a> in some places in the Central Valley, and the valley floor is sinking, or subsiding, as aquifers are depleted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Land subsidence, which has been occurring in the valley for decades because of groundwater pumping, has accelerated to two inches per month in some places, \u003ca href=\"http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4693\">according to NASA\u003c/a>. Sinking land threatens roads, bridges, aqueducts, buildings and other infrastructure as the land collapses beneath them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the groundwater comes from aquifers less than 1,000 feet deep. Deeper aquifers are usually considered too salty to be used for drinking or irrigation, requiring costly desalination and drilling operations to access them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Analyzing water data gathered from oil and gas wells across eight Central Valley counties, the Stanford researchers show that there are about 2,700 cubic kilometers of accessible fresh or brackish water locked in the Central Valley’s deep underground aquifers. That’s almost triple the 1,020 cubic kilometers of freshwater that had been previously estimated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farming in California consumes between 25 million and 33 million acre-feet of water annually, or between 31 and 40 cubic kilometers of water, according to a 2015 Congressional Research Service \u003ca href=\"https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44093.pdf\">report\u003c/a>. A cubic kilometer of water is roughly equivalent to 1.3 times Los Angeles’ annual water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the water that Jackson’s team found is considered brackish — containing low levels of salt — but it could be affordably desalinated, the study says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“States such as Texas and Florida, and countries, including China and Australia, are already desalinating brackish water to meet their growing water demands,” the study says. “Accounting for deep but relatively fresh groundwater can substantially expand California’s groundwater resources, which is critical given the state’s current water shortages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additional research is needed to determine how much tapping the water would cause the valley floor to sink and how oil and gas development, which is common in those deep aquifers, could contaminate the water, especially from fracking, according to the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not advocating running out and drilling lots more groundwater wells,” Jackson said. “The Central Valley’s been in denial about groundwater overdrafts for years. We need to consider ground subsidence. We also need to think about oil and gas activities directly in and around freshwater aquifers. Is that the best use of the resource long term?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s water agency, the State Department of Water Resources, is concerned about the long-term implications of possibly using — and using up — a newly found reserve of freshwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Understanding the total aquifer capacity is valuable from a technical standpoint, but a more useful estimate would be how much of the aquifer can we truly utilize before we experience significant impacts to surrounding agricultural, urban and domestic water users, to public infrastructures, to the environment and to the aquifers’ ability to recharge in a reasonable time frame,” said Lauren Hersh, spokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources’ Sustainable Groundwater Management \u003ca href=\"http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/sgm/\">Program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://profile.usgs.gov/lkonikow\">Leonard Konikow\u003c/a>, an emeritus U.S. Geological Survey groundwater scientist and author of a 2013 federal government report on groundwater depletion in the U.S., said deep underground freshwater may be too expensive for many in California to access.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In a severe drought, such deep drilling for water might be justified for municipal or industrial supplies, but I can’t imagine that the cost would ever be justified for agricultural purposes,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Jackson said deep freshwater is a largely untapped and little-understood resource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a huge pool of water,” Jackson said. “Some companies and towns are already pumping deep groundwater. It’s a little more expensive to use because of the pumping costs, but people are already doing it. Remember, too, that private landholders often have few restrictions on what they can pump.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 941,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 22
},
"modified": 1704930000,
"excerpt": "California’s Central Valley has three times more freshwater in underground aquifers than previously thought.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "California’s Central Valley has three times more freshwater in underground aquifers than previously thought.",
"title": "‘Water Windfall’ Found in Drought-Stricken California | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "‘Water Windfall’ Found in Drought-Stricken California",
"datePublished": "2016-06-27T12:52:24-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:00-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "water-windfall-found-in-drought-stricken-california",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"nprByline": "Bobby Magill\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Central",
"path": "/science/806524/water-windfall-found-in-drought-stricken-california",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s Central Valley has three times more freshwater in underground aquifers than previously thought, drinking water that could help the state weather future drought and fortify itself against a changing climate, according to a new Stanford University \u003ca href=\"http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1600400113\">study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But tapping that water, locked thousands of feet beneath the ground, will be expensive and comes with an enormous risk — it could cause the valley floor to sink, according to the study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Sinking land in the Central Valley is threatening roads, homes and other infrastructure, and reduces the amount of water some aquifers can hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>“It’s not often that you find a ‘water windfall,’ but we just did,” said study co-author \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/rob-jackson\">Rob Jackson\u003c/a>, an earth system science professor at Stanford University. “California’s already using an increasing amount of groundwater from deeper than 1,000 feet. Our goal was to estimate how much water is potentially available.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate change is \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/weird-weather-entrenched-californias-drought-20438\">exposing the state\u003c/a> to a greater threat of drought, reducing the amount of water available for farming and drinking as higher temperatures evaporate reservoirs. More precipitation is expected to fall as rain instead of snow in California as the world warms, forcing the state to find new ways to store rain water for municipal and agricultural use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To stave off losses during its four-year \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-bully-california-drought-19354\">drought\u003c/a>, California has relied on groundwater to irrigate its farm fields. So much groundwater is being used that the water table has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Amid-El-Ni-o-a-push-to-save-California-s-6764490.php\">fallen by 50 feet\u003c/a> in some places in the Central Valley, and the valley floor is sinking, or subsiding, as aquifers are depleted.\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>Land subsidence, which has been occurring in the valley for decades because of groundwater pumping, has accelerated to two inches per month in some places, \u003ca href=\"http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4693\">according to NASA\u003c/a>. Sinking land threatens roads, bridges, aqueducts, buildings and other infrastructure as the land collapses beneath them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the groundwater comes from aquifers less than 1,000 feet deep. Deeper aquifers are usually considered too salty to be used for drinking or irrigation, requiring costly desalination and drilling operations to access them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Analyzing water data gathered from oil and gas wells across eight Central Valley counties, the Stanford researchers show that there are about 2,700 cubic kilometers of accessible fresh or brackish water locked in the Central Valley’s deep underground aquifers. That’s almost triple the 1,020 cubic kilometers of freshwater that had been previously estimated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farming in California consumes between 25 million and 33 million acre-feet of water annually, or between 31 and 40 cubic kilometers of water, according to a 2015 Congressional Research Service \u003ca href=\"https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44093.pdf\">report\u003c/a>. A cubic kilometer of water is roughly equivalent to 1.3 times Los Angeles’ annual water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the water that Jackson’s team found is considered brackish — containing low levels of salt — but it could be affordably desalinated, the study says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“States such as Texas and Florida, and countries, including China and Australia, are already desalinating brackish water to meet their growing water demands,” the study says. “Accounting for deep but relatively fresh groundwater can substantially expand California’s groundwater resources, which is critical given the state’s current water shortages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additional research is needed to determine how much tapping the water would cause the valley floor to sink and how oil and gas development, which is common in those deep aquifers, could contaminate the water, especially from fracking, according to the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not advocating running out and drilling lots more groundwater wells,” Jackson said. “The Central Valley’s been in denial about groundwater overdrafts for years. We need to consider ground subsidence. We also need to think about oil and gas activities directly in and around freshwater aquifers. Is that the best use of the resource long term?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s water agency, the State Department of Water Resources, is concerned about the long-term implications of possibly using — and using up — a newly found reserve of freshwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Understanding the total aquifer capacity is valuable from a technical standpoint, but a more useful estimate would be how much of the aquifer can we truly utilize before we experience significant impacts to surrounding agricultural, urban and domestic water users, to public infrastructures, to the environment and to the aquifers’ ability to recharge in a reasonable time frame,” said Lauren Hersh, spokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources’ Sustainable Groundwater Management \u003ca href=\"http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/sgm/\">Program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://profile.usgs.gov/lkonikow\">Leonard Konikow\u003c/a>, an emeritus U.S. Geological Survey groundwater scientist and author of a 2013 federal government report on groundwater depletion in the U.S., said deep underground freshwater may be too expensive for many in California to access.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In a severe drought, such deep drilling for water might be justified for municipal or industrial supplies, but I can’t imagine that the cost would ever be justified for agricultural purposes,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Jackson said deep freshwater is a largely untapped and little-understood resource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a huge pool of water,” Jackson said. “Some companies and towns are already pumping deep groundwater. It’s a little more expensive to use because of the pumping costs, but people are already doing it. Remember, too, that private landholders often have few restrictions on what they can pump.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/806524/water-windfall-found-in-drought-stricken-california",
"authors": [
"byline_science_806524"
],
"categories": [
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_98"
],
"featImg": "science_806526",
"label": "source_science_806524"
},
"science_801694": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_801694",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "801694",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1467043258000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1467043258,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Why Plans to Replace Diablo Canyon With 100 Percent Clean Energy Could Fall Short",
"headTitle": "Why Plans to Replace Diablo Canyon With 100 Percent Clean Energy Could Fall Short | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When PG&E announced plans to close California’s last remaining nuclear plant last week, it also \u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20160621_in_step_with_californias_evolving_energy_policy_pge_labor_and_environmental_groups_announce_proposal_to_increase_energy_efficiency_renewables_and_storage_while_phasing_out_nuclear_power_over_the_next_decade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced a historic plan\u003c/a> to replace it with clean energy, like solar or wind, and energy efficiency gains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That way, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which doesn’t put out carbon emissions, won’t be replaced with something that does, like natural gas, the utility said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a 100 percent clean energy transition is less certain than it sounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some say that natural gas power plants could also play a role in replacing Diablo Canyon, because of the challenges of adding large amounts of renewable energy to the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘It’s going to be up to everybody to hold them accountable.’\u003ccite>Laura Wisland, Union of Concerned Scientists\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Solar and wind power \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/04/what-will-california-do-with-too-much-solar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fluctuate based on the weather conditions \u003c/a>and time of day. Natural gas plants are kept running to fill in the gaps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the short term, some say closing Diablo Canyon could actually boost greenhouse gas emissions, because there may not be enough renewable energy to cover the loss of the nuclear plant in the first few years after it retires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it’s committed to a greenhouse-gas free solution. Whether that happens will depend on how the utility and regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission put that plan in motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Shrinking Gap?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Diablo Canyon produces about 20 percent of PG&E’s electricity. That’s a lot of megawatts to replace. PG&E says not all of them be replaced, though, thanks to California’s “changing energy landscape.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t need it,” said Geisha Williams, president of PG&E Electric. “There’s been so much energy efficiency. There’s been so much power that’s been generated by customers on their own private solar rooftop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California must double its energy efficiency by 2030 under a state law passed last year, SB 350, which means PG&E’s customers will need less electricity from their utility. \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/01/28/california-preserves-solar-incentives-in-defeat-for-utilities/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Home solar systems are booming\u003c/a>, which reduces the need for large power plants. Customers in Marin and Sonoma Counties, for example, have left PG&E and are forming their own local utilities, a process known as community choice aggregation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, PG&E is required to get more of its power from renewable sources, like solar and wind, in order to meet the state’s goal of 50 percent renewable power by 2030.\u003cbr>\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-wHtHc\" src=\"//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wHtHc/5/\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" oallowfullscreen=\"oallowfullscreen\" msallowfullscreen=\"msallowfullscreen\" width=\"100%\" height=\"330\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add all that up and PG&E says it would only need to run Diablo Canyon at half-power in the future, which makes it financially infeasible to keep open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Diablo retires, PG&E will need to replace roughly 9,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity. (In California, it takes around 6,000 gigawatt-hours to power one million households for a year). Through improved energy efficiency, PG&E expects demand to fall by 2,000 gigawatt-hours by 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That leaves a gap of roughly 7,000 gigawatt-hours to make up for the year that Diablo’s reactors go offline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To bridge that gap, PG&E plans to significantly boost the renewable energy it uses by 2031. By six years after Diablo’s retirement, PG&E says it plans to be generating 55 percent renewable power, system-wide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even considering PG&E’s rapid renewable energy growth, some energy analysts say PG&E may need to turn to natural gas for the first few years after Diablo Canyon’s retirement, a move that could add to California’s greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Natural Gas as a ‘Bridge Fuel’\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They actually increase their dependence on gas-fired generation over a short time frame because that’s really the only option that’s available to them,” said Morris Greenberg, Managing Director of North American Power at \u003ca href=\"http://www.pira.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PIRA Energy Group\u003c/a>, an energy market research firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PIRA ran an analysis of the Western electric grid and found that while the use of natural gas is currently declining in Northern California, it could rise around 34 percent from 2023 to 2026 because of Diablo’s closure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_610986\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-610986 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/CAISO2.jpg\" alt=\"Grid operators balance California's transmission system on a minute-by-minute basis at the Independent System Operator.\" width=\"640\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/CAISO2.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/CAISO2-400x280.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grid operators balance California’s transmission system on a minute-by-minute basis at the Independent System Operator. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Greenberg says the analysis takes into account PG&E renewable energy goals, but not the exact specifics of the plan announced last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says there’s a reason it hasn’t spelled out exactly how it will replace Diablo’s power: it’s hard to predict how energy technology will change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I try to write down megawatt-hour by megawatt-hour what fills that gap in 2025 right now, that’s actually a losing strategy,” said Todd Strauss, PG&E’s senior director of energy policy planning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The proposal clearly recognizes there’s lots of other things that need to be done, but we shouldn’t specify it today,” he said. “We’re committed to having Diablo Canyon’s retirement not result in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions,” Strauss said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several of the environmental groups that signed on to PG&E’s closure plan say there is a risk of turning to natural gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re determined to avoid that,” said Ralph Cavanagh of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He says there are alternatives like using energy efficiency programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all going to work together to ensure that the fears of our adversaries are not realized: that anytime you lose a nuclear plant you automatically get an uptick in fossil fuels and pollution,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ups and Downs of Renewables\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solar and wind power that will eventually replace Diablo Canyon is carbon-free, but they only work when the sun is out and the wind is blowing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”UDvFW0KjwXA2qzfZs2eJlC9ioUH62sa1″]As clouds cover the sun or the wind dies down, the power supply drops, creating fluctuations on the electric grid. To prevent widespread outages, the state’s grid operator, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.caiso.com/Pages/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California Independent System Operator\u003c/a> (ISO), has to have another source of energy ready to fill in the gap immediately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Generally, it’s been natural gas power plants, which can be turned up and down as needed. That means gas plants have to be run at the same time as renewables, because once turned off, they can take hours to turn back on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as more renewable energy comes online, running renewables, natural gas and other power sources all together sometimes creates more power than the state needs. At those times, the California ISO has to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/04/what-will-california-do-with-too-much-solar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">switch off solar farms\u003c/a> to avoid overloading the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Retiring Diablo Canyon could help with that problem. The nuclear plant is designed to run at a steady, constant level. Nuclear advocates have argued that the state needs this kind of “baseload” power. Others say shutting down Diablo could actually improve grid management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will reduce the need to curtail our solar power plants,” said Cavanagh. “The nuclear plant can’t be ramped up and down, so it’s occupying space on the grid that solar farms could occupy at much lower cost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>TOO MUCH RENEWABLE POWER\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> On a sunny day in March, some solar farms had to shut down because there was more power on the grid than Californians were using. \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"sharedaddy show-for-medium-up\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_611449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1730px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-611449\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/Solar_-Grid_Desktop.png\" alt=\"SOURCE: California ISO. \" width=\"1730\" height=\"1000\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SOURCE: California ISO. