Compared to a nearby wildfire that primarily burned vegetation, the smoke plume from the urban Eaton Fire contained 3 times as much arsenic and 50 times as much lead.
California
Posted inNews
Oil and Gas Development Heightens Risk of Valley Fever
Kern County has more cases of valley fever and more fossil fuel wells than anywhere else in California. A new study suggests this might not be a coincidence.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Making Sense of Shallow-Water Waves with Advanced Statistics
Low-frequency infragravity waves shape shorelines, but exactly how they contribute is mysterious. A technique from Bayesian probability theory might change that.
Posted inNews
Wastewater Can Take Harmful Algal Blooms from Bad to Worse
By modeling toxic diatoms and coastal processes, scientists have discovered the degree to which nutrients from Southern California’s densely populated coast affect these blooms.
Posted inNews
California’s Drought Irreversibly Damaged Sacramento Valley Aquifers
Satellite data have revealed an abrupt drop in aquifers’ ability to recharge after the 2020–2022 drought. More real-time monitoring could spot the issue before it arises again.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Redesigning Farmland Through Community Collaboration in California
A community-led project in California shows how collaboration can reshape farmland to improve water resources, restore native plants, and create recreational space.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Extensive Sand Dune Loss Threatens California Coast
Aerial photos combined with lidar data show the extent of the problem.
Posted inOpinions
Archetypes Could Accelerate Agricultural Adaptation to Less Snowpack
Measurable characteristics can be used to develop archetypes of complex agricultural systems, helping stakeholders to assess where different adaptation strategies are more likely to succeed.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Recycled Rocks Reveal Subduction Zone Dynamics Off Baja California
High-pressure rocks on Cedros Island were exhumed, eroded, and redeposited into the subduction trench multiple times, reshaping interpretations of ancient plate boundary processes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Keeping Humans in the Loop Improves Flood Forecasting
Artificial intelligence and machine learning can improve flood predictions—but human expertise still matters for accurate warnings, new research says.