Climate change is worsening the threats that homeless populations face.
Weather
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Climate extremes are putting species in sync – and in danger
Shifts in coastal weather systems could make the West’s species less resilient.
Posted inMarch 5, 2018: Drilling Chaco
The class disparity in Montecito’s disaster recovery
Southern California sits at the intersection of wealth, poverty and climate change.
Posted inFebruary 5, 2018: Caught Between Crises
‘Atmospheric rivers’ aid the West — and imperil it
Improved storm forecasts could help reservoir managers store more water while avoiding floods.
Posted inArticles
16 major environmental protections cut in 2017
Climate change initiatives were the most targeted by the Trump administration.
Posted inArticles
2017 in natural disasters
From massive wildfires to melting ice, the calamities that affected the West this year.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Nothing about future fires is guaranteed
Except that they will come.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
It’s not only trees — wildfires imperil water too
Sediment-choked watersheds and erosion could become more frequent as wildfire activity grows.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
What fire researchers learned from California’s blazes
In California, land managers use fire as a tool.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
By shifting nesting times, early birds adjust to climate change
As the West warms, some songbirds in California are raising their young earlier.
Posted inArticles
After Oroville, officials across the West review dam safety
The California dam’s spillways are ready for rain as safety officials prepare for future catastrophes.
Posted inArticles
What a new report on climate science portends for the West
From wildfires to drought, a look at a warming world.
Posted inOctober 2, 2017: Following Ancient Footsteps
Laundry at Old Faithful; Death Cafés; Dumpsters in the wind
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inSeptember 18, 2017: No Hoax
Farming in Alaska is increasingly possible
Longer growing seasons and food scarcity are turning more people to agriculture.
Posted inArticles
Why are federal flood maps so flawed?
The maps are expensive to maintain and shaped by local politics.
Posted inArticles
How oceans impact Western reservoirs and rivers
New research on marine temperatures could help improve drought predictions.
Posted inArticles
Texas hurricane exposes flaws in flood protections
After a series of disasters, a national insurance program is struggling financially.
Posted inSeptember 4, 2017: The Elwha, Unleashed
States restrict chinook fisheries
Extreme climate conditions over recent years pummeled the king of Western salmon.
Posted inArticles
‘Flash drought’ threatens crops and cattle
Exceptionally dry conditions in the northern Great Plains are devastating farmers and ranchers.
Posted inArticles
Death Valley just had its hottest month on record
Unusually hot desert nights contributed to what may well be a new planet record.