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"show-for-small-only\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_611442\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-611442 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/Solar_Grid_Mobile.png\" alt=\"SOURCE: California ISO\" width=\"750\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SOURCE: California ISO\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Natural Gas At the Ready\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as California approaches the legislative mandate of getting half its electricity from renewable sources, the grid will need more backup power ready to fill in when solar and wind power fluctuate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We could be at risk of running the gas fleet higher than we would otherwise run it,” said Laura Wisland of the Union of Concerned Scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wisland says there are a number of strategies to avoid that. Spreading solar and wind farms across a wide geographic area would prevent localized weather conditions, like cloud cover or lack of wind, from creating such large fluctuations on the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some solar farms and natural gas plants are also less flexible than they could be, because their contracts limit how often they can be turned down or turned off. Wisland says having fewer limits on that would make it easier for the grid operator to balance the ups and downs of renewable energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it plans to negotiate more flexible contracts with both new renewable projects and older ones whose contracts are expiring soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/11/too-much-solar-in-california-not-if-you-bottle-it/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Energy storage projects\u003c/a>, like large batteries, can also provide power to balance out solar and wind, so natural gas wouldn’t be needed as much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is also looking at \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/04/what-will-california-do-with-too-much-solar/\">joining its electric grid to other Western states\u003c/a>, so power can be shared more efficiently throughout the West. Instead of turning on more natural gas plants here, California could hypothetically look for clean power from other states instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it’s interested in those strategies, but state regulators must ultimately approve the decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There remains “a lot that is actually beyond PG&E, to be worked out at the California Public Utilities Commission, California ISO, and other California discussions,” says PG&E’s Strauss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If action occurs too late, then there may be some challenge to the reliability of the system,” he says. “But with a planned, deliberate approach with plenty of foresight, we’re going get reliability in the system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When they do sign up more renewables,” Wisland cautions, “they’re going to have to be much more aware of the integration challenges and be much more careful choosing renewables to minimize those challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it will bring its plan to retire Diablo Canyon and replace it with clean energy before regulators later this year. When that happens, Wisland says, “It’s going to be up to everybody to hold them accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1734,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wHtHc/5/"
],
"paragraphCount": 50
},
"modified": 1704930004,
"excerpt": "PG&E says it will replace the nuclear plant with renewable energy, but it's not as easy as it sounds.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "PG&E says it will replace the nuclear plant with renewable energy, but it's not as easy as it sounds.",
"title": "Why Plans to Replace Diablo Canyon With 100 Percent Clean Energy Could Fall Short | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Why Plans to Replace Diablo Canyon With 100 Percent Clean Energy Could Fall Short",
"datePublished": "2016-06-27T09:00:58-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:04-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "why-plans-to-replace-diablo-canyon-with-100-percent-clean-energy-could-fall-short",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/801694/why-plans-to-replace-diablo-canyon-with-100-percent-clean-energy-could-fall-short",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When PG&E announced plans to close California’s last remaining nuclear plant last week, it also \u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20160621_in_step_with_californias_evolving_energy_policy_pge_labor_and_environmental_groups_announce_proposal_to_increase_energy_efficiency_renewables_and_storage_while_phasing_out_nuclear_power_over_the_next_decade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced a historic plan\u003c/a> to replace it with clean energy, like solar or wind, and energy efficiency gains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That way, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which doesn’t put out carbon emissions, won’t be replaced with something that does, like natural gas, the utility said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a 100 percent clean energy transition is less certain than it sounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some say that natural gas power plants could also play a role in replacing Diablo Canyon, because of the challenges of adding large amounts of renewable energy to the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘It’s going to be up to everybody to hold them accountable.’\u003ccite>Laura Wisland, Union of Concerned Scientists\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Solar and wind power \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/04/what-will-california-do-with-too-much-solar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fluctuate based on the weather conditions \u003c/a>and time of day. Natural gas plants are kept running to fill in the gaps.\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 the short term, some say closing Diablo Canyon could actually boost greenhouse gas emissions, because there may not be enough renewable energy to cover the loss of the nuclear plant in the first few years after it retires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it’s committed to a greenhouse-gas free solution. Whether that happens will depend on how the utility and regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission put that plan in motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Shrinking Gap?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Diablo Canyon produces about 20 percent of PG&E’s electricity. That’s a lot of megawatts to replace. PG&E says not all of them be replaced, though, thanks to California’s “changing energy landscape.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t need it,” said Geisha Williams, president of PG&E Electric. “There’s been so much energy efficiency. There’s been so much power that’s been generated by customers on their own private solar rooftop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California must double its energy efficiency by 2030 under a state law passed last year, SB 350, which means PG&E’s customers will need less electricity from their utility. \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/01/28/california-preserves-solar-incentives-in-defeat-for-utilities/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Home solar systems are booming\u003c/a>, which reduces the need for large power plants. Customers in Marin and Sonoma Counties, for example, have left PG&E and are forming their own local utilities, a process known as community choice aggregation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, PG&E is required to get more of its power from renewable sources, like solar and wind, in order to meet the state’s goal of 50 percent renewable power by 2030.\u003cbr>\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-wHtHc\" src=\"//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wHtHc/5/\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" oallowfullscreen=\"oallowfullscreen\" msallowfullscreen=\"msallowfullscreen\" width=\"100%\" height=\"330\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add all that up and PG&E says it would only need to run Diablo Canyon at half-power in the future, which makes it financially infeasible to keep open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Diablo retires, PG&E will need to replace roughly 9,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity. (In California, it takes around 6,000 gigawatt-hours to power one million households for a year). Through improved energy efficiency, PG&E expects demand to fall by 2,000 gigawatt-hours by 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That leaves a gap of roughly 7,000 gigawatt-hours to make up for the year that Diablo’s reactors go offline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To bridge that gap, PG&E plans to significantly boost the renewable energy it uses by 2031. By six years after Diablo’s retirement, PG&E says it plans to be generating 55 percent renewable power, system-wide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even considering PG&E’s rapid renewable energy growth, some energy analysts say PG&E may need to turn to natural gas for the first few years after Diablo Canyon’s retirement, a move that could add to California’s greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Natural Gas as a ‘Bridge Fuel’\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They actually increase their dependence on gas-fired generation over a short time frame because that’s really the only option that’s available to them,” said Morris Greenberg, Managing Director of North American Power at \u003ca href=\"http://www.pira.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PIRA Energy Group\u003c/a>, an energy market research firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PIRA ran an analysis of the Western electric grid and found that while the use of natural gas is currently declining in Northern California, it could rise around 34 percent from 2023 to 2026 because of Diablo’s closure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_610986\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-610986 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/CAISO2.jpg\" alt=\"Grid operators balance California's transmission system on a minute-by-minute basis at the Independent System Operator.\" width=\"640\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/CAISO2.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/CAISO2-400x280.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grid operators balance California’s transmission system on a minute-by-minute basis at the Independent System Operator. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Greenberg says the analysis takes into account PG&E renewable energy goals, but not the exact specifics of the plan announced last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says there’s a reason it hasn’t spelled out exactly how it will replace Diablo’s power: it’s hard to predict how energy technology will change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I try to write down megawatt-hour by megawatt-hour what fills that gap in 2025 right now, that’s actually a losing strategy,” said Todd Strauss, PG&E’s senior director of energy policy planning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The proposal clearly recognizes there’s lots of other things that need to be done, but we shouldn’t specify it today,” he said. “We’re committed to having Diablo Canyon’s retirement not result in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions,” Strauss said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several of the environmental groups that signed on to PG&E’s closure plan say there is a risk of turning to natural gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re determined to avoid that,” said Ralph Cavanagh of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He says there are alternatives like using energy efficiency programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all going to work together to ensure that the fears of our adversaries are not realized: that anytime you lose a nuclear plant you automatically get an uptick in fossil fuels and pollution,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ups and Downs of Renewables\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solar and wind power that will eventually replace Diablo Canyon is carbon-free, but they only work when the sun is out and the wind is blowing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>As clouds cover the sun or the wind dies down, the power supply drops, creating fluctuations on the electric grid. To prevent widespread outages, the state’s grid operator, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.caiso.com/Pages/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California Independent System Operator\u003c/a> (ISO), has to have another source of energy ready to fill in the gap immediately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Generally, it’s been natural gas power plants, which can be turned up and down as needed. That means gas plants have to be run at the same time as renewables, because once turned off, they can take hours to turn back on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as more renewable energy comes online, running renewables, natural gas and other power sources all together sometimes creates more power than the state needs. At those times, the California ISO has to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/04/what-will-california-do-with-too-much-solar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">switch off solar farms\u003c/a> to avoid overloading the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Retiring Diablo Canyon could help with that problem. The nuclear plant is designed to run at a steady, constant level. Nuclear advocates have argued that the state needs this kind of “baseload” power. Others say shutting down Diablo could actually improve grid management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will reduce the need to curtail our solar power plants,” said Cavanagh. “The nuclear plant can’t be ramped up and down, so it’s occupying space on the grid that solar farms could occupy at much lower cost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>TOO MUCH RENEWABLE POWER\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> On a sunny day in March, some solar farms had to shut down because there was more power on the grid than Californians were using. \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"sharedaddy show-for-medium-up\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_611449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1730px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-611449\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/Solar_-Grid_Desktop.png\" alt=\"SOURCE: California ISO. \" width=\"1730\" height=\"1000\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SOURCE: California ISO. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"show-for-small-only\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_611442\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-611442 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/04/Solar_Grid_Mobile.png\" alt=\"SOURCE: California ISO\" width=\"750\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SOURCE: California ISO\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Natural Gas At the Ready\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as California approaches the legislative mandate of getting half its electricity from renewable sources, the grid will need more backup power ready to fill in when solar and wind power fluctuate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We could be at risk of running the gas fleet higher than we would otherwise run it,” said Laura Wisland of the Union of Concerned Scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wisland says there are a number of strategies to avoid that. Spreading solar and wind farms across a wide geographic area would prevent localized weather conditions, like cloud cover or lack of wind, from creating such large fluctuations on the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some solar farms and natural gas plants are also less flexible than they could be, because their contracts limit how often they can be turned down or turned off. Wisland says having fewer limits on that would make it easier for the grid operator to balance the ups and downs of renewable energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it plans to negotiate more flexible contracts with both new renewable projects and older ones whose contracts are expiring soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/11/too-much-solar-in-california-not-if-you-bottle-it/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Energy storage projects\u003c/a>, like large batteries, can also provide power to balance out solar and wind, so natural gas wouldn’t be needed as much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is also looking at \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/04/04/what-will-california-do-with-too-much-solar/\">joining its electric grid to other Western states\u003c/a>, so power can be shared more efficiently throughout the West. Instead of turning on more natural gas plants here, California could hypothetically look for clean power from other states instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E says it’s interested in those strategies, but state regulators must ultimately approve the decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There remains “a lot that is actually beyond PG&E, to be worked out at the California Public Utilities Commission, California ISO, and other California discussions,” says PG&E’s Strauss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If action occurs too late, then there may be some challenge to the reliability of the system,” he says. “But with a planned, deliberate approach with plenty of foresight, we’re going get reliability in the system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When they do sign up more renewables,” Wisland cautions, “they’re going to have to be much more aware of the integration challenges and be much more careful choosing renewables to minimize those challenges.”\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>PG&E says it will bring its plan to retire Diablo Canyon and replace it with clean energy before regulators later this year. When that happens, Wisland says, “It’s going to be up to everybody to hold them accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/801694/why-plans-to-replace-diablo-canyon-with-100-percent-clean-energy-could-fall-short",
"authors": [
"239"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_33",
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"tags": [
"science_136",
"science_283",
"science_140"
],
"featImg": "science_801697",
"label": "science"
},
"science_791538": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_791538",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "791538",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466788530000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466788530,
"format": "standard",
"title": "On This 4,400 Degree Exoplanet, It’s Always Day and Always Night",
