In California water news this weekend …
Could the Chinese government fund construction of huge new dam in Santa Clara County?
“Six years after unveiling plans to build a 320-foot high dam and reservoir at Pacheco Pass in southern Santa Clara County, the largest water district in Silicon Valley still hasn’t found any other water agencies willing to help fund the project. But this week, an unusual potential partner came to light: China. The revelation of interest from one of the United States’ most contentious rivals is the latest twist in the project’s shaky history: The price tag has tripled to $2.8 billion since 2018 due to unstable geology found in the area. The Santa Clara Valley Water District, which is pursuing the plan, has delayed groundbreaking by at least three years, to 2027, instead of 2024 as announced five years ago. And environmentalists won a lawsuit this summer that will require more study of how ongoing geological work will affect endangered plants and animals. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Frequently Asked Questions: Sites Reservoir Greenhouse Gas Emissions Evaluation
“A recent Boiling Point Newsletter from LA Times reporter Ian James raises questions about the analysis of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from the future Sites Reservoir. The report cites a new analysis, called the All Res Tool, which was developed by Tell the Dam Truth/Friends of the River (TTDT/FOR) groups opposing the building of the reservoir. The following FAQ addresses the questions raised in the article about the Sites Project’s greenhouse gas emissions and provides a comparison of the analyses done by TTDT/FOR and the Sites GHG experts.”
Map: Does your drinking water contain ‘forever chemicals’?
“So-called “forever chemicals” have been found in 45% of the nation’s tap water, according to a recent government study, but is your tap water affected? If you’re wondering whether or not your tap water might contain synthetic chemicals known as PFAS, nonprofit Environmental Working Group created an interactive map using official records and data from public drinking water systems to show where forever chemicals were found to be above and below the advised maximum concentration level, 4 parts per trillion (PPT). EWG notes that while researchers used the highest quality data available, contamination levels are based on a single point in time and may not reflect changes to the water system or treatment efforts. … ” Read more from KRON.
SEE ALSO: Map: Fresno among U.S. cities with high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in tap water, from Your Central Valley
Hilary’s ag impact being assessed, but prices could be off the charts down the road
“By the time Hurricane Hilary hit land and headed up through California, it had been downgraded to a tropical storm, which was clearly great news for homeowners and farmers alike. The storm did some damage across the state, with the Palm Springs area and other desert towns being the hardest hit. It continued on that northeasterly path from Baja California with much of its power and rain unleashed in the Sierra foothills or on the other side of the Sierras. As such, the San Joaquin Valley was not hit as hard as expected. San Joaquin Valley grape growers have transitioned from old varieties to much newer ones over the past decade, which is making it more difficult to determine the damage. “We are in uncharted water,” he said. “For these newer varieties, which is most of our crop, we don’t know how they are going to react to the rain. It’s been 20 or 30 years since we had this much rain in August and these varieties weren’t around then.” … ” Read more from the Produce News.
Partnering with beavers to adapt to climate change
“Mitigating climate change and adapting to a warming planet requires as many partners as we can muster. This includes embracing nature as a key ally. Estimates suggest that nature-based solutions can provide 37% of the mitigation needed to keep climate warming below two degrees Centigrade. And, nature, can help us prepare for the changes we are already experiencing and know are coming. Many people appreciate that if we plant more trees, they can both cool our cities and absorb carbon. But, perhaps less well known are the many benefits that beavers bring to the climate fight. Beavers are ecological engineers whose ponds store carbon, improve water quality, create habitat to support biodiversity, and help reduce climate impacts. … ” Read more from Clean Technica.
