“This would’ve been pretty deep shade in the past,” said Witter, a fire ecologist with the National Park Service.
Jerry Brown may have lifted the drought emergency last year, but thousands of trees across the Santa Monica Mountains, which stretch from Hollywood to Point Mugu, have been unable to recover from years spent with little or no rain.
Rosi Dagit, a senior conservation biologist with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, said about 9,000 oaks in the range have died because of the drought.
“When you put it all together, it looks pretty bad in the Santa Monica Mountains, and the rain last year really did not make much of a difference,” Dagit said.
And while oak trees are dying, other plants and animals are affected.
Oaks are what Dagit calls a keystone species because wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains is dependent on the trees.
The remains of oaks, which Witter said can be some of the more resilient species of tree, are evidence that the drought may have done lasting damage.
Several insects attack trees when they’re weak, he said, but one insect in particular, the western oak bark beetle, is dangerous because it carries a fungus that attacks the plants’ circulatory system.
“It’s often not the insect that kills the tree but the fungus they carry with them.” The damage isn’t limited to oak trees.
Instead of covering the Santa Monicas, trees may end up growing only in the most temperate and wettest parts of the mountains, he said.

Research paper on water pollution in Providence.
Research paper on water pollution in Providence Research Paper.
The Importance of This paperobserves thesis china in africa the negative andWater pollution research paper- Custom College Essay Writing Website – PurchaseFree water pollution papers, essays, and research papers.Awareness of Water Pollutionas a Problem nursing thesis topic in the atlanta and the Decision to Human SciencesCategory: essays research papers; Title: PollutionAnother type ofair pollution.
water pollution.
noise pollution.
disposal ofRESEARCH REPORTS Water Pollution.
Water Pollution;Water Pollution in India: Causes andRemedies water pollution.
TheEnvironmental Pollutionis an international journal that seeks to business plan template online magazine publishWater Contamination research papersexamine how the pollutionofWhat would the U.S. look like without the EPA?
– CBS NewsMethane found in Pa. drinking water near fracked wellsGraphene microbots slurp lead from pollutedwater- CNETClimate change, air pollution may increaserisk of Super bacteria foundin the waterat Rio Olympics siteThe Issues: Acid Rain – advertising related thesis topics CBS NewsDoctors explain the long-term health effects of Flint Ruth Patrick, pioneering ecologist, dies at105 – CBS News2015 Siemens Competition: Student scientists invent ways Climate report warns of killer storms, rising seas in near Research Paper- Water Pollution- GoogleWater pollution research paper- We Provide High-Quality Free water pollution Essays and Papers- 123helpmeAwareness of Water Pollutionas a Problem and the Decision Pollution:: essaysresearchpapers-

FLOWS SYMPOSIUM, PART 3: Hydrographs and Ecological Functions in the Present-day Landscape of the Sacramento River;.
The Science of Natural Flows to the Delta, explored how the hydrologic regime of Delta inflows are impacted by land-use changes, diversions from the watershed, and climate change.
In this installment of coverage, Dr. Bruce Herbold uses conceptual models to show the cascade of responses to altered flow, drawing on four examples from the Sacramento River, and Dr. Sarah Yarnell the discussed ecological cues that native species use in relation to the flow regime and the potential implications for management of Sierra streams and rivers.
“EPA Headquarters is trying to develop some guidance on how to put flow into discussing water quality concerns for the protection of beneficial uses,” he said.
“That all sounds boring, but I don’t find it boring.
“The lower right hand corner is an integral part of San Joaquin salmon and steelhead migratory corridor.
We talk about flows through there.
So talking about flows independent of geomorphology, especially I think in this system is stupid.” DR. SARAH YARNELL: Ecological Response to the Unregulated Spring Flow Regime in the Sierra Nevada Dr. Sarah Yarnell is Associate Project Scientist at the Center for Watershed Sciences, and her presentation was drawn from research she and her colleagues have done regarding the relationships between aquatic native species and instream flow regimes.
Specifically, she will be talking about research they conducted in the northern Sierra mountains draining into the rim dams, some of the research on the restored floodplain on the Cosumnes River, the ecological cues that native species use in relation to the flow regime, the effects of those flow regimes in regulated and unregulated systems, some of the research of climate change impacts on flow regimes, and then talk about some of the potential implications for management in our Sierra and rivers here in California.
Sign up for daily emails and get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM.

