North Coast

The Relationship between California Rainfall and ENSO Events

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | November 1st, 1989

This paper examines the annual rainfall over California during 11 ENSO events within the period 1950 to 1982. During six of these, unusually wet conditions prevailed thro

This paper examines the annual rainfall over California during 11 ENSO events within the period 1950 to 1982. During six of these, unusually wet conditions prevailed throughout California; conditions were near normal during five events; and in one extreme drought occurred statewide. A comparison with the ENSO classification scheme of Fu et al, based on SST patterns in the Pacific, shows an excellent correspondence. Type 1 years, with large positive temperature anomalies east of the date line and lasting well into winter, are invariably events that enhance California rainfall. Normal years coincide with Type 2 ENSO events (moderate warming over a broad sector); the dry year is the sole Type 3 year, with weak anomalies confined to the eastern Pacific. This study also shows that the response to ENSO is regionally specific. Although throughout the state most years with extremely wet conditions are ENSO years, the tendency for an ENSO event to increase rainfall is greatest in Southern California, where 9 of 11 events produced above-normal rainfall and 8 of the 10 wettest years was an ENSO year. The pattern is more complex in central California; there ENSO years are almost invariably ones with highly abnormal rainfall, but they may be either wet or dry. The areas least influenced by ENSO are the Sierra Nevada and Northern California. The reasons for the geographical pattern of response become apparent when the seasonality and causes of rainfall in the various regions are evaluated.

The Untapped Potential of California’s Urban Water Supply: Water Efficiency, Water Reuse, and Stormwater Capture

Pacific Institute | April 12th, 2022

In this assessment, we quantify the potential for a range of water strategies in urbanized parts of California to both reduce inefficient and wasteful water uses and expa

In this assessment, we quantify the potential for a range of water strategies in urbanized parts of California to both reduce inefficient and wasteful water uses and expand local water supplies. This assessment finds that urban water-use efficiency improvements could reduce statewide urban water use by 2.0 million to 3.1 million acre-feet per year (AFY). The reuse potential of municipal wastewater is 1.8 million to 2.1 million AFY, and the stormwater capture potential is 580,000 AFY in a dry year to as much as 3.0 million AFY in a wet year. Previous assessments have shown that these efficiency and supply options are more cost effective than traditional – and increasingly hard to implement – options to expand supply. Programs to tap this potential would tremendously help solve California’s long-standing water problems.

The value of ecosystem services in global marine kelp forests

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | April 18th, 2023

While marine kelp forests have provided valuable ecosystem services for millennia, the global ecological and economic value of those services is largely unresolved. Kelp

While marine kelp forests have provided valuable ecosystem services for millennia, the global ecological and economic value of those services is largely unresolved. Kelp forests are diminishing in many regions worldwide, and efforts to manage these ecosystems are hindered without accurate estimates of the value of the services that kelp forests provide to human societies. Here, we present a global estimate of the ecological and economic potential of three key ecosystem services - fisheries production, nutrient cycling, and carbon removal provided by six major forest forming kelp genera (Ecklonia, Laminaria, Lessonia, Macrocystis, Nereocystis, and Saccharina). Each of these genera creates a potential value of between $64,400 and $147,100/hectare each year. Collectively, they generate between $465 and $562 billion/year worldwide, with an average of $500 billion. These values are primarily driven by fisheries production (mean $29,900, 904 Kg/Ha/year) and nitrogen removal ($73,800, 657 Kg N/Ha/year), though kelp forests are also estimated to sequester 4.91 megatons of carbon from the atmosphere/year highlighting their potential as blue carbon systems for climate change mitigation. These findings highlight the ecological and economic value of kelp forests to society and will facilitate better informed marine management and conservation decisions.

The Water Districts of California

Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) | April 1st, 1979

The West Wide Drought Tracker: Drought Monitoring at Fine Spatial Scales

American Meteorological Society (AMS) | September 1st, 2017

 The western United States has seen increases in population and water use over the past century. Total water use has remained relatively unchanged over the past several

 The western United States has seen increases in population and water use over the past century. Total water use has remained relatively unchanged over the past several decades due to water conservation efforts. However, water scarcity has become more acute across much of this semiarid region during recent decades due to long-term declines in water storage juxtaposed with the region’s notable hydroclimatic variability. Observed declines in mountain snowpack and increases in atmospheric demands tied to long-term warming trends have further exacerbated water scarcity and increased the importance of monitoring efforts given the array of social, economic, and ecosystem sectors dependent upon the already stressed water supply. The recent severe drought in California and protracted drought across much of the southwestern United States over the past couple decades have prompted demand for accessible drought decision-making information at appropriate spatial scales across the western United States. 