Officials warn of increased risk for valley fever in parts of California
“California health officials are warning of a potential increased risk of valley fever, a respiratory disease caused by fungus that grows in soil across many parts of the state. This winter’s heavy rains may have caused an increase in the growth of the Coccidioides fungus, which causes valley fever, the California Department of Public Health announced in a press release. Valley fever occurs when dust containing the fungus is inhaled, leading to respiratory symptoms that can turn severe or even fatal. Periods of heavy rain can cause the Coccidioides fungus to become more active, according to research conducted by the University of California, Berkeley and CDPH. That means valley fever cases could spike in the coming months, as spores that grew during this year’s record rainfall dry out and become airborne in dust. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
In a burn scar along California’s Sierra Nevada, ‘green glaciers’ hold a key to forest health
“It would be an understatement to say that Kevin Swift loves the outdoors. Swift, slender, goateed and with a dirty blond ponytail, has built a company— and career —out of emulating a furry, charismatic woodland mammal. Here’s a hint: he forages for tree limbs and mud to build dams. “We’re pretending that we’re beavers,” Swift said. “A thousand percent.” Swift restores meadows and other habitats that have been damaged and destroyed. On a recent day, he stood at a meadow he helped to restore, just a few miles above Shaver Lake in the Sierra Nevada. … ” Read more from KVPR.
A season of contradictions for wildfire
“This year’s devastation in Maui and far-reaching smoke from fires in Canada are hiding an anomaly as the wildfire season approaches its usual peak: The U.S. is having one of its lightest years for wildland fire in recent history. U.S. wildfires burned 1.8 million acres as of Thursday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That’s the fewest in at least a decade to this point on the calendar, and about one-third of the 10-year average of acres burned through Aug. 24, the NIFC reported. The wildfire season is far from done, and California typically hits its peak in the late summer and early fall, according to Frontline Wildfire Defense, a California company that consults with property owners on defensible space measures to reduce the risk of property loss. … ” Read more from E&E News.
Legislators ask Gavin Newsom to give California scientists a contract addressing pay parity
“California legislators are backing another state worker union in the hopes that Gov. Gavin Newsom will swiftly deliver them a new contract. Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, an Inglewood Democrat, authored a letter that calls on Newsom to provide a contract that delivers pay parity for state scientists. Fifty additional lawmakers, including Sacramento Democrats Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and Sen. Angelique Ashby, signed onto the letter in support. The roughly 4,000 scientists represented by the California Association of Professional Scientists have spent nearly three years bargaining over a contract that they say should include raises of up to 43%. Those pay bumps would address long-standing salary disparities both within the scientists’ bargaining unit and between themselves and the state engineers. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
In people news this weekend …
Promotions, passings, profiles – submit people news items to maven@mavensnotebook.com.
Southern California’s ‘water doctor’ pushes for transformation to adapt to climate change
“When Adel Hagekhalil speaks about the future of water in Southern California, he often starts by mentioning the three conduits the region depends on to bring water from hundreds of miles away: the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Colorado River Aqueduct and the California Aqueduct. As general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Hagekhalil is responsible for ensuring water for 19 million people, leading the nation’s largest wholesale supplier of drinking water. He says that with climate change upending the water cycle, the three existing aqueducts will no longer be sufficient. … “The organization is going through a transformation,” Hagekhalil told employees during a recent visit to a water treatment plant. “It’s all about us adapting,” he said, and the water district must prepare for hotter and drier times as global warming continues to undermine the region’s water lifelines in the coming decades. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Dan Denham appointed San Diego County Water Authority General Manager
“The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors August 24 voted unanimously to appoint Dan Denham as general manager. The appointment follows the June retirement of former General Manager Sandra L. Kerl. Denham has served in several leadership capacities with the Water Authority for the past 17 years, including his most recent post as deputy general manager. In that role, he oversaw the MWD and Colorado River programs, along with the Engineering, Water Resources, and Operations & Maintenance departments. Denham also continues to oversee the implementation of long-term agricultural-to-urban conserved water transfers that are among the largest in the United States. As a commissioner on the Quantification Settlement Agreement Joint Powers Authority, he leads the Water Authority’s fulfillment of environmental mitigation obligations and legislative advocacy efforts at the Salton Sea. … ” Read more from the Water News Network.