"headTitle": "On This 4,400 Degree Exoplanet, It’s Always Day and Always Night | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>NASA’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/\">Spitzer Space Telescope\u003c/a> has recently mapped the surface temperatures of a “super-Earth,” giving us a rare glimpse into the environmental and weather conditions on a distant extrasolar planet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The exoplanet in question is called “55 Cancri e”— one of five exoplanets discovered orbiting the star 55 Cancri, about 40 light years away in the constellation Cancer. Of the five, “e” is the smallest — though still weighs in at about 8 times the mass of the Earth, and twice the diameter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>55 Cancri e is about 25 times closer to its star than Mercury is to our sun. At this tight distance it takes less than 18 hours to revolve once around its star — so, 55 Cancri e’s year is shorter than a day on Earth!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_791544\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-791544\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser.jpg\" alt=\"Artist concept of the super-Earth 55 Cancri e, which is about 25 times closer to its star than Mercury is from our sun. \" width=\"1280\" height=\"870\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-400x272.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-1180x802.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-960x653.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist concept of the super-Earth 55 Cancri e, which is about 25 times closer to its star than Mercury is from our sun. \u003ccite>(ESA, Hubble/M. Kornmesser)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since the planet is so close to its star, its rotation is most likely “locked” by gravitational tidal forces, so that the same side always faces the star — not unlike how the Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, always presenting the same face to us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/1869-ssc2016-01-NASA-s-Spitzer-Maps-Climate-Patterns-on-a-Super-Earth\">Spitzer made observations of the super-Earth \u003c/a>over several revolutions, which has allowed it to map heat variations over the entire surface (night side and day side) multiple times. This map has revealed some remarkable things about 55 Cancri e.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one, the permanently day-lit side of the planet has a peak temperature of about 4,400 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt lead, iron, silicon and many other substances. By contrast, temperatures on the hemisphere of never-ending night drop sharply to lows of only 2,060 degrees Fahrenheit — not exactly chilly, but low enough for lava to “freeze” into solid rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The huge difference in temperature between the day and night sides of 55 Cancri e tells us that the planet does not have an atmosphere capable of spreading heat evenly around the globe — which could mean little or no atmosphere, or an atmosphere that isn’t great at globally transporting heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, Venus possesses a super-thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas, which spreads heat with great efficiency to give Venus about the same (hot) temperature across its entire surface — day side, night side, equatorial zone and polar regions alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_791545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-791545\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge.jpg\" alt=\"Graph of the Spitzer Space Telescope's thermal map of the surface of exoplanet 55 Cancri e, revealing enormous temperature differences from day to night, and hot spot variations across its surface. \" width=\"1200\" height=\"813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-400x271.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-1180x799.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-960x650.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graph of the Spitzer Space Telescope’s thermal map of the surface of exoplanet 55 Cancri e, revealing enormous temperature differences from day to night, and hot spot variations across its surface. \u003ccite>( JPL-Caltech, University of Cambridge/NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Spitzer heat map also tells us that the day-side surface is likely to be inundated with rivers and large pools of molten lava — lava that under the extreme temperatures may behave in a “super-fluid” state, flowing more like the water in Earth’s oceans than the sluggish toothpaste crawl of much cooler Earthly lavas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the flip-side of the planet, where it is “chilly” enough for lava to solidify, we can envision a hot, dark landscape of solid lava rock—maybe under a brilliant starry sky, depending on the nature of any atmosphere 55 Cancri e may possess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We may also imagine a twilight zone between the two extreme hemispheres. Could we find landscape forms of solid rock and liquid lava, maybe a super-Earth, super-heated version of Norway’s fjords? Whatever the case, 55 Cancri e is definitely an imagination-teaser!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Further investigation by NASA’s up and coming \u003ca href=\"http://Graph%20of%20the%20Spitzer%20Space%20Telescope's%20thermal%20map%20of%20the%20surface%20of%20exoplanet%2055%20Cancri%20e,%20revealing%20enormous%20temperature%20differences%20from%20day%20to%20night,%20and%20hot%20spot%20variations%20across%20its%20surface.\">James Webb Space Telescope\u003c/a>, which will be larger than Hubble or Spitzer and make observations at infrared wavelengths, will reveal even more about this, and other, fascinating extrasolar worlds.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 659,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 14
},
"modified": 1704930014,
"excerpt": "NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has mapped the surface temperatures of a \"Super-Earth,\" giving us a rare glimpse into the environmental and weather conditions on a distant extrasolar planet. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has mapped the surface temperatures of a "Super-Earth," giving us a rare glimpse into the environmental and weather conditions on a distant extrasolar planet. ",
"title": "On This 4,400 Degree Exoplanet, It’s Always Day and Always Night | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "On This 4,400 Degree Exoplanet, It’s Always Day and Always Night",
"datePublished": "2016-06-24T10:15:30-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:14-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "on-this-4400-degree-exoplanet-its-always-day-and-always-night",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/791538/on-this-4400-degree-exoplanet-its-always-day-and-always-night",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>NASA’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/\">Spitzer Space Telescope\u003c/a> has recently mapped the surface temperatures of a “super-Earth,” giving us a rare glimpse into the environmental and weather conditions on a distant extrasolar planet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The exoplanet in question is called “55 Cancri e”— one of five exoplanets discovered orbiting the star 55 Cancri, about 40 light years away in the constellation Cancer. Of the five, “e” is the smallest — though still weighs in at about 8 times the mass of the Earth, and twice the diameter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>55 Cancri e is about 25 times closer to its star than Mercury is to our sun. At this tight distance it takes less than 18 hours to revolve once around its star — so, 55 Cancri e’s year is shorter than a day on Earth!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_791544\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-791544\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser.jpg\" alt=\"Artist concept of the super-Earth 55 Cancri e, which is about 25 times closer to its star than Mercury is from our sun. \" width=\"1280\" height=\"870\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-400x272.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-1180x802.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/ESA-Hubble-M.-Kornmesser-960x653.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist concept of the super-Earth 55 Cancri e, which is about 25 times closer to its star than Mercury is from our sun. \u003ccite>(ESA, Hubble/M. Kornmesser)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since the planet is so close to its star, its rotation is most likely “locked” by gravitational tidal forces, so that the same side always faces the star — not unlike how the Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, always presenting the same face to us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/1869-ssc2016-01-NASA-s-Spitzer-Maps-Climate-Patterns-on-a-Super-Earth\">Spitzer made observations of the super-Earth \u003c/a>over several revolutions, which has allowed it to map heat variations over the entire surface (night side and day side) multiple times. This map has revealed some remarkable things about 55 Cancri e.\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>For one, the permanently day-lit side of the planet has a peak temperature of about 4,400 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt lead, iron, silicon and many other substances. By contrast, temperatures on the hemisphere of never-ending night drop sharply to lows of only 2,060 degrees Fahrenheit — not exactly chilly, but low enough for lava to “freeze” into solid rock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The huge difference in temperature between the day and night sides of 55 Cancri e tells us that the planet does not have an atmosphere capable of spreading heat evenly around the globe — which could mean little or no atmosphere, or an atmosphere that isn’t great at globally transporting heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, Venus possesses a super-thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas, which spreads heat with great efficiency to give Venus about the same (hot) temperature across its entire surface — day side, night side, equatorial zone and polar regions alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_791545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-791545\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge.jpg\" alt=\"Graph of the Spitzer Space Telescope's thermal map of the surface of exoplanet 55 Cancri e, revealing enormous temperature differences from day to night, and hot spot variations across its surface. \" width=\"1200\" height=\"813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-400x271.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-1180x799.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/NASA-JPL-Caltech-University-of-Cambridge-960x650.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graph of the Spitzer Space Telescope’s thermal map of the surface of exoplanet 55 Cancri e, revealing enormous temperature differences from day to night, and hot spot variations across its surface. \u003ccite>( JPL-Caltech, University of Cambridge/NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Spitzer heat map also tells us that the day-side surface is likely to be inundated with rivers and large pools of molten lava — lava that under the extreme temperatures may behave in a “super-fluid” state, flowing more like the water in Earth’s oceans than the sluggish toothpaste crawl of much cooler Earthly lavas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the flip-side of the planet, where it is “chilly” enough for lava to solidify, we can envision a hot, dark landscape of solid lava rock—maybe under a brilliant starry sky, depending on the nature of any atmosphere 55 Cancri e may possess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We may also imagine a twilight zone between the two extreme hemispheres. Could we find landscape forms of solid rock and liquid lava, maybe a super-Earth, super-heated version of Norway’s fjords? Whatever the case, 55 Cancri e is definitely an imagination-teaser!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Further investigation by NASA’s up and coming \u003ca href=\"http://Graph%20of%20the%20Spitzer%20Space%20Telescope's%20thermal%20map%20of%20the%20surface%20of%20exoplanet%2055%20Cancri%20e,%20revealing%20enormous%20temperature%20differences%20from%20day%20to%20night,%20and%20hot%20spot%20variations%20across%20its%20surface.\">James Webb Space Telescope\u003c/a>, which will be larger than Hubble or Spitzer and make observations at infrared wavelengths, will reveal even more about this, and other, fascinating extrasolar worlds.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/791538/on-this-4400-degree-exoplanet-its-always-day-and-always-night",
"authors": [
"6180"
],
"categories": [
"science_28",
"science_40"
],
"tags": [
"science_19",
"science_584",
"science_5175"
],
"featImg": "science_791543",
"label": "science"
},
"science_796281": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_796281",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "796281",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466706159000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466706159,
"format": "standard",
"title": "California Bill Would Improve Water Supply by Restoring Forests",
"headTitle": "California Bill Would Improve Water Supply by Restoring Forests | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>It has been estimated that more than 60 percent of California’s freshwater comes from mountain storm runoff and snowmelt. Yet these mountain watersheds have never been officially recognized for their role in delivering and filtering this enormous share of the state’s vital water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">That may change soon. A bill in the state Legislature, \u003ca href=\"http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2480\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">AB 2480\u003c/span>\u003c/a>(authored by Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica), would officially recognize five critical Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds as important pieces of the state’s water infrastructure. It would enshrine in state policy the importance of restoring forests, meadows and streams in these watersheds, and make such projects eligible for state water-project grant funding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The bill was approved in the Assembly on June 2. Next up is a\u003ca href=\"http://sntr.senate.ca.gov/agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">hearing on June 28\u003c/span>\u003c/a> in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“It’s never been acknowledged before that watersheds are this important,” said Laurie Wayburn, president of \u003ca href=\"https://www.pacificforest.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Pacific Forest Trust\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that works to preserve privately owned forest lands and a sponsor of the bill. “Fundamentally, we have not been looking at our source watersheds for what they are, which is integral infrastructure for our water system.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">It has been recognized for several decades that \u003ca href=\"http://www.sierranevada.ca.gov/our-work/state-of-the-sierra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Sierra forests are in trouble\u003c/span>\u003c/a>. A century of fire suppression has left forests overcrowded with trees. Many of those trees are approximately the same age, an unnatural condition resulting from clearcut logging practices. Greater forest density not only poses more fire risk, but it also means more water consumption by trees.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The overgrown forests have encroached on the Sierra’s meadows, harming their function as natural sponges that absorb and filter storm runoff. Many meadows have also been degraded by livestock grazing. As a result, rainfall and snowmelt run off too quickly, resulting in erosion, diminished water quality and reduced groundwater recharge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Because of these and other factors, runoff from the Upper Feather River Watershed, \u003c/span>according to \u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rixrR_jRCwJ8AmLMnKnFYrlVfb-4Iy1-H8AnPKCa4zQ/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one estimate\u003c/a>,\u003c/span> has been reduced by 400,000 acre-feet (493 million cubic meters) annually. That’s more than 10 percent of the capacity of Lake Oroville downstream, and enough water to serve nearly 1 million households for a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The Feather River is one of five watersheds that would get special attention under AB 2480 because it feeds the state’s two largest reservoirs: Shasta and Oroville. Others are the Trinity, Pitt, McCloud and Sacramento rivers. In total, said Wayburn, these watersheds encompass some 7 million acres (2.8 million hectares), about 62 percent of which is publicly owned, mainly by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“There’s a real synergy where we can do good things for forests, and also do really vital things for watershed function,” Wayburn said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The bill states that projects in these watersheds may be eligible for state funding if they engage in vegetation management, meadow restoration, road removal and repair, and stream channel restoration.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">It also states that purchasing conservation easements to preserve private forest lands may be eligible for state funding to prevent “conversion and degradation” of these lands.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The bill has officially been supported by several conservation groups, including Audubon California, the California League of Conservation Voters, Defenders of Wildlife, Trust for Public Land and the Mono Lake Committee.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Others have expressed concern about the bill, although they have not yet announced any formal opposition.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Among them is Jonathan Kusel, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"http://sierrainstitute.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Sierra Institute for Community and Environment\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, which is based in the Feather River watershed. The bill’s emphasis on conservation easements causes him to worry that landowners will be paid to manage their forests for water supplies to the exclusion of other issues, such as wildlife habitat, greenhouse gas emissions and forest health.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">He would like to see the bill include prescriptions for forest management that would boost overall ecosystem health.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“Trying to manage just for water is as stupid as trying to manage for any other single output,” Kusel said. “We simply are not going to solve the problem and, in fact, we might do worse if what we do is only utilize conservation easements.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Katherine Evatt, president of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.foothillconservancy.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Foothill Conservancy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, shares this concern. She also noted that the bill \u003c/span>states projects may be eligible for funding if they show “a demonstrated likelihood of increasing conditions for water and snow attraction, retention and release.” This, she said, is a pretty weak test.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, some studies have suggested the Sierra could deliver more water if forested areas were cleared to create open space. The reasoning is that these areas would accumulate snowpack that would otherwise evaporate from the tree canopy. But the science on this is not robust, and it doesn’t take into consideration other effects on the ecosystem. Clearcuts also cause snow to melt too fast, because they are exposed to the sun, thereby generating more erosion. They also disturb wildlife habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“W\u003c/span>e don’t think the state should fund these projects until there is more evidence they can be done in an ecologically sound way,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">John Buckley, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cserc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, said the bill should be broadened to allow state funding of other Sierra watersheds, besides those that feed the Shasta and Oroville reservoirs. Several other rivers also serve millions of Californians and their watersheds could be considered equally important, including the Mokelumne, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Buckley also noted the legislation does not earmark any specific funding amounts for watershed projects, nor does it change any state policies to reform how forests are managed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s3\">“\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Although there is a very positive intent made clear in the bill for source watersheds to be better managed, the actual wording simply makes it a state policy that source watersheds should be ‘considered’ for financing to do positive maintenance and repair,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Wayburn said she is open to refinements in the bill as it moves forward. But she also defended it as written. In particular, she said the focus on conservation easements is appropriate, and the details will follow practices now common in the state for such easements, which require an emphasis on preserving social and environmental benefits.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">“\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The goals are pretty clear in the bill that it’s to enhance and to maintain watersheds,” she said. “You’re not looking at trying to support otherwise commercial activities.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The move to begin protecting Sierra watersheds got a boost last year when the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) released an important \u003ca href=\"http://www.acwa.com/Headwaters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">policy document\u003c/span>\u003c/a>. It recognizes the importance of mountain headwaters to the state, and calls for focused restoration efforts. The report is significant, because ACWA represents hundreds of water agencies that deliver 90 percent of California’s urban and agricultural water supplies.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Critics of AB 2480 are pleased to see the bill take this recognition a step further. But they’d like to see it do a bit more.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“It is perhaps one small mini-step for the California Assembly to recognize forests and watersheds as important components of the state’s overall water supply system,” Buckley said. “However, most 4th and 5th graders already learn that in elementary school. What is urgently needed … is significant mandated funding to actually achieve the desired source watershed enhancement.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article originally appeared on \u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.org/\">Water Deeply\u003c/a>, and you can find the original \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/06/23/bill-to-aid-water-supply-by-restoring-watersheds\">here\u003c/a>. For important news about the California drought, you can \u003ca href=\"http://nwsdp.ly/waterlist\">sign up to the Water Deeply email list\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1283,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 30
},
"modified": 1704930023,