Three-Dimensional Hydrogeologic Framework Model of the Russian River Watershed, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | December 19th, 2024

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was invited by the California State Water Resources Control Board and Sonoma County Water Agency to cooperate on a scientific investigat

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was invited by the California State Water Resources Control Board and Sonoma County Water Agency to cooperate on a scientific investigation to evaluate the groundwater resources of the Russian River watershed and to develop tools to better understand and manage the groundwater system. The purpose of this report is to describe the development of a digital 3D HFM of the Russian River watershed. Such a model will help fully conceptualize the 3D subsurface configuration of aquifers and also may be used as the primary geologic input to numerical simulations of the hydrologic system. The 3D HFM, and data used to construct the 3D HFM, can be found in the following data release (Fenton and others, 2022).

Time Limits for Western Water Rights

Natural Resources and Environment (SSRN) | November 1st, 2022

Toward climate-resilient fisheries in the Humboldt Current: Developing a scientific foundation for improved adaptive management

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) | January 2nd, 2020

The HCS covers an area comprised of 55° of latitude off Peru and Chile (3°23.57′ to 58°21.02′) and extends over 200 nautical miles offshore. The dynamics of the HC

The HCS covers an area comprised of 55° of latitude off Peru and Chile (3°23.57′ to 58°21.02′) and extends over 200 nautical miles offshore. The dynamics of the HCS are strongly influenced by seasonal or permanent coastal upwelling. Several features distinguish the HCS from similar ecosystems associated with the Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems of the world’s oceans (EBUS: California, Canarias, Humboldt and Benguela). First, it extends closest to the equator. Second, it is the most exposed EBUS system to ENSO, the largest source of interannual climatic variability on the planet. Third, although each of the EBUS has similar levels of primary productivity, the HCS contains the most productive fisheries. Lastly, it is associated with the presence of a shallow, intense subsurface oxygen minimum layer that compresses the oxygenated epipelagic habitat to a few dozen meters. Global warming is altering energy and matter exchange between the atmospheric, oceanic, and continental boundaries. 

Toward Natural Infrastructure to Manage Shoreline Change in California

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | August 27th, 2018

Flooding and erosion caused by rising sea levels and powerful storms threaten property throughout coastal California. To protect against these climate-change related thr

Flooding and erosion caused by rising sea levels and powerful storms threaten property throughout coastal California. To protect against these climate-change related threats, landowners will certainly take action, and the default industry standard response has been to try to “hold the line” against the encroaching sea by constructing seawalls, dikes, levees and other forms of coastal armoring. While armoring may in some cases provide acceptable short-term protection, armoring also tends to accelerate shoreline erosion, exacerbating hazards to people and leading to the eventual loss of critical wildlife habitat and public beaches. Natural Shoreline Infrastructure can be as effective as armoring, while having the added benefits of preserving coastal habitat and public access. Recognizing this, California agencies have mandated that decision-makers prioritize its use in planning and investment decisions. Yet, planners have encountered many stumbling blocks as they have tried to incorporate these approaches into coastal resilience plans. Major obstacles include: a lack of a common definition and shared terminology; lack of expertise; lack of precedent; and the absence of siting guidance and technical design standards. Here, we set out to enable planners to adopt Natural Shoreline Infrastructure by filling in the missing information. With the input of dozens of coastal managers who served on our Technical Advisory Committee, we developed a definition and collected a list of case studies where Natural Shoreline Infrastructure has already been successfully deployed in California. Drawing from these and other projects, we collected into one place the first detailed technical guidance for implementation, including siting criteria and design thresholds. These criteria inform decisions about where and when to use six types of Natural Shoreline Infrastructure (e.g. sand dunes, seagrass beds). Using Monterey Bay and Ventura County projects as examples, we demonstrate how to use the technical guidance in tandem with spatial data to match a particular shoreline environment with appropriate Natural Shoreline Infrastructure options, creating “blueprints” for action. The information in this report is intended to facilitate the use of Natural Shoreline Infrastructure along California’s coast, improving the resilience of communities and habitats in the face of climate change.

Towards sharing water better with near real-time maps on evaporative water use by crops and natural vegetation

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | January 15th, 2024

The combination of advancements in evapotranspiration theory, eddy covariance flux measurements of water vapour and satellite remote sensing are putting technology on the

The combination of advancements in evapotranspiration theory, eddy covariance flux measurements of water vapour and satellite remote sensing are putting technology on the verge of producing information on evapotranspiration with unprecedented coverage and resolution. The OpenET project provides this information to farmers and land and water managers for better water practice.