Podcasts …
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING: A Tribe Without Salmon – For Now
The Winnemem Wintu People prayed in the 1800s that the Salmon would wait for their tribal people by the ice field. It’s puzzling that the tribe would have prayed such a prayer at that time. You see, there was plenty of Salmon in the McCloud area water system in the 1800s. Salmon runs have become much less prolific in recent decades for a variety of reason, including the construction of Shasta Dam. Surprisingly, the Maori Tribal People of New Zealand contacted Chief Caleen Sisk several years ago and told her that they had their Salmon. Water is center stage, once again, in this story about the disappearance and reappearance of Salmon. Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life. Produced by Steven Baker, Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, water@operationunite.co 530-205-6388
WE GROW CALIFORNIA: Unfunded mandates even for fish!
Darcy and Darcy welcome Steve Chedester, the Director of Policy and Programs for the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority into the We Grow California Studios. Steve has been with the Exchange Contractors for 28 years and provides a great background and status report on the San Joaquin River Restoration Project. After litigation, settlements, and decades of planning, this project is not even at the starting line. Tune in and learn why.
TERRA VERDE: Growing food in an oil town
In Richmond, California, fenceline communities near the Chevron oil refinery are impacted daily by the fossil fuel industry’s influence over local politics and the economy, as well as by the environmental and health risks of living in an oil town. But in the face of industry negligence, pollution, food insecurity, and more, community activists in Richmond have stepped up to fight for the place they call home. On this episode of Terra Verde, Doria Robinson, Executive Director of Urban Tilth, and Madeline Ostrander, author of the new book, At Home on an Unruly Planet: Finding Refuge on a Changed Earth, join host Fiona McLeod to discuss how community members in Richmond are transforming local food systems through urban farms, holding oil companies and elected officials accountable, and building a blueprint for a just transition away from fossil fuels.
SPEAKING OF WATER: The Water Transition: A conversation with author Peter Gleick
The Three Ages of Water, a new book by scientist Peter Gleick, traces the arc of society through its relationship with the most elemental of human needs.
UCSD AT THE EDGE OF IT ALL: Exploring weather patterns of the past and looking to the future
“At the Edge of It All” talked to Dr. Zhi-Yong Yin, professor of environmental and ocean sciences, about his work researching climates of the past, present and future. He explains how he used ancient trees to learn about rainy seasons from hundreds of years ago, the state of drought in California today, and what we can do to help address climate change.
LAWYER 2 LAWYER: Environmental Law Series: The Endangered Species Act (ESA)
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) provided a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad. According to the Center for Progressive Reform, at an April 2023 hearing of the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, the conservative majority pushed no less than three Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions aimed at blocking ESA protections. In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is joined by professor of environmental law, Robert L. Fischman from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, as they spotlight ESA, its impact, and ESA reform.
Sunday video …
PBS Terra: What Are These Strange Towers Growing Out of This Lake?
Many of the big saline lakes of the Americas are on the brink of collapse due to climate change and water diversions. Nestled at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada in California, Mono lake’s survival is a testament to the work of scientists, activists, and locals who have fought for decades to preserve it. Home to a unique ecosystem of brine shrimp, alkali flies, and migratory birds, punctuated by otherworldly tufa towers, Mono Lake’s desiccation would be detrimental to the wildlife and humans who call it home.