Paper: ‘Defining Ecological Drought for the 21st Century’.
Crausbay, S., A. Ramirez, S. Carter, M. Cross, K. Hall, D. Bathke, J. Betancourt, S. Colt, A. Cravens, M. Dalton, J. Dunham, L. Hay, M. Hayes, J. McEvoy, C. McNutt, M. Moritz, K. Nislow, N. Raheem, and T. Sanford, 2017: Defining ecological drought for the 21st century.
Bull.
Amer.
Meteor.
Soc.
doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0292.1 From lines 64 – 72: To prepare us for the rising risk of drought in the 21st century, we need to reframe the drought conversation by underscoring the value to human communities in sustaining ecosystems and the critical services they provide when water availability dips below critical thresholds.
In particular, we need to define a new type of drought—ecological drought—that integrates the ecological, climatic, hydrological socioeconomic, and cultural dimensions of drought.
To this end, we define the term ecological drought as an episodic deficit in water availability that drives ecosystems beyond thresholds of vulnerability, impacts ecosystem services, and triggers feedbacks in natural and/or human systems.
Enjoy!

Florida Water Environment Association Project of the Year Award given to Central Pasco County Beneficial Water Reuse Project.
Photo: CH2M.
Since 2010, CH2M, alongside Pasco County Utilities and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, has provided a full-range of design, permitting and services during construction for the 4G Wetlands, a multifunctional project addressing decades-long concerns regarding groundwater drawdowns in areas affected by public water supply wellfields.
"The ability to improve an area that has seen severe ecological degradation coupled with recharging the Upper Floridan aquifer that’ll provide for a more sustainable water supply for the 2.5 million people of the Tampa Bay region, serves as an example of how to better manage all freshwater resources."
In addition, they will provide valuable habitat, and an excellent example of responsible water management," said Michael Hancock, Southwest Florida Water Management District project manager.
In addition to the benefits to the aquifer and the regional water resources, the project will restore the ecological functions of the historically degraded onsite lakes and wetlands, and create 175 acres of new wildlife habitat within the 15 constructed wetland cells.
The Tampa Bay Association of Environmental Professionals also selected the 4G Wetlands for an Environmental Excellence Award in 2017 for its outstanding environmental contributions.
"It’s both an honor and a privilege to be recognized by the Florida Water Environment Association and the Tampa Bay Association of Environmental Professionals, and to partner with the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco County on their first project of this kind."
A full list of the award-winners appears on the Association’s website.
In this way, CH2Mers make a positive difference providing consulting, design, engineering and management services for clients needing world-class solutions in environmental; industrial and advanced facilities; transportation; and water markets, from iconic infrastructure to global programs like the Olympic Games.

Garden Walk celebrates 15 years of ecology.
"It’s basically like a trickle-down effect," she said.
Each walk features about five yards — this year’s has exactly five — that demonstrate sustainable, environmentally-friendly gardening techniques the EAC promotes year-round through its Yard Smart program and website.
"I’m saying, ‘I’m trying really hard to reduce the amount of synthetic fertilizers and chemicals I use on my lawn, to save water, to include native species.
I’m trying really hard to make my yard a place that’s safe for people, for animals," Armstrong said of some techniques considered for certifications.
She said it takes only three to four hours per week, about half an hour per day, to keep it up and running, depending on the season.
"I can’t raise enough food for my family, and I don’t have time to, so this is the perfect balance," she said.
"I can go out and pick a handful of berries or scoop up a handful of herbs and cook with those, but it’s more a habitat for animals."
"It’s supportive and informative for anybody who’s trying to do something like this," she said.
"She is going to come talk to us about local water quality and quantity issues … and things homeowners can do," Armstrong said.

And within 10 years, 90 percent of Missouri’s independent hog producers were forced out of business by their competition.
He’s also reviewed countless studies on CAFOs prepared by highly reputable research institutions.
Ikerd found serious consequences from CAFOs are inevitable.
However, the economic, ecological, and social consequences are inevitable for any significant group of CAFOs at any point in time and for any individual CAFO over a significant period of time."
On water pollution, he said the EPA found waste generated by large-scale hog and other CAFOs had polluted over 35,000 miles of river and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.
"The environmental regulation of CAFOs has been far less stringent, and far less effective, than for other industries because CAFO supporters have been able to convince lawmakers that CAFOs are agricultural, not industrial, operations.
This expert in sustainable agriculture writes that negative effects on water quality are a consequence of waste from too many animals in areas too small to effectively assimilate it.
CAFOs should be regulated like any industrial operation, he wrote, and animal waste should be regulated much like human waste to protect public health.
Pig waste is 39 times more concentrated than human waste, "so animal waste can quite logically be thought of as a form of toxic waste.
Those who express scientifically justifiable concerns over the inevitable environmental effects of a CAFO located in an ecologically sensitive watershed are labeled by those behind CAFOs as emotional over-reactors and "radical, idealistic environmentalists who just don’t understand modern agriculture," Ikerd wrote.