"excerpt": "A bill in the California Legislature aims to improve water supplies by restoring key watersheds in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. Critics say that’s an important step, but the bill needs to go further.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A bill in the California Legislature aims to improve water supplies by restoring key watersheds in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. Critics say that’s an important step, but the bill needs to go further.",
"title": "California Bill Would Improve Water Supply by Restoring Forests | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "California Bill Would Improve Water Supply by Restoring Forests",
"datePublished": "2016-06-23T11:22:39-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:23-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-bill-would-improve-water-supply-by-restoring-forests",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/",
"nprByline": "Matt Weiser\u003c/br>Water Deeply",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Water Deeply",
"path": "/science/796281/california-bill-would-improve-water-supply-by-restoring-forests",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It has been estimated that more than 60 percent of California’s freshwater comes from mountain storm runoff and snowmelt. Yet these mountain watersheds have never been officially recognized for their role in delivering and filtering this enormous share of the state’s vital water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">That may change soon. A bill in the state Legislature, \u003ca href=\"http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2480\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">AB 2480\u003c/span>\u003c/a>(authored by Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica), would officially recognize five critical Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds as important pieces of the state’s water infrastructure. It would enshrine in state policy the importance of restoring forests, meadows and streams in these watersheds, and make such projects eligible for state water-project grant funding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The bill was approved in the Assembly on June 2. Next up is a\u003ca href=\"http://sntr.senate.ca.gov/agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">hearing on June 28\u003c/span>\u003c/a> in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“It’s never been acknowledged before that watersheds are this important,” said Laurie Wayburn, president of \u003ca href=\"https://www.pacificforest.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Pacific Forest Trust\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that works to preserve privately owned forest lands and a sponsor of the bill. “Fundamentally, we have not been looking at our source watersheds for what they are, which is integral infrastructure for our water system.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">It has been recognized for several decades that \u003ca href=\"http://www.sierranevada.ca.gov/our-work/state-of-the-sierra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Sierra forests are in trouble\u003c/span>\u003c/a>. A century of fire suppression has left forests overcrowded with trees. Many of those trees are approximately the same age, an unnatural condition resulting from clearcut logging practices. Greater forest density not only poses more fire risk, but it also means more water consumption by trees.\u003c/span>\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>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The overgrown forests have encroached on the Sierra’s meadows, harming their function as natural sponges that absorb and filter storm runoff. Many meadows have also been degraded by livestock grazing. As a result, rainfall and snowmelt run off too quickly, resulting in erosion, diminished water quality and reduced groundwater recharge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Because of these and other factors, runoff from the Upper Feather River Watershed, \u003c/span>according to \u003cspan class=\"s2\">\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rixrR_jRCwJ8AmLMnKnFYrlVfb-4Iy1-H8AnPKCa4zQ/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one estimate\u003c/a>,\u003c/span> has been reduced by 400,000 acre-feet (493 million cubic meters) annually. That’s more than 10 percent of the capacity of Lake Oroville downstream, and enough water to serve nearly 1 million households for a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The Feather River is one of five watersheds that would get special attention under AB 2480 because it feeds the state’s two largest reservoirs: Shasta and Oroville. Others are the Trinity, Pitt, McCloud and Sacramento rivers. In total, said Wayburn, these watersheds encompass some 7 million acres (2.8 million hectares), about 62 percent of which is publicly owned, mainly by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“There’s a real synergy where we can do good things for forests, and also do really vital things for watershed function,” Wayburn said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The bill states that projects in these watersheds may be eligible for state funding if they engage in vegetation management, meadow restoration, road removal and repair, and stream channel restoration.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">It also states that purchasing conservation easements to preserve private forest lands may be eligible for state funding to prevent “conversion and degradation” of these lands.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The bill has officially been supported by several conservation groups, including Audubon California, the California League of Conservation Voters, Defenders of Wildlife, Trust for Public Land and the Mono Lake Committee.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Others have expressed concern about the bill, although they have not yet announced any formal opposition.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Among them is Jonathan Kusel, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"http://sierrainstitute.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Sierra Institute for Community and Environment\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, which is based in the Feather River watershed. The bill’s emphasis on conservation easements causes him to worry that landowners will be paid to manage their forests for water supplies to the exclusion of other issues, such as wildlife habitat, greenhouse gas emissions and forest health.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">He would like to see the bill include prescriptions for forest management that would boost overall ecosystem health.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“Trying to manage just for water is as stupid as trying to manage for any other single output,” Kusel said. “We simply are not going to solve the problem and, in fact, we might do worse if what we do is only utilize conservation easements.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Katherine Evatt, president of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.foothillconservancy.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Foothill Conservancy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, shares this concern. She also noted that the bill \u003c/span>states projects may be eligible for funding if they show “a demonstrated likelihood of increasing conditions for water and snow attraction, retention and release.” This, she said, is a pretty weak test.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, some studies have suggested the Sierra could deliver more water if forested areas were cleared to create open space. The reasoning is that these areas would accumulate snowpack that would otherwise evaporate from the tree canopy. But the science on this is not robust, and it doesn’t take into consideration other effects on the ecosystem. Clearcuts also cause snow to melt too fast, because they are exposed to the sun, thereby generating more erosion. They also disturb wildlife habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“W\u003c/span>e don’t think the state should fund these projects until there is more evidence they can be done in an ecologically sound way,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">John Buckley, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cserc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, said the bill should be broadened to allow state funding of other Sierra watersheds, besides those that feed the Shasta and Oroville reservoirs. Several other rivers also serve millions of Californians and their watersheds could be considered equally important, including the Mokelumne, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Buckley also noted the legislation does not earmark any specific funding amounts for watershed projects, nor does it change any state policies to reform how forests are managed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s3\">“\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Although there is a very positive intent made clear in the bill for source watersheds to be better managed, the actual wording simply makes it a state policy that source watersheds should be ‘considered’ for financing to do positive maintenance and repair,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Wayburn said she is open to refinements in the bill as it moves forward. But she also defended it as written. In particular, she said the focus on conservation easements is appropriate, and the details will follow practices now common in the state for such easements, which require an emphasis on preserving social and environmental benefits.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s4\">“\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The goals are pretty clear in the bill that it’s to enhance and to maintain watersheds,” she said. “You’re not looking at trying to support otherwise commercial activities.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">The move to begin protecting Sierra watersheds got a boost last year when the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) released an important \u003ca href=\"http://www.acwa.com/Headwaters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">policy document\u003c/span>\u003c/a>. It recognizes the importance of mountain headwaters to the state, and calls for focused restoration efforts. The report is significant, because ACWA represents hundreds of water agencies that deliver 90 percent of California’s urban and agricultural water supplies.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Critics of AB 2480 are pleased to see the bill take this recognition a step further. But they’d like to see it do a bit more.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"s1\">“It is perhaps one small mini-step for the California Assembly to recognize forests and watersheds as important components of the state’s overall water supply system,” Buckley said. “However, most 4th and 5th graders already learn that in elementary school. What is urgently needed … is significant mandated funding to actually achieve the desired source watershed enhancement.”\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>\u003cem>This article originally appeared on \u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.org/\">Water Deeply\u003c/a>, and you can find the original \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/06/23/bill-to-aid-water-supply-by-restoring-watersheds\">here\u003c/a>. For important news about the California drought, you can \u003ca href=\"http://nwsdp.ly/waterlist\">sign up to the Water Deeply email list\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/796281/california-bill-would-improve-water-supply-by-restoring-forests",
"authors": [
"byline_science_796281"
],
"categories": [
"science_40",
"science_98"
],
"featImg": "science_796388",
"label": "source_science_796281"
},
"science_796263": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_796263",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "796263",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466705225000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466705225,
"format": "standard",
"title": "A Protein That Moves From Muscle to Brain May Tie Exercise to Memory",
"headTitle": "A Protein That Moves From Muscle to Brain May Tie Exercise to Memory | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Researchers have identified a substance in muscles that helps explain the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3786463/\">connection\u003c/a> between a fit body and a sharp mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When muscles work, they release a protein that appears to generate new cells and connections in a part of the brain that is critical to memory, a team \u003ca href=\"http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(16)30247-9\">reports\u003c/a> Thursday in the journal \u003cem>Cell Metabolism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The finding “provides another piece to the puzzle,” says \u003ca href=\"https://neuroscience.nih.gov/Faculty/Profile/henriette-van-praag.aspx\">Henriette van Praag\u003c/a>, an author of the study and an investigator in brain science at the National Institute on Aging. Previous research, she says, had revealed factors in the brain itself that responded to exercise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The discovery came after van Praag and a team of researchers decided to “cast a wide net” in searching for factors that could explain the well-known link between fitness and memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They began by looking for substances produced by muscle cells in response to exercise. That search turned up cathepsin B, a protein best known for its association with cell death and some diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experiments showed that blood levels of cathepsin B rose in mice that spent a lot of time on their exercise wheels. What’s more, as levels of the protein rose, the mice did better on a memory test in which they had to swim to a platform hidden just beneath the surface of a small pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team also found evidence that, in mice, cathepsin B was causing the growth of new cells and connections in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is central to memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the researchers needed to know whether the substance worked the same way in other species. So they tested monkeys, and found that exercise did, indeed, raise circulating levels of cathepsin in the blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next, they studied 43 people who hadn’t been getting much exercise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The people were university students that were couch potatoes — they didn’t exercise much,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.dzne.de/en/sites/magdeburg/research-groups/duezel.html\">Dr. Emrah Duzel\u003c/a>, a neurologist and team member from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Half the students remained sedentary. The other half began a regimen of tough treadmill workouts several times a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Within four months we really made them fit,” Duzel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, just like mice, the students who exercised saw their cathepsin B levels rise as their fitness improved. They also got better at a memory task: reproducing a geometric pattern they’d seen several minutes earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the clincher was the link between memory improvement and cathepsin levels, Duzel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those individuals that showed the largest gains in memory also were those that had the largest increase in cathepsin,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, cathepsin is probably just one of several factors linking exercise and brain function, van Praag says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think we have fully explained how exercise improves memory,” she says, “but I think we’ve made a significant step forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, cathepsin has a dark side. It’s produced by tumor cells and has been linked to the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s. So, trying to artificially raise levels might not be a good idea, van Praag says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However van Praag says she’s trying to keep her own cathepsin levels up naturally by jogging — when she can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It takes a lot of time and effort to do all this research,” she says. “So sometimes the exercise regimen suffers a little bit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+Protein+That+Moves+From+Muscle+To+Brain+May+Tie+Exercise+To+Memory&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 595,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 22
},
"modified": 1704930024,
"excerpt": "In mice, monkeys and people, exercise releases a protein called cathepsin B. And as blood and brain levels of this protein rise, memory gets better. But the protein has a dark side, too.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "In mice, monkeys and people, exercise releases a protein called cathepsin B. And as blood and brain levels of this protein rise, memory gets better. But the protein has a dark side, too.",
"title": "A Protein That Moves From Muscle to Brain May Tie Exercise to Memory | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "A Protein That Moves From Muscle to Brain May Tie Exercise to Memory",
"datePublished": "2016-06-23T11:07:05-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:24-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-protein-that-moves-from-muscle-to-brain-may-tie-exercise-to-memory",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.npr.org/",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=483245084&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Jon Hamilton\u003c/br>NPR",
"nprStoryDate": "Thu, 23 Jun 2016 13:33:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Thu, 23 Jun 2016 13:36:21 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/23/483245084/a-protein-that-moves-from-muscle-to-brain-may-tie-exercise-to-memory?ft=nprml&f=483245084",
"source": "NPR",
"nprStoryId": "483245084",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Thu, 23 Jun 2016 13:36:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/796263/a-protein-that-moves-from-muscle-to-brain-may-tie-exercise-to-memory",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Researchers have identified a substance in muscles that helps explain the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3786463/\">connection\u003c/a> between a fit body and a sharp mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When muscles work, they release a protein that appears to generate new cells and connections in a part of the brain that is critical to memory, a team \u003ca href=\"http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(16)30247-9\">reports\u003c/a> Thursday in the journal \u003cem>Cell Metabolism.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The finding “provides another piece to the puzzle,” says \u003ca href=\"https://neuroscience.nih.gov/Faculty/Profile/henriette-van-praag.aspx\">Henriette van Praag\u003c/a>, an author of the study and an investigator in brain science at the National Institute on Aging. Previous research, she says, had revealed factors in the brain itself that responded to exercise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The discovery came after van Praag and a team of researchers decided to “cast a wide net” in searching for factors that could explain the well-known link between fitness and memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They began by looking for substances produced by muscle cells in response to exercise. That search turned up cathepsin B, a protein best known for its association with cell death and some diseases.\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>Experiments showed that blood levels of cathepsin B rose in mice that spent a lot of time on their exercise wheels. What’s more, as levels of the protein rose, the mice did better on a memory test in which they had to swim to a platform hidden just beneath the surface of a small pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team also found evidence that, in mice, cathepsin B was causing the growth of new cells and connections in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is central to memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the researchers needed to know whether the substance worked the same way in other species. So they tested monkeys, and found that exercise did, indeed, raise circulating levels of cathepsin in the blood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next, they studied 43 people who hadn’t been getting much exercise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The people were university students that were couch potatoes — they didn’t exercise much,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.dzne.de/en/sites/magdeburg/research-groups/duezel.html\">Dr. Emrah Duzel\u003c/a>, a neurologist and team member from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Half the students remained sedentary. The other half began a regimen of tough treadmill workouts several times a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Within four months we really made them fit,” Duzel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, just like mice, the students who exercised saw their cathepsin B levels rise as their fitness improved. They also got better at a memory task: reproducing a geometric pattern they’d seen several minutes earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the clincher was the link between memory improvement and cathepsin levels, Duzel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those individuals that showed the largest gains in memory also were those that had the largest increase in cathepsin,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, cathepsin is probably just one of several factors linking exercise and brain function, van Praag says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think we have fully explained how exercise improves memory,” she says, “but I think we’ve made a significant step forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, cathepsin has a dark side. It’s produced by tumor cells and has been linked to the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s. So, trying to artificially raise levels might not be a good idea, van Praag says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However van Praag says she’s trying to keep her own cathepsin levels up naturally by jogging — when she can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It takes a lot of time and effort to do all this research,” she says. “So sometimes the exercise regimen suffers a little bit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+Protein+That+Moves+From+Muscle+To+Brain+May+Tie+Exercise+To+Memory&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/796263/a-protein-that-moves-from-muscle-to-brain-may-tie-exercise-to-memory",