In regional water news this weekend …
NORTH COAST
Klamath Project irrigators might lose remaining water allocation
“Water users in the Klamath Project may lose their remaining water allocations following a warning from the Bureau of Reclamation sent out last Friday. The letter tells irrigators “… there is projected to be a shortfall in the Sept. 30 Upper Klamath Lake elevation of 4139.2 feet that was identified in the May 18, 2023, update to the 2023 Annual Operation Plan. This situation is likely to require a reduction in project water supply in order to minimize or eliminate the shortfall.” The letter from Reclamation said the department will continue to explore actions to mitigate any reductions, but encourages contract holders to conserve their supplies. … ” Read more from the Herald & News.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Construction at Upper Rose Bar is moving along
“Construction at the Rose Bar Project officially kicked off on July 24th and things have been moving nonstop since. The Rose Bar project site is located 9 river miles below Englebright Dam on land recently acquired by the Yuba Water Agency. The purpose of this project is to create and enhance two spawning riffles for Chinook salmon and steelhead. Englebright Dam prevents gravels from moving downstream from upper portions of the watershed. In the Goldfields, the piles of hydraulic mining debris provide the gravel sizes necessary for spawning. However, because Rose Bar is so close to Englebright Dam which traps downstream movement of gravel, as the Yuba River erodes spawning gravel from this location, there is no natural source of gravel to replace it. … ” Read more from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
Nevada County approves grants for SYRCL’s River Ambassadors and Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project
“On August 8, 2023, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved two grant award agreements between the County of Nevada and South Yuba River Citizens League for “Outdoor Visitor Safety Fund” grants funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and General Fund dollars from the approved Fiscal Year 2023/2024 budget. SYRCL’s Executive Director Aaron Zettler-Mann was in attendance to advocate for SYRCL’s programs and their role in recreation safety for our community and the impact they have on the tourism industry. … ” Read more from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Tehama County commentary: Ranchers’ GSA fees should be lower
“Cattle producers who own and manage land in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, and Tehama counties are gravely concerned with the approach adopted by the Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) in our respective basin/counties. In every basin, non-extractors (or de minimis users who only pump stock water) are being assessed acreage fees by the GSA to generate the funding required to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Cattle producers are predominantly rangeland operations that do not use groundwater, and in fact, serve as a net recharge zone for the basins.Many ranchers also have irrigated lands that utilize groundwater. We realize that if drylands are exempted, fees will be higher on irrigated lands, but that is still more equitable than charging rangeland. But it is important to remember that SGMA is about pumping groundwater, not about owning land. … ” Read more from the Red Bluff Daily News.
Orland city water connections progress
“The city of Orland is actively connecting homes that were previously on wells to the city water. The process begins right here, at the edge of the city’s water system. Peter Carr, the Orland City Manager says the city crew opened up the road, installed the main water line, then installed a lateral line over to the front yard. “We installed the meter, the meter box, the green cover there, is covering a back flow prevention device.” Homeowner Mike Skidmore’s well ran dry and he was about to start digging a new well which could have cost around 40 thousand dollars to build. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
Floodplain restoration funding flows again
“Floodplain restoration, halted by budget cuts, will resume now that the state reallocated funding. Friday morning, Chico-based River Partners announced that the California Wildlife Conservation Board approved $40 million for projects in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, including $22.7 million to acquire the Dos Rios Norte property in Sutter County. As this newspaper reported in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom held back funds for habitat restoration work. In May, Newsom added money back into the budget — and the Wildlife Conservation Board awarded the first round Thursday. The board will meet again in November with a second round of $19.5 million to allocate. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
BAY AREA
Marin utility launches 5-year Ross Valley water storage project
“The Marin Municipal Water District has launched a project nearly 14 years in the works to bolster water storage in the Ross Valley and decommission a century-old tunnel used as a water storage tank. The five- to six-year project will close off the 9,000-foot-long Pine Mountain Tunnel that was built in 1919 to transport raw water from the Alpine Lake reservoir to Cascade Canyon for drinking water. After new water treatment standards were implemented in the late 1960s, the tunnel was disconnected from Alpine Lake and repurposed in 1971 to store up to 3 million gallons of treated water. “You can think of it as a 9,000-foot-long tank,” said Crystal Yezman, chief engineer at the district. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Few recreation opportunities found for Cache Slough plan