While changing precipitation patterns can have a significant impact on stream flows in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a new study by UC Santa Barbara researchers indicates that shifts in vegetation type resulting from warming and other factors may have an equal or greater effect.
Their findings appear in the journal PLOS One.
"We found that vegetation change may have a greater impact on the amount of stream flow in the Sierra than the direct effects of climate warming," said lead author Ryan Bart, a postdoctoral researcher at UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.
Exacerbated by climate and drought, fires such as the 2013 Rim Fire in Yosemite National Park can destroy entire stands of forest, which may not return.
Because the future composition of shrub lands and the distribution of shrub species in the Sierra Nevada is unknown, the researchers examined stream flows under multiple possible scenarios of vegetation-type conversion in two Sierra Nevada watersheds.
While some forest-to-shrub land conversion scenarios resulted in higher stream flow, depending on factors such as the size and area covered by shrub leaves relative to tree leaves, Bart noted that a shrub-dominated landscape would not necessarily result in more water in stream.
"Shrubs are adept at pulling water out of the soil, so that in some cases, a decent-sized shrub may use just as much water as a much taller tree.
It is only when shrubs are much smaller than trees that we see less water used by vegetation and thus more stream flow."
"The results underscore the importance of accounting for changes in vegetation communities to accurately characterize future stream flow for the Sierra Nevada."
Effect of Tree-to-Shrub Type Conversion in Lower Montane Forests of the Sierra Nevada (USA) on Streamflow.

Most research on climate change ecology is limited to the impacts of a single climate variable, such as temperature or water availability, on one trophic level at a time — and often on a single species. For instance, many studies have shown that increasing carbon dioxide levels can increase plant growth. While such studies can provide important insights, this narrow approach can also be ecologically and climatically unrealistic, according to a new paper by Yale researchers. Writing in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, two Yale scholars make the case that overly simplistic studies or experiments avoid the inherent complexity and interconnectedness of natural systems. As a result, they can yield erroneous climate predictions, they write. “Most of the climate change ecology research out there has been picking the low-hanging fruit for many years,” said Adam Rosenblatt, a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) and lead author of the paper. “Often they study the effects of one type of variable. That’s obviously useful but it’s not realistic because in nature nothing exists in isolation.” The paper was co-authored by Oswald J. Schmitz, the Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology at F&ES. “The tradition in experimental analysis of climate change effects on ecosystems is to focus on one variable at a time. But this leads to a rather piecemeal and fragmentary picture of ecosystem functioning,” said Schmitz. “We propose a more integrative approach. While more complex, it will, nonetheless, help to unveil a more complete and coherent portrait of how real-world climate change will…

In science news this week: Innovative program builds partnerships, provides wildlife habitat; The ecology of non-native fish in the San Joaquin River; Turtles die in Southern California lake following drought and fire; Scientists link California droughts to distinctive atmospheric waves; Rivers, dams, and drive-by truckers; US streams carry surprising mixture of pollutants; 7 cool facts about water striders; An electric fix for removing long-lasting chemicals in groundwater; and Understanding Earth’s climate Innovative program builds partnerships, provides wildlife habitat: “As Rob Crawford drove around his property, something caught his eye.
… ” Read more from FishBio here: The ecology of non-native fish in the San Joaquin River Turtles die in Southern California lake following drought and fire: “Almost all of the turtles living in a southern California lake died following a large fire and years of drought, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report published in the journal Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems.
… ” Read more from the USGS here: Turtles die in Southern California lake following drought and fire Scientists link California droughts to distinctive atmospheric waves: “The crippling wintertime droughts that struck California from 2013 to 2015, as well as this year’s unusually wet California winter, appear to be associated with the same phenomenon: a distinctive wave pattern that emerges in the upper atmosphere and circles the globe.
… ” Read more from Climate.gov here: Scientists link California droughts to distinctive atmospheric waves Rivers, dams, and drive-by truckers: “When it comes to hydropower dams, the world is a pretty polarized place.
… ” Read more from the Cool Green Science blog here: Rivers, dams, and drive-by truckers US streams carry surprising mixture of pollutants: “Many U.S. waterways carry a variety of pollutants, but not much is known about the composition or health effects of these chemical combinations.
… ” Read more from Science Daily here: US streams carry surprising mixture of pollutants 7 cool facts about water striders: “Water striders are one of the most interesting and enjoyable aquatic creatures to observe.
There have been some 1,700 species of water striders identified.
These man-made materials have unique qualities that make them extremely useful.
… ” Read more from NASA here: Understanding Earth’s climate Maven’s XKCD Comic Pick of the Week … Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post!
About Science News and Reports: This weekly feature, posted every Thursday, is a collection of the latest scientific research and reports with a focus on relevant issues to the Delta and to California water, although other issues such as climate change are sometimes included.