Scientists dissecting the remains of the disastrous 1980 explosion of Mt. St. Helens in Washington state say that crystal formations trapped in volcanic rocks hold important clues about when a magma-loaded mountain is about to blow — a discovery that could help volcanologists make more accurate predictions about future eruptions. ESS‘ Olivier Bachmann is quoted. Read more here!
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Anyone who has spent time on Forest Service land is familiar with slash piles, big dunes of plant scraps gathered up as a side-effect of logging. Scientists at UW, including SEFS PhD canidate Jenny Knoth, have invented a blanket to wrap around slash piles, that serves as CO2 absorber, fertilizer and kiln. Read more here! A new analysis by the Navy suggests that ongoing training and testing activities could cause greater harm to marine mammals than previously estimated. Read more here. California sea lions love fish. And now, at least three, and maybe four, of the big marine mammals this year have managed to find their way above Bonneville Dam, the lowermost hydro project on the Columbia River (146 river miles from the Pacific). The animals are believed to have passed upstream through the dam’s navigation locks. One story, though not validated, is that one sea lion was seen riding a shipping barge through the locks at the dam. Arguably more important than how they made it past the dam is why — and what the consequences are for fisheries up there. Read more here. Check out this super cool video of the lower Elwha River, as detected by LIDAR! Then, read more about the project here. ` The retreat of glaciers in the Olympics are causing multiple changes to salmon habitat in the watersheds they feed. Besides temperature changes due to lessening runoff, there is an increased amount of sediment being added to the Queets and the Quinault rivers. Research from the Climate Impacts Group is mentioned in this NWIFC article about the potential effects and management solutions.
Closer to home, Sisikyou County officials decided not to ban wolves in that part of California. This decision was prompted by the travels of the wolf known as OR-7, who left northeastern Oregon last year and has traveled more than 1,000 miles. Its quest has taken it into Northern California and back, and the first picture of OR-7 was taken this week in Modoc County. |
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