“The second draft of the Cache Slough Public Access Recreation Action Plan follows the nearly closed path of the first draft, stating that there are few options available to expand public access opportunities. An agreement was reached in 2021 between Solano County and the state Department of Water Resources and other state agencies with the goal of enhancing public recreation opportunities – and particularly more land access to the waterways – in the Cache Slough region. The draft plan is the result of an outreach effort, including two virtual meetings and one in-person meeting in September 2022 and May 2023, which were designed to get input from the public and vested interests on how that might happen. Some of the suggested activities are boating, hunting, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
CENTRAL COAST
Officials gather at Pajaro River levee project to highlight repair efforts
“With repair work underway, officials from the federal, state and local levels were on hand to provide details of the Pajaro River levee project where the waterway breached its confines during this year’s winter storms that flooded the Pajaro Valley, inundated the town of Pajaro, displaced thousands and submerged acres of farmland. “This year three emergency repair projects will begin on the left bank of the Pajaro River,” said Lieutenant Colonel Tim Shebesta, Commander U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District. “There will be a series of construction projects to provide a stronger more resilient system for this community. This left bank rehabilitation project focuses on three critical sections of the Pajaro River Levee system that were breached during the past winter’s rainstorms.” … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
Ventura County neighborhood tries to raise $94,000 to ease Coyote Creek flooding woes
“Federal officials have agreed to pay most of an estimated $1.5 million to help dig out a creek bed near a neighborhood north of Ventura. But time is running out for that to happen before the next rainy season, which forecasters say could be another wet winter. Mud and debris built up along the stretch of Coyote Creek near Camp Chaffee Road as the county got pummeled by storms last winter. If the channel doesn’t get cleared before more rain, the Foster Park community could face another round of flooding and more damage. County Public Works Director Jeff Pratt said the project may have to wait until next summer. … ” Read more from the Ventura County Star.
Editorial: In Ventura County, a charge of water theft
The Ventura County Star editorial board writes, “In a legal filing that seems straight out of Roman Polanski’s film “Chinatown,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko has charged a prominent local grower with the unusual crime of stealing water. More precisely, Nasarenko alleges that Camarillo grower Daniel Naumann illegally diverted groundwater around the meters that would have measured it and triggered nearly $30,000 in fees to the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency. It is a serious allegation, for nothing is more important to the county’s $2.1 billion agricultural industry than groundwater. It accounts for 85% of the water that nourishes Ventura County crops. … ” Continue reading from the Ventura County Star.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Stay out, stay alive: a story of Kern County’s killer river
“Colorful awnings and tents lined the shores of the Kern River on a Saturday afternoon at Riverside Park in the small town of Kernville in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. Even in town, the otherwise dark blue-green river churned white over and around the rocks and tree branches within the choppy waves. Despite the swift currents, families played in the water to beat the muggy August heat, some splashing near the shore, others floating on rafts and inner tubes near the middle. Then disaster struck. “People were just hanging out when these two inner tubes that were lashed together came floating down the river upside down,” said a witness at the scene, who declined to give his name. “Their legs were in the air. We weren’t sure if they were okay. Then someone screamed, ‘Help them!’” he added. From what he could tell the people were rescued, but he wasn’t certain since they had floated too far downriver for him to see what happened. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News via Maven’s Notebook.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
As climate change escalates, Long Beach gets update on plans for extreme weather
“Days after the first tropical storm in over 80 years made landfall in Long Beach, bringing record rainfall, power outages and flooding, the city’s Sustainable City Commission was presented with the city’s plans for extreme weather events in the future. Extreme heat and flooding are expected to be two of the worst issues facing the city in the coming decades, with the number of “extreme heat days”—90 degrees or higher with elevated humidity levels—potentially quadrupling by the end of the century compared to 2008-2017. There were only nine days per year of extreme heat during that timeframe, but that figure could rise to between 11 and 37 days annually by 2100. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Post.
Beaumont: New facility promises expanded water supplies for region
“San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) is planning Brookside West Recharge Facility (Brookside West), an entirely new set of percolation basins that will support the growing demand for water storage. A complement to SGPWA’s existing Brookside East Recharge Facility in Beaumont California, Brookside West’s 62 ½ acres will house approximately 25-acres of recharge ponds. The ponds, or basins, will import water from the State Water Project and filter the water down through layers of soil and rock to be stored underground. The facility may also be used for local stormwater capture and to recharge treated reclaimed water. Click here to read more from the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency.