"authors": [
"byline_science_796263"
],
"categories": [
"science_39",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_796277",
"label": "source_science_796263"
},
"science_796268": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_796268",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "796268",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466704946000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466704946,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Climate Change is Tipping Scales Toward More Wildfires",
"headTitle": "Climate Change is Tipping Scales Toward More Wildfires | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The 2016 \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/us-wildfires-one-map-20447\">wildfire season\u003c/a> has barely begun and dozens of large wildfires have already raged through Western states, with hundreds of thousands of acres burned. This comes on the heels of a 2015 wildfire season that was the worst on record in the U.S., with more than \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/2015-wildfire-season-sets-ominous-record-19879\">10 million acres burned\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are not just random events. Climate change is producing conditions ripe for wildfires, tipping the scales in favor of the dramatic increases in large wildfires we have seen across the West since the 1970s. Snowpack is melting earlier as \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/seasonal-warming-in-your-state-18608\">winter and spring temperatures rise\u003c/a>, and in most states an increasing percentage of winter precipitation is falling as rain, meaning there is often less snowpack to begin with. Summer temperatures are rising, particularly in Southwestern states, where the number of extremely hot days is steadily increasing, creating more days where forests and grasslands are dried out and ready to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, far below-average snowpack in California and the Pacific Northwest created exceptionally dry conditions across the West, and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/wildfires-burn-7-million-acres-19363\">region experienced fires\u003c/a> of a size rarely seen. Washington’s Okanogan Complex fire was the largest group of fires on record for the state. And multiple years of searing drought in California contributed to several fires that were among the state’s top 10 \u003ca href=\"http://wxshift.com/news/valley-butte-fires-some-of-the-most-destructive-in-california-history\">most destructive fires on record\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-796273\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/large-fires.jpg\" alt=\"large fires\" width=\"720\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/large-fires.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/large-fires-400x273.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">A Climate Central analysis of 45 years of U.S. Forest Service records from the western U.S. show that the number of large fires on Forest Service land is increasing dramatically. The area burned by these fires is also growing at an alarming rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Across the Western U.S., the average annual number of large fires (larger than 1,000 acres) burning each year has more than tripled between the 1970s and the 2010s.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The area burned by these fires has shown an even larger increase: in an average year, more than six times as many acres across the West were burned in the 2010s than in the 1970s.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The fire season is 105 days longer than it was in the 1970, and is approaching the point where the notion of a fire season will be made obsolete by the reality of year-round wildfires across the West.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The situation in some individual states is more extreme:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The average number of large fires burning each year on Forest Service land has increased at least 10-fold in the Northern Rocky Mountain states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In the Pacific Northwest, there are now five times as many large fires burning in a typical year in Washington as there were in the 1970s; in Oregon there are nearly seven times as many.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>And the conditions are likely to get worse in the next several decades. Climate Central’s States at Risk project analyzed historical climate data and downscaled climate projections from 29 different global climate models. We found that in most western states, the climate conditions that can stoke summer wildfires are projected to increase substantially in the relatively short period between now and 2050. Arizona is expected to see more than a month of additional high-risk fire days by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This analysis relies on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), a measure of the dryness of the top 8 inches of the forest floor, which serves as a proxy for the dryness of forest fuels. KBDI is one of a number of indicators of wildfire potential, but is commonly used by the U.S. Forest Service (along with other tools) to predict fire danger. The scale runs from 0 to 800.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our analysis found that the number of days with KBDI above 600 (a level at which the potential for wildfire is high) would increase significantly between now and 2050 in 10 of the western states if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. Across these 10 states, the total number of days with KBDI above 600 is \u003cstrong>projected to increase 46 percent\u003c/strong> between 2000 and 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although many factors influence the ignition and spread of wildfires, our KBDI projections suggest that the conditions suitable for more and larger fires will increase in the near- to midterm. This finding is consistent with other research on wildfire potential and burning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 719,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 12
},
"modified": 1704930026,
"excerpt": "Climate change is producing conditions ripe for wildfires, tipping the scales in favor of a dramatic increases in large wildfires.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Climate change is producing conditions ripe for wildfires, tipping the scales in favor of a dramatic increases in large wildfires.",
"title": "Climate Change is Tipping Scales Toward More Wildfires | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Climate Change is Tipping Scales Toward More Wildfires",
"datePublished": "2016-06-23T11:02:26-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:26-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "climate-change-is-tipping-scales-toward-more-wildfires",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"nprByline": "Climate Central",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Central",
"path": "/science/796268/climate-change-is-tipping-scales-toward-more-wildfires",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The 2016 \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/us-wildfires-one-map-20447\">wildfire season\u003c/a> has barely begun and dozens of large wildfires have already raged through Western states, with hundreds of thousands of acres burned. This comes on the heels of a 2015 wildfire season that was the worst on record in the U.S., with more than \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/2015-wildfire-season-sets-ominous-record-19879\">10 million acres burned\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are not just random events. Climate change is producing conditions ripe for wildfires, tipping the scales in favor of the dramatic increases in large wildfires we have seen across the West since the 1970s. Snowpack is melting earlier as \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/seasonal-warming-in-your-state-18608\">winter and spring temperatures rise\u003c/a>, and in most states an increasing percentage of winter precipitation is falling as rain, meaning there is often less snowpack to begin with. Summer temperatures are rising, particularly in Southwestern states, where the number of extremely hot days is steadily increasing, creating more days where forests and grasslands are dried out and ready to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2015, far below-average snowpack in California and the Pacific Northwest created exceptionally dry conditions across the West, and the \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/wildfires-burn-7-million-acres-19363\">region experienced fires\u003c/a> of a size rarely seen. Washington’s Okanogan Complex fire was the largest group of fires on record for the state. And multiple years of searing drought in California contributed to several fires that were among the state’s top 10 \u003ca href=\"http://wxshift.com/news/valley-butte-fires-some-of-the-most-destructive-in-california-history\">most destructive fires on record\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-796273\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/large-fires.jpg\" alt=\"large fires\" width=\"720\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/large-fires.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/06/large-fires-400x273.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">A Climate Central analysis of 45 years of U.S. Forest Service records from the western U.S. show that the number of large fires on Forest Service land is increasing dramatically. The area burned by these fires is also growing at an alarming rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Across the Western U.S., the average annual number of large fires (larger than 1,000 acres) burning each year has more than tripled between the 1970s and the 2010s.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The area burned by these fires has shown an even larger increase: in an average year, more than six times as many acres across the West were burned in the 2010s than in the 1970s.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The fire season is 105 days longer than it was in the 1970, and is approaching the point where the notion of a fire season will be made obsolete by the reality of year-round wildfires across the West.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The situation in some individual states is more extreme:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The average number of large fires burning each year on Forest Service land has increased at least 10-fold in the Northern Rocky Mountain states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In the Pacific Northwest, there are now five times as many large fires burning in a typical year in Washington as there were in the 1970s; in Oregon there are nearly seven times as many.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>And the conditions are likely to get worse in the next several decades. Climate Central’s States at Risk project analyzed historical climate data and downscaled climate projections from 29 different global climate models. We found that in most western states, the climate conditions that can stoke summer wildfires are projected to increase substantially in the relatively short period between now and 2050. Arizona is expected to see more than a month of additional high-risk fire days by 2050.\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 analysis relies on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), a measure of the dryness of the top 8 inches of the forest floor, which serves as a proxy for the dryness of forest fuels. KBDI is one of a number of indicators of wildfire potential, but is commonly used by the U.S. Forest Service (along with other tools) to predict fire danger. The scale runs from 0 to 800.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our analysis found that the number of days with KBDI above 600 (a level at which the potential for wildfire is high) would increase significantly between now and 2050 in 10 of the western states if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. Across these 10 states, the total number of days with KBDI above 600 is \u003cstrong>projected to increase 46 percent\u003c/strong> between 2000 and 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although many factors influence the ignition and spread of wildfires, our KBDI projections suggest that the conditions suitable for more and larger fires will increase in the near- to midterm. This finding is consistent with other research on wildfire potential and burning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/796268/climate-change-is-tipping-scales-toward-more-wildfires",
"authors": [
"byline_science_796268"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_796275",
"label": "source_science_796268"
},
"science_793825": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_793825",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "793825",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466622023000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466622023,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Oil Prices May Prove Costly to Climate Goals",
"headTitle": "Oil Prices May Prove Costly to Climate Goals | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When oil and gas prices go to extremes, such as when they crashed two years ago, scientists begin to \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/low-oil-prices-may-bode-ill-for-climate-18403\">look for answers\u003c/a>about what those prices mean for climate change — especially when cheap oil encourages people to \u003ca href=\"http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WGFUPUS2&f=4\">guzzle more gasoline\u003c/a> in less fuel-efficient vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"http://www.nature.com/articles/nenergy201677\">new study\u003c/a> shows that if oil and gas prices remain at either extreme — very high or very low — for long periods of time, they are likely to prevent countries from keeping global warming from exceeding 2°C (3.6°F). That’s especially the case if countries do not have climate policies, such as carbon pricing, that try to aggressively cap carbon emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If oil and gas prices remain low — less than $55 per barrel — for decades, it will be a disincentive to develop renewable energy and decarbonize the global economy, according to the research by the World Bank and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If oil and gas prices stay high for decades — $110 per barrel or more — oil demand still won’t be knocked down sufficiently to drastically reduce carbon emissions. High oil and gas prices encourage some renewables development, but their climate benefits are partially cancelled out by coal production. Coal gets a boost from high oil prices because it’s a cheaper alternative to natural gas, the research shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“High oil prices will not be a climate savior any more than low prices will lead to climate catastrophe,” said study lead author \u003ca href=\"http://www.iiasa.ac.at/staff/staff.php?type=auto&visibility=visible&search=true&login=mccollum\">David McCollum\u003c/a>, an IIASA researcher. “If the world is really serious about meeting the kind of tight carbon budgets that are required for 2°C or lower, then strong climate policy signals that put a sizeable price on carbon will be needed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carbon pricing is needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions during long periods of both low and high oil prices, he said. Cheap oil calls for a higher carbon price because there will be higher demand for fossil fuels and less incentive to develop renewables. Expensive oil calls for a lower carbon price because expanded renewables development will offset some of the emissions from increased coal production, the study says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study, published last week in the journal Nature Energy, also underscores the “surprising” importance of natural gas prices in finding a solution to climate change, said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ceres.org/about-us/experts/andrew-logan\">Andrew Logan\u003c/a>, director of the oil and gas program at business and climate think tank Cires, which is unaffiliated with the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Natural gas prices and oil prices historically rise and fall together — something known as “coupling,” which has significant climate implications. When oil prices are low as they are today, the corresponding low natural gas prices encourage electric utilities to build natural gas power plants and close their coal-fired power plants, which are major contributors to climate change. Natural gas emits about half the carbon as coal when used to generate electricity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study says that the coupling of oil and gas prices in the future is uncertain. But if coupling continues through a decades-long period of very high oil prices, carbon emissions will rise because expensive natural gas will encourage more coal to be used for electricity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conversely, if coupling continues through decades of low oil prices, the climate will benefit because coal won’t be able compete with cheap natural gas. But cheap oil is likely to slow the expansion of renewables, too, undermining the climate benefit of expanded natural gas production and countries’ ability to help decarbonize the global economy, the study says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From a climate perspective, a reduction in coal is a good thing, whereas a reduction in renewables is not so good,” McCollum said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logan said the study adds important nuance to what has been a long-standing debate over how much oil prices affect the transition to a low-carbon economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While this is just a single paper, it does suggest that we need to approach climate policy with an eye toward addressing the impacts of oil prices, particularly low oil prices,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/rob-jackson\">Rob Jackson\u003c/a>, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University who is unaffiliated with the study, said he questions the study’s assumption that oil and natural gas prices will rise and fall together for the foreseeable future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m unconvinced that natural gas and oil prices will stay so closely coupled,” he said, adding that more hydraulic fracturing and liquified natural gas terminals should reduce oil and gas prices’ dependence on one another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t tell how much natural gas might compete with coal and renewables in the future because the paper doesn’t include such a scenario,” Jackson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logan said that as oil has become a less important fuel for heating and electric power generation, there is no logical reason for oil and natural gas prices to be coupled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the shale gas revolution of the past decade and significant overcapacity in the global LNG (liquefied natural gas) market, the prices of the fuels have begun to decouple, and I suspect this trend will accelerate going forward,” Logan said. “What this paper underscores is that this change, in the near-term, has potentially significant and positive implications for the climate. Of course, in the longer term such a decoupling could prove damaging as sustained low natural gas prices are likely to hinder investment in clean energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 951,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 21
},
"modified": 1704930037,
"excerpt": "Extreme high or low oil prices could prevent countries from keeping global warming from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Extreme high or low oil prices could prevent countries from keeping global warming from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius. ",
"title": "Oil Prices May Prove Costly to Climate Goals | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Oil Prices May Prove Costly to Climate Goals",
"datePublished": "2016-06-22T12:00:23-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:37-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "oil-prices-may-prove-costly-to-climate-goals",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"nprByline": "Bobby McGill\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Central",
