Articles tagged with water

After being retired in 2009, the scientific San Francisco Bay Model that replicates the nearby estuary has water flowing through it once again.

How a 1950s-era, 1.5-acre mock-up of the hydrology of the Bay Area might still be able to complement real science in the age of computer modeling.

North Texas, the fastest-growing region in the fastest-growing state in the nation, has a growing demand for water. While the rest of the U.S. is tearing down decaying dams, Texas wants some dam water.

In the quarter-century since Marc Reisner issued a grim prognosis for water in the American West, various entities have made efforts to reverse what once seemed inevitable.

While not every dire prediction has come true, amid swimming pools and thirsty crops, the hard truth remains that the American West cannot maintain its spendthrift ways of using fresh water.

On The 25th anniversary of the book “Cadillac Desert,” we look at the work of an earlier Cassandra of Western water shortages, explorer John Wesley Powell.

Bacteria Working in the Shadows: Bdellovibrio

The dust on high peaks, blown in from Southwestern pastures, farms, mining roads and off-road vehicle parks, is hastening snowmelt and reducing the runoff into the Colorado River, scientists say.

Our blogger looks back at his voyage through coastal Mexico and sees that the problems, and solutions, there are mirrored throughout the globe.

Having completed his 5,000-mile voyage, Kristian Beadle weighs his trip’s carbon use and examines whether the benefits balance the costs.

The story of a California dam calls for a rethinking of the hows and the whens of restoration.

Big projects — one to preserve and one to promote coastal Mexico — bring with them both dreams and nightmares.

At the tail end of Baja California, our Kiri blogger learns the perils of attacking global environmental issues as if they exist alone.

Our Kiri blogger asks if a master-planned monstrosity, perhaps with a bit of greenwashing to hide the problems, is better or worse than an unworkable city that arises higgledy-piggledy?

A picturesque Baja town has been hammered repeatedly by the escalating tempo of flooding from tropical storms.

Mexico’s Sea of Cortez has always had a wealth of whales, but even protected areas can’t stave off other pressures on the leviathans.

Foundering development plans for a yachters’ paradise in remote Baja have created opportunities for conservation groups.

Water issues inland present a challenge and a threat to agriculture and the economy.

El Hippo, the water horse, finds a waterfall in the dry and dusty Valle de Guadalupe.

In the north of Baja California where grape vines are tended along the Ruta de Vino, population pressure is making water even more valuable.

How might climate change affect homes and businesses built helter-skelter on a seaside cliff.

“El Hippo” approaches the Mexican border but on the way south learns about the Aztecs and water in separate Los Angeles exhibitions.

Once written off, the Delta of the Colorado River has found a hardy band of NGOs and local governments willing to sweat to keep it wet.

With 90 percent of its water diverted for agricultural and urban use, scientists and managers have to get creative about how they go about habitat restoration on the Colorado River.

A globe-trotting geologist uses satellites and other remote-sensing platforms to find water under some of the world’s thirstiest places.

As Californians start looking seriously at using greywater for home irrigation, all roads — or pipes — lead to Art Ludwig.

Bone-dry California eases restrictions on greywater use, allowing wastewater from washing machines and bathtubs to spill onto the state’s lawns and lemon trees.

To save water, some cities let residents replace grass lawns with artificial turf. Environmentalists call for xeriscaping. Aesthetes wince.

Wastewater recycling and other water-efficiency programs are saving aquifers and helping a famed produce industry thrive.

Higher water bills spark ratepayer revolts but may also dampen Californians’ proclivity to use more wet stuff than necessary.

Do exports of water-intensive crops hurt drought-prone California?

Clean and steady water that circumstance denies to up to two-thirds of the world’s population remains a low priority even as trillions are spent on carbon and stimulus initiatives, a new United Nations report states.

Aaron Wolf mediates disputes, helping enemies realize that no one deserves to have the water shut off.

The Cocktail Napkin: A look at some current research that merits a raised eyebrow or a painful grin.

Salt buildup in America’s most productive farming area could idle thousands of acres. But there are, ahem, solutions …

Caught between a rock and dry place, California tries automating farm water delivery.

To stave off water crises created by climate change, we need new systems that manage water, energy and ecosystems together. Here’s why.

Keeping trace contaminants out of drinking water is easier and cheaper than removing them later.

Humans are actually less likely to be harmed by traces of detergents and drugs in our drinking water than are other species.

Ecological sanitation, or ‘ecosan,’ can provide both improved hygiene and an income for the majority of the world, where just getting a sip of clean water can be a challenge.

Build new, low-impact hydropower facilities but keep the old: Large dams already in existence can be improved.

Hydropower will never be the complete answer to emissions-free energy production in the U.S., but a strong case can be made for it becoming a useful part of the answer.

Looking at the untapped potential for hydropower to supply the U.S. with carbon-free electricity, Lea-Rachel Kosnik finds ample opportunities for expanding hydro.