ESPM Ph.D. candidate Freyja Knapp is quoted in this Capital & Main article on Silicon Valley's electronic waste dilemma. “One growing problem is cathode ray tubes [which are commonly found in television and computer monitors from previous decades],” says Knapp. “The leaded glass is a real problem. The barium in them is a problem. [The] markets have declined for” many of the facilities that process CRTs, “and you see a lot of abandoned facilities with big piles of leaded glass just laying there.”
Daily Californian | July 23, 2017
ERG postdoc James Rising, SPM professor emeritus John Harte, and ESPM grad student Andrew Hultgren are featured in this Daily Californian article on a recently published study (co-authored by Rising) that provides a tangible way for the public to see the national effects of climate change through measures such as GDP, mortality rates and coastal storms. “This study is a heroic attempt to combine and quantify many of the multiple types of local impacts of global climate disruption,” noted Harte. Hultgren, who was not involved in the study, said in the past it was difficult for policy makers and the general public to tangibly grasp the concept of climate change — something he hopes this research can combat.
Capital Public Radio | July 21, 2017
ESPM professor Scott Stephens is featured in this Capital Public Radio segment on California's wildfire season, which has already burned more than three times the acreage compared to this time last year. Stephens explains that most of the fires so far have been in grassland areas that were revived from the rain, then dried out early during triple-digit heat waves.
Reno News & Review | July 13, 2017
ERG postdoc James Rising is featured in this Reno News & Review article on recently published research on the effects of climate change on the county level. In this article, Rising explores impacts on Nevada in particular, but notes that there are things scholars cannot yet assess, such as the impact on ecosystems, changes in infectious diseases and water losses.
Los Angeles Times | July 11, 2017
ESPM associate CE specialist Max Moritz is highlighted in this Los Angeles Times article on Southern California's impending fire season. Moritz notes that this year may provide a lesson in what happens with dramatic swings between wet and dry, as is expected to occur more frequently with climate change. Deep soil moisture levels haven’t necessarily recovered from the drought, which included the driest four-year period in the state’s record. That, Moritz said, could mean vegetation dries out earlier in the fire season than would be expected after plentiful rains.
Valley Public Radio | July 11, 2017
ERG assistnat professor Lara Kueppers is featured in this Capital Valley Radio segment on a newly published study that finds that meadows in the Sierra Nevada are slowly disappearing. “What we found was that this phenomenon of tree encroachment into meadows was widespread,” says Keuppers, who co-authored the study. “It’s not just local, due to the effects of roads or trails. It’s even in these remote locations.”
SF Chronicle | July 07, 2017
NST lecturer Kristen Rasmussen is featured in this San Francisco Chronicle article on sweet and savory porridge and hygge - the Danish concept of all things cozy and comforting. Rasmussen has hosted hygge-inspired porridge popups in the Bay Area over the past six months; the pop-ups are a way to connect to her family's Danish heritage as well as to link her love of cooking, nutrition, and foraging.
San Diego Union-Tribune | July 07, 2017
ESPM associate CE specialist Max Moritz is highlighted in this San Diego Union-Tribune article on California's wildfire season. A continued trend of backcountry development and aggressive fire suppression to keep those properties safe has led to densely packed forests in close proximity to many communities. We will need some very new approaches to deal with both the increasing hazard of fire and our increasing exposure to it,” said Moritz. “The situation we have created is dangerous, and without a major shift in perspective it will only get worse.”
Point Reyes Light | July 06, 2017
ESPM assistant adjunct professor and assistant CE Specialist Ted Gratham is featured in the Point Reyes Light for his collaboration with the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) on a new study focusing on how releases from Peters Dam influence floodplain areas important to the endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout. SPAWN and Grantham will use topographic mapping, 2D hydraulic modeling and real-time hydrologic measurements to determine the floodplain activation flow.
UC Merced News | July 05, 2017
ERG assistant professor Lara Kueppers co-authored a recently published study on Sierra Nevada meadows that are increasingly overrun by forest as changing conditions allow nearby tree offspring to take hold in meadow environments that previously favored shrubs and grasses over saplings. For the many species that depend on meadows, this change may force them to find new habitats. In addition, given the delicate balance of California’s water system, which relies heavily on snowmelt from the Sierra, the authors worry that meadow loss may lead to a dramatic change in how water is stored and used.