SAN DIEGO
Water Boil Advisory lifted in south San Diego County for California America Water customers
“The Water Boil Advisory for California American Water customers in Imperial Beach, Coronado (south of Fiddlers Cove), parts of Chula Vista, and parts of San Diego has been lifted. California American Water released the following: Effective Saturday August 26th at 4:36pm the boil water advisory has been lifted and customers in California American Water’s San Diego County District no longer need to boil water or consume bottled water. The advisory was lifted Saturday after water sampling confirmed the water was clean and safe to consume. The County had been made aware of potential E. coli contamination on Thursday when the advisory was first issued. … ” Read more from CBS San Diego.
Scripps Oceanography tool to predict sewage contamination
“In front of Imperial Beach’s deserted shoreline dotted with red “warning” signs, members of San Diego’s legislative delegation announced Friday that $3 million from the state budget will fund a new model aimed at more accurately predicting sewage contamination days in advance at South County beaches. UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography will develop the Tijuana River Estuary and Coastal Ocean Pathogen Forecast Model, which scientists said can inform decision makers when beach closures are necessary as work continues to stop sewage spilling over the border from Mexico. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado Water Congress panel debunks ‘big river myths’
“Will taking out lawns in municipal areas in Colorado add to the Colorado River supply? Can temporary reductions in use provide meaningful water to the Colorado River? Can the Department of the Interior require the Upper Basin states to curtail use of Colorado River water? Can we buy our way out of drought? The answers to all of the above, according to a panel at Thursday’s Colorado Water Congress, is a firm “no.” The panel, which included folks involved in negotiations for the 2026 guidelines for Colorado River operations, took aim at several “big river myths.” … ” Read more from Colorado Politics.
Several parts of Mountain West experience ‘extreme water stress’ each year
“New research shows that in much of the world, water supplies for drinking, bathing and farming are being threatened. That includes sections of the Mountain West. The World Resources Institute calls it “extreme water stress” – meaning at least 80% of the available supply is being used each year. The research group’s updated Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas shows that happening across several basins in the Mountain West. That includes both the Great Basin and Colorado River Basin in Nevada and Utah; the Mississippi-Missouri Basin in Wyoming and Colorado; the Rio Grande Basin in Colorado and New Mexico; and the Columbia Basin in Idaho. … ” Read more from KUNR.
Navajo Nation continues fight for water rights
“JoAnne Yazzie-Pioche calls the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation near Page home. She’s also the president of the chapter. Throughout the years, she’s seen many changes. “I remember when there was hardly anything here in Page,” she says. “There was no Highway 98. It was all dirt roads.” There’s even running water in some parts of LeChee that they get from Page and the Colorado River. Throughout much of the Navajo Nation, however, hauling water is still a way of life. “There’s no running water south of here. They have to haul that water.” … ” Read more from ABC 15.
In national water news this weekend …
After America’s summer of extreme weather, ‘next year may well be worse’
“It’s been a strange, cruel summer in the United States. From the dystopian orange skies above New York to the deadly immolation of a historic coastal town in Hawaii, the waning summer has been a stark demonstration of the escalating climate crisis – with experts warning that worse is to come. A relentless barrage of extreme weather events, fueled by human-caused global heating, has swept the North American continent this summer, routinely placing a third of the US population under warnings of severe heat and unleashing floods, fire and smoke upon communities, with a record 15 separate disasters causing at least $1bn in damages so far this year. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Tropical forests may be warming to a point where plant photosynthesis fails, study warns
“Teeming with life and stretching across multiple continents, tropical forests are often called the “lungs of the planet” because of their ability to suck up climate-warming carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen — a process known as photosynthesis. But even as these critical ecosystems work with Earth’s oceans to help scrub CO2 from the atmosphere and give us air to breathe, tropical forests have long faced growing threats from fires, poaching and deforestation. Now, new research suggests that humanity’s unchecked burning of fossil fuels may pose an entirely new danger. In a study published recently in the journal Nature, scientists concluded that tropical forests could be drawing closer to the temperature threshold where leaves lose the ability to create life-sustaining energy by combining CO2, water and sunlight. … ” Continue reading from the LA Times.
