water quality monitoring
In recent years, factors such as pollution and a warming climate have caused a surge of slimy, bright green algae in Lake Tahoe, forming dim floating mats in places like Mara Bay. Apart from damaging the scenic coastline, algae can also cause hypoxic conditions in lakes, negatively impacting fish and other aquatic life.
But Lake Tahoe’s 112 miles of shoreline can make it difficult for scientists to regularly track this genus of filamentous algae. Zignema. So researchers at the University of California Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, in collaboration with the Save Lake Tahoe Coalition and the Desert Research Institute, and with the help of Tahoe tourists and residents, are working to eliminate algae, trash, and murky water. I decided to report other concerns, such as invasive species.
The Citizen Science Tahoe app allows lake visitors to take photos and enter water quality observations. So far he has had 6,500 reports submitted to the app. Heather Segal, director of education and outreach at the University of California, Davis-Tahoe Environmental Research Center, said it is already helping scientists track the spread of algae.
Segare said the app is not only a tool to help monitor lake conditions, but also to help people understand how visitor and lake community actions affect water quality. Stated. For example, applying too much fertilizer can add nutrients to a lake and contribute to algae blooms. “Maybe people will reconsider having a big lawn that goes all the way to the water, and maybe they’ll reconsider how much fertilizer they put into that big green lawn,” she says. “We hope that the more people understand why these changes are happening, the more we can help solve them.”
local wildlife coroner
Fraser Schilling, director of the Center for Road Ecology at the University of California, Davis, suspected that many of California’s wildlife deaths were caused by vehicle collisions. But without a central database, it was difficult to estimate the areas of concern and where the most animals were being attacked and killed. He started the California Roadkill Observation System in 2009 to find out.
Since then, volunteers have entered more than 100,000 roadkill observations into the system, recording location and species. Schilling and his team combine that data with animal collision reports from the State Highway Patrol and use that information in a report that identifies high-traffic areas.
This data helps confirm that collisions are the leading cause of mountain lion mortality in Southern California and suggests that even common species like mule deer are greatly affected by collisions. I am. Schilling added that in addition to the physical effects on drivers and animals, people experience psychological distress from wildlife collisions.
From an economic perspective, the cost of wildlife collisions in California from 2016 to 2020 amounted to $2 billion after factoring in medical costs, vehicle damage, and other factors, making it a hot spot in 2021. The report makes estimates. However, authorities were able to use hotspot reports to identify segments of road where solutions such as fencing would provide the greatest benefit to people and wildlife, and pay off by avoiding impacts.