"path": "/science/793825/oil-prices-may-prove-costly-to-climate-goals",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When oil and gas prices go to extremes, such as when they crashed two years ago, scientists begin to \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/low-oil-prices-may-bode-ill-for-climate-18403\">look for answers\u003c/a>about what those prices mean for climate change — especially when cheap oil encourages people to \u003ca href=\"http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WGFUPUS2&f=4\">guzzle more gasoline\u003c/a> in less fuel-efficient vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"http://www.nature.com/articles/nenergy201677\">new study\u003c/a> shows that if oil and gas prices remain at either extreme — very high or very low — for long periods of time, they are likely to prevent countries from keeping global warming from exceeding 2°C (3.6°F). That’s especially the case if countries do not have climate policies, such as carbon pricing, that try to aggressively cap carbon emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If oil and gas prices remain low — less than $55 per barrel — for decades, it will be a disincentive to develop renewable energy and decarbonize the global economy, according to the research by the World Bank and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If oil and gas prices stay high for decades — $110 per barrel or more — oil demand still won’t be knocked down sufficiently to drastically reduce carbon emissions. High oil and gas prices encourage some renewables development, but their climate benefits are partially cancelled out by coal production. Coal gets a boost from high oil prices because it’s a cheaper alternative to natural gas, the research shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“High oil prices will not be a climate savior any more than low prices will lead to climate catastrophe,” said study lead author \u003ca href=\"http://www.iiasa.ac.at/staff/staff.php?type=auto&visibility=visible&search=true&login=mccollum\">David McCollum\u003c/a>, an IIASA researcher. “If the world is really serious about meeting the kind of tight carbon budgets that are required for 2°C or lower, then strong climate policy signals that put a sizeable price on carbon will be needed.”\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>Carbon pricing is needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions during long periods of both low and high oil prices, he said. Cheap oil calls for a higher carbon price because there will be higher demand for fossil fuels and less incentive to develop renewables. Expensive oil calls for a lower carbon price because expanded renewables development will offset some of the emissions from increased coal production, the study says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study, published last week in the journal Nature Energy, also underscores the “surprising” importance of natural gas prices in finding a solution to climate change, said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ceres.org/about-us/experts/andrew-logan\">Andrew Logan\u003c/a>, director of the oil and gas program at business and climate think tank Cires, which is unaffiliated with the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Natural gas prices and oil prices historically rise and fall together — something known as “coupling,” which has significant climate implications. When oil prices are low as they are today, the corresponding low natural gas prices encourage electric utilities to build natural gas power plants and close their coal-fired power plants, which are major contributors to climate change. Natural gas emits about half the carbon as coal when used to generate electricity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study says that the coupling of oil and gas prices in the future is uncertain. But if coupling continues through a decades-long period of very high oil prices, carbon emissions will rise because expensive natural gas will encourage more coal to be used for electricity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conversely, if coupling continues through decades of low oil prices, the climate will benefit because coal won’t be able compete with cheap natural gas. But cheap oil is likely to slow the expansion of renewables, too, undermining the climate benefit of expanded natural gas production and countries’ ability to help decarbonize the global economy, the study says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From a climate perspective, a reduction in coal is a good thing, whereas a reduction in renewables is not so good,” McCollum said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logan said the study adds important nuance to what has been a long-standing debate over how much oil prices affect the transition to a low-carbon economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While this is just a single paper, it does suggest that we need to approach climate policy with an eye toward addressing the impacts of oil prices, particularly low oil prices,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/rob-jackson\">Rob Jackson\u003c/a>, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University who is unaffiliated with the study, said he questions the study’s assumption that oil and natural gas prices will rise and fall together for the foreseeable future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m unconvinced that natural gas and oil prices will stay so closely coupled,” he said, adding that more hydraulic fracturing and liquified natural gas terminals should reduce oil and gas prices’ dependence on one another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t tell how much natural gas might compete with coal and renewables in the future because the paper doesn’t include such a scenario,” Jackson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logan said that as oil has become a less important fuel for heating and electric power generation, there is no logical reason for oil and natural gas prices to be coupled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the shale gas revolution of the past decade and significant overcapacity in the global LNG (liquefied natural gas) market, the prices of the fuels have begun to decouple, and I suspect this trend will accelerate going forward,” Logan said. “What this paper underscores is that this change, in the near-term, has potentially significant and positive implications for the climate. Of course, in the longer term such a decoupling could prove damaging as sustained low natural gas prices are likely to hinder investment in clean energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/793825/oil-prices-may-prove-costly-to-climate-goals",
"authors": [
"byline_science_793825"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_33",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_793827",
"label": "source_science_793825"
},
"science_793711": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_793711",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "793711",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466618885000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466618885,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Firefighters Wrangle With Dead Trees",
"headTitle": "Firefighters Wrangle With Dead Trees | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>With drought and climate change conspiring to push California’s summer wildfire season into premature overdrive, the state’s lead wildfire agency has acquired a multimillion dollar arsenal to help it cope with unprecedented numbers of dying trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California recently bought $6 million worth of chippers, mobile sawmills, portable incinerators and other equipment to help its firefighters remove some of the nearly 30 million trees that now stand dead across the state, killed by drought and insects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”srl1sitSyRbHBEYZziS1xACfvmC3MvLx”]The equipment is being used as parched southern California landscapes explode in the types of summertime flames that wouldn’t normally be expected until August. Grasses that fattened up following winter storms in central and northern California are expected to fuel major blazes in the weeks ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more time that goes by, the dryer the fuels are going to become,” said Tom Rolinski, a U.S. Forest Service meteorologist who \u003ca href=\"http://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/outlooks/outlooks.htm\">forecasts fire conditions\u003c/a> in southern California. “As this summer unfolds and we get into the August and September timeframes, the fuels are going to be that much dryer, and we’re probably going to see more intense fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, normally called CAL FIRE, which is charged with protecting tens of millions of acres of mostly private land, responded to about 250 fires last week — an unusually large number for mid-June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, CAL FIRE was working with other agencies to try to contain \u003ca href=\"http://abcnews.go.com/US/winds-hot-temps-fuel-fast-moving-fires-southern/story?id=40013024\">two major blazes\u003c/a> in southern California as firefighters in other southwestern states also battled big fires amid \u003ca href=\"http://wxshift.com/news/southwest-plains-to-roast-in-potentially-historic-heat-wave\">record-breaking heat\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires are being fueled by droughts exacerbated by warming temperatures, which scientists have \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-bully-california-drought-19354\">linked to climate change\u003c/a> and to the natural \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/west-coast-warming-natural-variability-18067\">whims of the weather\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Warming causes fuels to be drier than they would otherwise be,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, who researches ecology and climate change at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “Whether that corresponds to a large area burned for California this year will depend on human activities and individual weather events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as firefighters in California toil to battle the extraordinary blazes, they’re being forced to deal with another extraordinary phenomenon: the widespread \u003ca href=\"http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-fire-burners-battle-dead-tree-epidemic-39970342\">dying of trees\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 30 million trees across the state are estimated to have died, succumbing to attacks by beetles because of the weakening effects of drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the drought that sort of sets it off, and then it lets the beetles get out of hand,” said \u003ca href=\"http://faculty.ucmerced.edu/rbales/\">Roger Bales\u003c/a>, a professor at the University of California, Merced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Jerry Brown declared an emergency in the fall because of the unprecedented die-offs, helping to free up funds needed to remove and dispose of some of them. CAL FIRE hired hundreds of seasonal workers early this year to help remove dead trees and clear out other potential fuel for fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While ecologists value dead trees as natural assets that provide holes and logs needed by wildlife, firefighters view them as safety hazards that can crash down on roads, power lines and homes and that could potentially fuel bigger blazes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “scale of this tree die-off is unprecedented in modern history,” Brown’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/docs/10.30.15_Tree_Mortality_State_of_Emergency.pdf\">emergency declaration stated\u003c/a>, worsening wildfire risks and erosion threats and creating “life safety risks from falling trees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of ecologists formally objected to the emergency declaration, \u003ca href=\"http://johnmuirproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ScientistLetter2GovBrownRE2015Snags4Feb16.pdf\">arguing in a letter\u003c/a> to Brown that dead trees are natural and necessary parts of Californian landscapes. They pointed to a \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/wildfires-tied-to-drought-heat-topography-not-beetles-18817\">growing body of research\u003c/a> downplaying the wildfire hazards posed by trees killed by beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those ecologists, \u003ca href=\"http://johnmuirproject.org/about-us/\">Chad Hanson\u003c/a>, director of a small California nonprofit, says he agrees that dead trees that pose falling hazards should be removed. But he said trunks should be left on the ground to provide habitat instead of being incinerated or removed. “Once you fell the trees, they’re no longer a hazard,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summertime fires in California cause less property damage than the fires that are fanned by dry Santa Ana winds in the fall and winter, but they sap more firefighting resources, \u003ca href=\"http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094005\">research published last year\u003c/a> showed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were really trying to figure out how fires will change in southern California in the future,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=4971\">James Randerson\u003c/a>, a University of California, Irvine earth scientist who contributed to the study. “What we realized early on is that there are two distinct fire types.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the effects of climate change on Santa Ana winds fires remain riddled with uncertainty, scientists are generally convinced that the parching effects of global warming will lead to bigger, longer and more damaging summertime blazes in California — if they aren’t already doing so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That suggests the intense and early summer fire seasons in this and other recent drought-stricken years may have been less an aberration and more a bellwether of something that CAL FIRE officials frequently describe as a “new normal” for firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With more greenhouse gas pollution piling into the atmosphere daily, continuing to warm the planet toward a 2°F increase from preindustrial times, and with warmer weather exacerbating droughts, mass tree die-offs could become routine features of Western landscapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only would that eliminate or shrink some forests, driving them northward or uphill toward cooler climates, it could also force increasingly overworked firefighting agencies to juggle the additional routine task of managing dead trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CAL FIRE is focusing its tree removal efforts in areas where most trees have died and where the dead trees pose the most immediate dangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re focused on high hazard areas with the greatest threat to life safety and critical infrastructure,” CAL FIRE spokeswoman Janet Upton said. “There are literally hundreds of thousands of acres, and growing, affected by the unprecedented scope and magnitude of tree mortality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1009,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 27
},
"modified": 1704930038,
"excerpt": "California's overworked firefighters are being forced to take on another task — clearing dead trees.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "California's overworked firefighters are being forced to take on another task — clearing dead trees.",
"title": "Firefighters Wrangle With Dead Trees | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Firefighters Wrangle With Dead Trees",
"datePublished": "2016-06-22T11:08:05-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:38-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "firefighters-wrangle-with-dead-trees",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"nprByline": "John Upton\u003c/br>Climate Central",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Central",
"path": "/science/793711/firefighters-wrangle-with-dead-trees",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With drought and climate change conspiring to push California’s summer wildfire season into premature overdrive, the state’s lead wildfire agency has acquired a multimillion dollar arsenal to help it cope with unprecedented numbers of dying trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California recently bought $6 million worth of chippers, mobile sawmills, portable incinerators and other equipment to help its firefighters remove some of the nearly 30 million trees that now stand dead across the state, killed by drought and insects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>The equipment is being used as parched southern California landscapes explode in the types of summertime flames that wouldn’t normally be expected until August. Grasses that fattened up following winter storms in central and northern California are expected to fuel major blazes in the weeks ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more time that goes by, the dryer the fuels are going to become,” said Tom Rolinski, a U.S. Forest Service meteorologist who \u003ca href=\"http://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/outlooks/outlooks.htm\">forecasts fire conditions\u003c/a> in southern California. “As this summer unfolds and we get into the August and September timeframes, the fuels are going to be that much dryer, and we’re probably going to see more intense fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, normally called CAL FIRE, which is charged with protecting tens of millions of acres of mostly private land, responded to about 250 fires last week — an unusually large number for mid-June.\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>On Tuesday, CAL FIRE was working with other agencies to try to contain \u003ca href=\"http://abcnews.go.com/US/winds-hot-temps-fuel-fast-moving-fires-southern/story?id=40013024\">two major blazes\u003c/a> in southern California as firefighters in other southwestern states also battled big fires amid \u003ca href=\"http://wxshift.com/news/southwest-plains-to-roast-in-potentially-historic-heat-wave\">record-breaking heat\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires are being fueled by droughts exacerbated by warming temperatures, which scientists have \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-bully-california-drought-19354\">linked to climate change\u003c/a> and to the natural \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/west-coast-warming-natural-variability-18067\">whims of the weather\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Warming causes fuels to be drier than they would otherwise be,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/user/williams\">Park Williams\u003c/a>, who researches ecology and climate change at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “Whether that corresponds to a large area burned for California this year will depend on human activities and individual weather events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as firefighters in California toil to battle the extraordinary blazes, they’re being forced to deal with another extraordinary phenomenon: the widespread \u003ca href=\"http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-fire-burners-battle-dead-tree-epidemic-39970342\">dying of trees\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 30 million trees across the state are estimated to have died, succumbing to attacks by beetles because of the weakening effects of drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the drought that sort of sets it off, and then it lets the beetles get out of hand,” said \u003ca href=\"http://faculty.ucmerced.edu/rbales/\">Roger Bales\u003c/a>, a professor at the University of California, Merced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Jerry Brown declared an emergency in the fall because of the unprecedented die-offs, helping to free up funds needed to remove and dispose of some of them. CAL FIRE hired hundreds of seasonal workers early this year to help remove dead trees and clear out other potential fuel for fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While ecologists value dead trees as natural assets that provide holes and logs needed by wildlife, firefighters view them as safety hazards that can crash down on roads, power lines and homes and that could potentially fuel bigger blazes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “scale of this tree die-off is unprecedented in modern history,” Brown’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/docs/10.30.15_Tree_Mortality_State_of_Emergency.pdf\">emergency declaration stated\u003c/a>, worsening wildfire risks and erosion threats and creating “life safety risks from falling trees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of ecologists formally objected to the emergency declaration, \u003ca href=\"http://johnmuirproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ScientistLetter2GovBrownRE2015Snags4Feb16.pdf\">arguing in a letter\u003c/a> to Brown that dead trees are natural and necessary parts of Californian landscapes. They pointed to a \u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/news/wildfires-tied-to-drought-heat-topography-not-beetles-18817\">growing body of research\u003c/a> downplaying the wildfire hazards posed by trees killed by beetles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those ecologists, \u003ca href=\"http://johnmuirproject.org/about-us/\">Chad Hanson\u003c/a>, director of a small California nonprofit, says he agrees that dead trees that pose falling hazards should be removed. But he said trunks should be left on the ground to provide habitat instead of being incinerated or removed. “Once you fell the trees, they’re no longer a hazard,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summertime fires in California cause less property damage than the fires that are fanned by dry Santa Ana winds in the fall and winter, but they sap more firefighting resources, \u003ca href=\"http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094005\">research published last year\u003c/a> showed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were really trying to figure out how fires will change in southern California in the future,” said \u003ca href=\"http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=4971\">James Randerson\u003c/a>, a University of California, Irvine earth scientist who contributed to the study. “What we realized early on is that there are two distinct fire types.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the effects of climate change on Santa Ana winds fires remain riddled with uncertainty, scientists are generally convinced that the parching effects of global warming will lead to bigger, longer and more damaging summertime blazes in California — if they aren’t already doing so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That suggests the intense and early summer fire seasons in this and other recent drought-stricken years may have been less an aberration and more a bellwether of something that CAL FIRE officials frequently describe as a “new normal” for firefighters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With more greenhouse gas pollution piling into the atmosphere daily, continuing to warm the planet toward a 2°F increase from preindustrial times, and with warmer weather exacerbating droughts, mass tree die-offs could become routine features of Western landscapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only would that eliminate or shrink some forests, driving them northward or uphill toward cooler climates, it could also force increasingly overworked firefighting agencies to juggle the additional routine task of managing dead trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CAL FIRE is focusing its tree removal efforts in areas where most trees have died and where the dead trees pose the most immediate dangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re focused on high hazard areas with the greatest threat to life safety and critical infrastructure,” CAL FIRE spokeswoman Janet Upton said. “There are literally hundreds of thousands of acres, and growing, affected by the unprecedented scope and magnitude of tree mortality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.climatecentral.org/\">Climate Central\u003c/a> \u003cem>is an independent organization that researches and reports on climate change.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/793711/firefighters-wrangle-with-dead-trees",
"authors": [
"byline_science_793711"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"tags": [
"science_5194",
"science_113"
],
"featImg": "science_793714",
"label": "source_science_793711"
},
"science_791542": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_791542",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "791542",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466551579000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466551579,
"format": "standard",
"title": "The End of An Era, California to Close Last Nuclear Power Plant",
"headTitle": "The End of An Era, California to Close Last Nuclear Power Plant | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California’s last nuclear power plant is scheduled to close. Pacific Gas and Electric announced Tuesday that Diablo Canyon will shut down before the end of its useful life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a big win for some environmentalists. But others say the utility is giving up on a clean energy source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”Cx1UQX5U50o9Pn6qohuTAzdJIFLTUaNO”]For Linda Seeley, the end of nuclear power in California is something she’s been championing for 40 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right out there we’ve got tons of highly radioactive waste, sitting,” says Seeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seeley and I are at the front gate of the Diablo Canyon power plant. It’s right on the coast in Central California. Seeley is with a group called \u003ca href=\"https://mothersforpeace.org/data/AboutUs\">Mothers for Peace\u003c/a> and she was one of thousands of protestors here in the early 1980s trying to stop the nuclear plant from opening. Right now, she’s inching her foot across a blue line on the pavement that says no trespassing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you wanted to commit civil disobedience you would intentionally walk across the blue line,” says Seeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which Seeley did and was arrested twice (even Governor Jerry Brown showed up to support the protesters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s been fighting nuclear ever since, because she sees safety risks, like the ones at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident.aspx\">Fukushima Daiichi plant \u003c/a>that melted down in Japan five years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It confirmed her worst fears about nuclear safety. Diablo Canyon is sitting next to earthquake faults and the nuclear waste is stored on site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the ultimate act of hubris to create some kind of waste that you don’t know what to do with, that is toxic,” says Seeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some other environmentalists, like Michael Shellenberger, have changed their mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nuclear is just a huge part of moving towards a cleaner electrical system,” says Shellenberger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-1FJsz\" src=\"//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1FJsz/4/\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" oallowfullscreen=\"oallowfullscreen\" msallowfullscreen=\"msallowfullscreen\" width=\"100%\" height=\"617\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shellenberger is a long-time environmental activist who started his own organization because he thinks nuclear power can be one solution to climate change. Nuclear doesn’t put out carbon dioxide, like burning coal and natural gas do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You start to have these questions about who you are. I’m feeling really attracted to nuclear power now and I’m feeling a little shame about it,” says Shellenberger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He tried to save Diablo Canyon, but \u003ca href=\"http://www.pge.com/\">Pacific Gas and Electric\u003c/a> plans to shut it down in nine years. The utility is switching to renewable energy, like solar and wind, at other sites around California – as state policy requires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shellenberger has his doubts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You cannot power the world on wind and solar,” says Shellenberger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wind and solar only work when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, so California fills in the gaps with power from fossil fuels, like natural gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another environmentalist — Ralph Cavanagh with the Natural Resources Defense Council — who was involved with the PG&E negotiations said turning to dirtier fuels is not the goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re determined to avoid that,” says Cavanagh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all going to work together to ensure that the fears of our adversaries are not realized — that anytime you lose a nuclear plant you automatically get an uptick in fossil fuels and pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cavanagh says there’s still more to be done — like adding more energy storage to the grid, like big batteries. They would make up for the ups and downs of solar energy, instead of using natural gas power plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But supporters of Diablo Canyon say their fight is far from over. The plan to close the nuclear plant and install more renewables still has to be approved by state regulators.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 643,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1FJsz/4/"
],
"paragraphCount": 26
},
"modified": 1704930042,
"excerpt": "California's largest public utility said it plans to close the state's last nuclear power plant by 2025.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "California's largest public utility said it plans to close the state's last nuclear power plant by 2025.",
"title": "The End of An Era, California to Close Last Nuclear Power Plant | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The End of An Era, California to Close Last Nuclear Power Plant",
"datePublished": "2016-06-21T16:26:19-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:42-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-end-of-an-era-california-to-close-last-nuclear-power-plant",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/791542/the-end-of-an-era-california-to-close-last-nuclear-power-plant",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s last nuclear power plant is scheduled to close. Pacific Gas and Electric announced Tuesday that Diablo Canyon will shut down before the end of its useful life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a big win for some environmentalists. But others say the utility is giving up on a clean energy source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>For Linda Seeley, the end of nuclear power in California is something she’s been championing for 40 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right out there we’ve got tons of highly radioactive waste, sitting,” says Seeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seeley and I are at the front gate of the Diablo Canyon power plant. It’s right on the coast in Central California. Seeley is with a group called \u003ca href=\"https://mothersforpeace.org/data/AboutUs\">Mothers for Peace\u003c/a> and she was one of thousands of protestors here in the early 1980s trying to stop the nuclear plant from opening. Right now, she’s inching her foot across a blue line on the pavement that says no trespassing.\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>“When you wanted to commit civil disobedience you would intentionally walk across the blue line,” says Seeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which Seeley did and was arrested twice (even Governor Jerry Brown showed up to support the protesters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s been fighting nuclear ever since, because she sees safety risks, like the ones at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident.aspx\">Fukushima Daiichi plant \u003c/a>that melted down in Japan five years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It confirmed her worst fears about nuclear safety. Diablo Canyon is sitting next to earthquake faults and the nuclear waste is stored on site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the ultimate act of hubris to create some kind of waste that you don’t know what to do with, that is toxic,” says Seeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some other environmentalists, like Michael Shellenberger, have changed their mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nuclear is just a huge part of moving towards a cleaner electrical system,” says Shellenberger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-1FJsz\" src=\"//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1FJsz/4/\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" oallowfullscreen=\"oallowfullscreen\" msallowfullscreen=\"msallowfullscreen\" width=\"100%\" height=\"617\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shellenberger is a long-time environmental activist who started his own organization because he thinks nuclear power can be one solution to climate change. Nuclear doesn’t put out carbon dioxide, like burning coal and natural gas do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You start to have these questions about who you are. I’m feeling really attracted to nuclear power now and I’m feeling a little shame about it,” says Shellenberger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He tried to save Diablo Canyon, but \u003ca href=\"http://www.pge.com/\">Pacific Gas and Electric\u003c/a> plans to shut it down in nine years. The utility is switching to renewable energy, like solar and wind, at other sites around California – as state policy requires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shellenberger has his doubts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You cannot power the world on wind and solar,” says Shellenberger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wind and solar only work when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, so California fills in the gaps with power from fossil fuels, like natural gas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another environmentalist — Ralph Cavanagh with the Natural Resources Defense Council — who was involved with the PG&E negotiations said turning to dirtier fuels is not the goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re determined to avoid that,” says Cavanagh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all going to work together to ensure that the fears of our adversaries are not realized — that anytime you lose a nuclear plant you automatically get an uptick in fossil fuels and pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cavanagh says there’s still more to be done — like adding more energy storage to the grid, like big batteries. They would make up for the ups and downs of solar energy, instead of using natural gas power plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But supporters of Diablo Canyon say their fight is far from over. The plan to close the nuclear plant and install more renewables still has to be approved by state regulators.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/791542/the-end-of-an-era-california-to-close-last-nuclear-power-plant",
"authors": [
"239"
],
"categories": [
"science_33",
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"featImg": "science_791669",
"label": "science"
},
"science_790997": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_790997",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "790997",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1466526622000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1466526622,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Will Water Sector Help or Hurt on Climate Change?",
"headTitle": "Will Water Sector Help or Hurt on Climate Change? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California has been diligently trying to reduce use of fossil fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 350, which requires 50 percent of the electricity from utilities to come from renewable sources by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just energy utilities that can add more renewables to their portfolios – water suppliers can, as well, although they aren’t mandated to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes a lot of energy to pump, treat and deliver drinking water, and to treat and dispose of wastewater. Some water travels hundreds of miles from source to tap. Currently, 20 percent of California’s electricity is used by the water sector. And that may increase in the future as more energy will be required to pump groundwater from greater depths and to desalinate or treat recycled water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The water sector is at a crossroads,” said Juliet Christian-Smith, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It can become part of the climate problem or part of the solution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Embracing the Solution\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some water suppliers are already incorporating clean energy into their portfolios. At the top of the list is the Sonoma County Water Agency, which, as of last year, is getting 100 percent of its electricity from \u003ca href=\"http://www.scwa.ca.gov/carbon-free-water/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">carbon-free sources\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They achieved it through power contracting and building a few of their own projects, said Cordel Stillman, the deputy chief engineer of the agency. “We still have emissions from our treatment plants and our vehicle fleets, but as far as electricity is concerned, we have zero greenhouse gas emissions,” said Stillman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They didn’t achieve the feat on their own. “We belong to a Joint Powers Authority – it’s a group of 13 water agencies and irrigation districts in the state,” he said. “We joined together to pool water resources and power resources so this gives us the ability to contract the power sources that we want – we don’t have to take what PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) or someone else gives us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency may get to achieve another first in California next year – the country’s largest floating solar project. Flat land in Sonoma County has a high value for growing premium grapes and the rolling hills are valued for their aesthetics, so the water agency decided to greenlight a project to put solar panels on floating docks on four holding ponds used to store recycled water. The ponds are bermed (surrounded by mounds of earth) so the panels are not visible from a distance and the panels help prevent evaporation on the ponds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stillman said the project is likely to be running by next year and supplying 9MW of electricity, most of which is contracted to go to Sonoma Clean Power, the local electricity provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), which has 24 member agencies, may soon follow suit. It is looking at doing 6MW of floating solar on one of its reservoirs. But the agency is already employing other sources of renewable energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a water-energy nexus,” said Kelly Rodgers, the energy program manager for SDCWA. “We actually formed an energy program about a year ago, just because we realized that a large part of treating and delivering water is the cost of the energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SDCWA has solar panels on three of its facilities – two office buildings and a water treatment plant. The panels are part of a power purchase agreement with \u003ca href=\"http://www.borregosolar.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Borrego Solar\u003c/a>, which means that the water agency had no upfront costs and there’s no equipment to maintain. “Over 20 years, we are saving about $5.6 million,” said Rodgers. “It was a no-cost capital investment for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also employs in-line hydro at the Rancho Penasquitos Pressure Control and Hydroelectric Facility, which is able to produce 2.5MW by harnessing the energy in a pressurized water pipeline that is part of the water delivery network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically it is pure green energy,” said Rodgers. “It just takes excess pressure and spins turbines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This clean energy is estimated to reduce emissions of sulfur and nitrous oxide each year by 200 tons and reduce 60,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. SDCWA also sells power to San Diego Gas and Electric – enough clean energy for roughly 5,000 homes, which also earns SDCWA $1 million in revenue annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water agency is evaluating three additional sites for in-line hydro and it has plans to install batteries at several facilities that will store power to use when the grid is at peak demand, saving about $100,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other water suppliers throughout the state have also bumped up their use of clean energy in other ways. East Bay Municipal Utility District utilizes its waste stream – capturing the biogas as microorganisms break down food scraps, and waste from sewage, wineries and poultry farms. The energy captured helps to power the wastewater treatment plant and excess energy is sold back to the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Inland Empire Utilities Agency also generates 2.8MW of electricity from biogas fuel cells, as well as 3.5MW from solar and 1MW from wind – accounting for more than half the peak energy demand of the agency. But the ultimate goal is much higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By 2020 the agency is “trying to achieve peak power independence – being independent from the grid during peak periods, so during the middle of the day in the summer we can generate enough renewables that we could ease the demand on the grid,” said Jesse Pompa, a senior engineer at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help with that, the agency is employing batteries. “What the batteries allow us to do is to optimize the power generated from the renewables,” said Pompa. “We have time-of-use pricing from Southern California Edison, so we can charge the batteries when it’s most economical and we can discharge and use the power to avoid the higher cost of power at different times of the day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speed Bumps Ahead\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some water suppliers are on board with using renewables – seeing the environmental and economic value. But, besides a few standouts, is there more widespread adoption across the sector?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s impossible to know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now electric utilities are required to disclose the source of their electricity mix – how much is coal, natural gas, solar, hydro, etc. But there is no such requirement for the electricity used by water or wastewater utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could change, though. California \u003ca href=\"http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1425\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Senate Bill 1425\u003c/a>, introduced by Sen. Fran Pavley, would create a registry to collect data on greenhouse gas emissions from energy use by the water sector. The bill has passed the Senate and moved to the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It starts voluntary reporting on the energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions for water suppliers at a utility scale,” said Christian-Smith. “If we want to make informed decisions and find areas that meet our climate and water efficiency goals, we need this kind of information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without this data, “it is much more difficult for water utilities themselves to identify clean energy opportunities that may help them save money and protect their ratepayers from uncertainty due to climate change or fossil fuel price volatility,” wrote Christian-Smith and Laura Wisland in a \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/04/clean-energy-opportunities-in-california-water-sector.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report\u003c/a> last year from the Union of Concerned Scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now the only information that’s available on the breakdown of energy use in the water sector are the handful of water utilities that are also electricity providers. And among those, Christian-Smith said, the amount of clean energy used varies greatly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are other reasons it can be hard for water suppliers to add more clean energy. “It’s not really articled as being within the purview of their work,” said Christian-Smith. “So it requires getting new info, new skills, entering into power purchase agreements or partnerships with electricity providers – that can be difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are also physical hurdles. Wastewater treatment plants can produce biogas, but getting interconnections to sell it back to gas companies can be tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, she said, the water sector lacks a clear roadmap of the path to clean energy – while the sector itself is fragmented. California’s energy market is dominated by a handful of large investor-owned utility companies. But for water there are thousands of providers in the state and many are publicly owned. “It’s a really different institutional structure,” she said. “It can be difficult to create a program and have it apply broadly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Publicly owned utilities often don’t carry large profits from year to year and may not have the cash on hand to meet upfront costs, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The economics are always very difficult,” said Pompa. “As a public agency our goal is not just to throw as many renewables at the wall, but to do it in a cost-effective manner.” What Inland Empire Utilities Agency and others have found most effective are power purchase agreements with energy companies that don’t require any capital outlay. “That’s what allowed us to get all the renewables in at a competitive price – solar, wind and fuel cells,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If done right, moving to renewables could be an economic boon for water suppliers, in addition to helping the state meet its climate goals. “Renewables lock in a stable energy cost,” said Christian-Smith, which is important because water utilities can’t easily or quickly change water rates if there are fluctuations in the fossil fuel energy market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it can even help generate income. “Participating in the clean energy transition can open up new revenue sources for the water sector, including the sale of excess renewable electricity or receipt of renewable energy credits, cap-and-trade proceeds, payments for providing grid services and fees for accepting organic wastes for renewable energy generation,” said the Union of Concerned Scientists’ report. “The water sector is poised to become a greater part of the energy and climate solution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“This article originally appeared on \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Water Deeply\u003c/a>, and you can find it \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/06/21/will-water-sector-help-or-hurt-on-climate-change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a>. For important news about the California drought, you can \u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b78e9a34ff7443ec1e8c62c6&id=2947becb78\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sign up\u003c/a> to the Water Deeply email list.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1779,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 39
},
"modified": 1704930044,
"excerpt": "Water and wastewater suppliers use 20 percent of California’s electricity. If more clean energy is used, this presents a big opportunity for the state to move toward meeting its climate goals and for water utilities to realize new economic benefits.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Water and wastewater suppliers use 20 percent of California’s electricity. If more clean energy is used, this presents a big opportunity for the state to move toward meeting its climate goals and for water utilities to realize new economic benefits.",
"title": "Will Water Sector Help or Hurt on Climate Change? | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Will Water Sector Help or Hurt on Climate Change?",
"datePublished": "2016-06-21T09:30:22-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:40:44-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "will-water-sector-help-or-hurt-on-climate-change",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/",
"nprByline": "Tara Lohan\u003c/br>Water Deeply",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Water Deeply",
"path": "/science/790997/will-water-sector-help-or-hurt-on-climate-change",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California has been diligently trying to reduce use of fossil fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 350, which requires 50 percent of the electricity from utilities to come from renewable sources by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just energy utilities that can add more renewables to their portfolios – water suppliers can, as well, although they aren’t mandated to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes a lot of energy to pump, treat and deliver drinking water, and to treat and dispose of wastewater. Some water travels hundreds of miles from source to tap. Currently, 20 percent of California’s electricity is used by the water sector. And that may increase in the future as more energy will be required to pump groundwater from greater depths and to desalinate or treat recycled water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The water sector is at a crossroads,” said Juliet Christian-Smith, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It can become part of the climate problem or part of the solution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Embracing the Solution\u003c/strong>\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>Some water suppliers are already incorporating clean energy into their portfolios. At the top of the list is the Sonoma County Water Agency, which, as of last year, is getting 100 percent of its electricity from \u003ca href=\"http://www.scwa.ca.gov/carbon-free-water/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">carbon-free sources\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They achieved it through power contracting and building a few of their own projects, said Cordel Stillman, the deputy chief engineer of the agency. “We still have emissions from our treatment plants and our vehicle fleets, but as far as electricity is concerned, we have zero greenhouse gas emissions,” said Stillman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They didn’t achieve the feat on their own. “We belong to a Joint Powers Authority – it’s a group of 13 water agencies and irrigation districts in the state,” he said. “We joined together to pool water resources and power resources so this gives us the ability to contract the power sources that we want – we don’t have to take what PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) or someone else gives us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency may get to achieve another first in California next year – the country’s largest floating solar project. Flat land in Sonoma County has a high value for growing premium grapes and the rolling hills are valued for their aesthetics, so the water agency decided to greenlight a project to put solar panels on floating docks on four holding ponds used to store recycled water. The ponds are bermed (surrounded by mounds of earth) so the panels are not visible from a distance and the panels help prevent evaporation on the ponds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stillman said the project is likely to be running by next year and supplying 9MW of electricity, most of which is contracted to go to Sonoma Clean Power, the local electricity provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), which has 24 member agencies, may soon follow suit. It is looking at doing 6MW of floating solar on one of its reservoirs. But the agency is already employing other sources of renewable energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is a water-energy nexus,” said Kelly Rodgers, the energy program manager for SDCWA. “We actually formed an energy program about a year ago, just because we realized that a large part of treating and delivering water is the cost of the energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SDCWA has solar panels on three of its facilities – two office buildings and a water treatment plant. The panels are part of a power purchase agreement with \u003ca href=\"http://www.borregosolar.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Borrego Solar\u003c/a>, which means that the water agency had no upfront costs and there’s no equipment to maintain. “Over 20 years, we are saving about $5.6 million,” said Rodgers. “It was a no-cost capital investment for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also employs in-line hydro at the Rancho Penasquitos Pressure Control and Hydroelectric Facility, which is able to produce 2.5MW by harnessing the energy in a pressurized water pipeline that is part of the water delivery network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically it is pure green energy,” said Rodgers. “It just takes excess pressure and spins turbines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This clean energy is estimated to reduce emissions of sulfur and nitrous oxide each year by 200 tons and reduce 60,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. SDCWA also sells power to San Diego Gas and Electric – enough clean energy for roughly 5,000 homes, which also earns SDCWA $1 million in revenue annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water agency is evaluating three additional sites for in-line hydro and it has plans to install batteries at several facilities that will store power to use when the grid is at peak demand, saving about $100,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other water suppliers throughout the state have also bumped up their use of clean energy in other ways. East Bay Municipal Utility District utilizes its waste stream – capturing the biogas as microorganisms break down food scraps, and waste from sewage, wineries and poultry farms. The energy captured helps to power the wastewater treatment plant and excess energy is sold back to the grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Inland Empire Utilities Agency also generates 2.8MW of electricity from biogas fuel cells, as well as 3.5MW from solar and 1MW from wind – accounting for more than half the peak energy demand of the agency. But the ultimate goal is much higher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By 2020 the agency is “trying to achieve peak power independence – being independent from the grid during peak periods, so during the middle of the day in the summer we can generate enough renewables that we could ease the demand on the grid,” said Jesse Pompa, a senior engineer at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help with that, the agency is employing batteries. “What the batteries allow us to do is to optimize the power generated from the renewables,” said Pompa. “We have time-of-use pricing from Southern California Edison, so we can charge the batteries when it’s most economical and we can discharge and use the power to avoid the higher cost of power at different times of the day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speed Bumps Ahead\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some water suppliers are on board with using renewables – seeing the environmental and economic value. But, besides a few standouts, is there more widespread adoption across the sector?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s impossible to know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now electric utilities are required to disclose the source of their electricity mix – how much is coal, natural gas, solar, hydro, etc. But there is no such requirement for the electricity used by water or wastewater utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That could change, though. California \u003ca href=\"http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1425\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Senate Bill 1425\u003c/a>, introduced by Sen. Fran Pavley, would create a registry to collect data on greenhouse gas emissions from energy use by the water sector. The bill has passed the Senate and moved to the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It starts voluntary reporting on the energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions for water suppliers at a utility scale,” said Christian-Smith. “If we want to make informed decisions and find areas that meet our climate and water efficiency goals, we need this kind of information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without this data, “it is much more difficult for water utilities themselves to identify clean energy opportunities that may help them save money and protect their ratepayers from uncertainty due to climate change or fossil fuel price volatility,” wrote Christian-Smith and Laura Wisland in a \u003ca href=\"http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/04/clean-energy-opportunities-in-california-water-sector.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report\u003c/a> last year from the Union of Concerned Scientists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now the only information that’s available on the breakdown of energy use in the water sector are the handful of water utilities that are also electricity providers. And among those, Christian-Smith said, the amount of clean energy used varies greatly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are other reasons it can be hard for water suppliers to add more clean energy. “It’s not really articled as being within the purview of their work,” said Christian-Smith. “So it requires getting new info, new skills, entering into power purchase agreements or partnerships with electricity providers – that can be difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are also physical hurdles. Wastewater treatment plants can produce biogas, but getting interconnections to sell it back to gas companies can be tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, she said, the water sector lacks a clear roadmap of the path to clean energy – while the sector itself is fragmented. California’s energy market is dominated by a handful of large investor-owned utility companies. But for water there are thousands of providers in the state and many are publicly owned. “It’s a really different institutional structure,” she said. “It can be difficult to create a program and have it apply broadly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Publicly owned utilities often don’t carry large profits from year to year and may not have the cash on hand to meet upfront costs, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The economics are always very difficult,” said Pompa. “As a public agency our goal is not just to throw as many renewables at the wall, but to do it in a cost-effective manner.” What Inland Empire Utilities Agency and others have found most effective are power purchase agreements with energy companies that don’t require any capital outlay. “That’s what allowed us to get all the renewables in at a competitive price – solar, wind and fuel cells,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If done right, moving to renewables could be an economic boon for water suppliers, in addition to helping the state meet its climate goals. “Renewables lock in a stable energy cost,” said Christian-Smith, which is important because water utilities can’t easily or quickly change water rates if there are fluctuations in the fossil fuel energy market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it can even help generate income. “Participating in the clean energy transition can open up new revenue sources for the water sector, including the sale of excess renewable electricity or receipt of renewable energy credits, cap-and-trade proceeds, payments for providing grid services and fees for accepting organic wastes for renewable energy generation,” said the Union of Concerned Scientists’ report. “The water sector is poised to become a greater part of the energy and climate solution.”\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>“This article originally appeared on \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Water Deeply\u003c/a>, and you can find it \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2016/06/21/will-water-sector-help-or-hurt-on-climate-change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a>. For important news about the California drought, you can \u003ca href=\"http://waterdeeply.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8b78e9a34ff7443ec1e8c62c6&id=2947becb78\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sign up\u003c/a> to the Water Deeply email list.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/790997/will-water-sector-help-or-hurt-on-climate-change",
"authors": [
"byline_science_790997"
],
"categories": [
"science_40",
"science_98"
],
"featImg": "science_790998",
"label": "source_science_790997"
}
},
"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": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/science?category=news": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 2640,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 3366,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"science_808929",
"science_811377",
"science_806524",
"science_801694",
"science_791538",
"science_796281",
"science_796263",
"science_796268",
"science_793825",
"science_793711",
"science_791542",
"science_790997"
],
"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_news": {
"isLoading": true
},
"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"
},
"source_science_811377": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_811377",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"link": "http://www.npr.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_806524": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_806524",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Central",
"link": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_796281": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_796281",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Water Deeply",
"link": "https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_796263": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_796263",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"link": "http://www.npr.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_796268": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_796268",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Central",
"link": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_793825": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_793825",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Central",
"link": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_793711": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_793711",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Central",
"link": "http://www.climatecentral.org/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_790997": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_790997",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Water Deeply",
"link": "https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/",
"isLoading": false
},
"science_29": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_29",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "29",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Chemistry",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Chemistry Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31,
"slug": "chemistry",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/chemistry"
},
"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_42": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_42",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "42",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Physics",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Physics Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 44,
"slug": "physics",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/physics"
},
"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"
},
"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_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_136": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_136",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "136",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "PG&E",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "PG&E Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 140,
"slug": "pge",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/pge"
},
"science_283": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_283",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "283",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "power grid",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "power grid Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 288,
"slug": "power-grid",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/power-grid"
},
"science_140": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_140",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "140",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "renewable energy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "renewable energy Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 144,
"slug": "renewable-energy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/renewable-energy"
},
"science_28": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_28",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "28",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Astronomy",
"description": "Explore the universe with KQED Science! Dive into the latest astronomy news, discover celestial events, and unravel the mysteries of outer space.",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Explore the universe with KQED Science! Dive into the latest astronomy news, discover celestial events, and unravel the mysteries of outer space.",
"title": "Astronomy Articles | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 30,
"slug": "astronomy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/astronomy"
},
"science_19": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_19",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "19",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "exoplanet",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "exoplanet Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20,
"slug": "exoplanet",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/exoplanet"
},
"science_584": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_584",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "584",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "extrasolar planet",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "extrasolar planet Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 590,
"slug": "extrasolar-planet",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/extrasolar-planet"
},
"science_5175": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5175",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5175",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "NASA",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NASA Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5175,
"slug": "nasa",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/nasa"
},
"science_5194": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5194",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5194",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "CAL FIRE",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "CAL FIRE Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5194,
"slug": "cal-fire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/cal-fire"
},
"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"
}
},
"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
}
}
