A possible answer to this UDDER COWtastrphie

As some of you may know, there is an ongoing imbalance in California, this is due to the unequal ratio of deer for the mountain lions, Bobcats and other predators to feast upon the deer. But due to the dropping survival rate of fawns, this is bad news for the predators of California, especially the mountain lions, thanks to the 51 percent of deer that get eaten. I think that there are many ways that we can fix this but an easier one would be to export the correct ratio of the recorded mountain lions to deer to other habitats so that the deer can regain their previous numbers. We could then put back the mountain lions slowly enough so that the deer polulation can be an even balance again.

We need the bees

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-bees-no-food


Millions of bees are dying off, and we rely on bees to pollinate 71 of the 100 crops that provide 90% of most of all the world's food. We rely on bees to pollinate everything from almonds to strawberries to the hay we use to feed dairy cows. So what happens when all the bees die off? We don't get the foods we need to survive.

Imbalance in mountain lions and deer pushes entire California ecosystem off its feet!

Here in California, our native mountain lions population has increased while its prey, the deer, has been decreasing. This has left the mountain lions with nothing to eat. What will they eat next? Read about it in the link below!

http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/Popular/mtnlions.html  

Brown Sounds The Alarm On Drought

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/04/09/drought-california-brown/25544867/

California Gov. Jerry Brown warned Thursday that the drought parching his state will lead to a summer of forest fires and potential water shortages.Brown said this drought is worse than the one during his first term as governor in the 1970s, because temperatures are higher and the lack of water (rain and snow) is more pronounced.More than 44% of California is in "exceptional" drought (the worst level of drought).That's the highest percentage of exceptional drought the state has seen this year. It is the highest percentage of any U.S. state.

Brown Sounds The Alarm On The Drought

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/04/09/drought-california-brown/25544867/

Weaponizing Our Water

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/protect-californias-waters

Thought that the Clean Water Act kept our oceans safe? Think again.
West Virginia’s Elk River was the victim of a 10,000 gallon oil spill in January, leaving 300,000 people without water to drink, bathe in or cook with.
In Toledo, Ohio,  a toxic algae bloom contaminated the water in February and 400,000 people went without drinking water. In the algae there was a potent substance called cyanotoxin, something the military had once considered weaponizing.
The Clean Water Act was passed over 40 years ago, yet polluting industries are still putting our waters at risk. Specifically, putting 2 million miles of our streams and the drinking water of 117 million Americans at risk. And the EPA's proposed solution, a new rule closing the loopholes in The Clean Water Act, is being opposed by polluting companies.

Pollution causes lung damage in teens !

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/childrens-lung-health-improves-as-air-pollution-is-reduced-study-says/?_r=0 

Limiting air pollution isn't only important to save the environment, it also matter to the health of humans. Kids in the age range of 11-15 lungs are still developing so their lungs can be permanently damaged.

More heat waves and wildfires in Cali :(

http://www.startribune.com/business/218795731.html

Climate change here is affecting us for the worse because the coast has more acidic water caused by  carbon dioxide, methane and other heat-trapping gases that are in the air and are being absorbed by the ocean. 

Running out of water

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/04/09/drought-california-brown/25544867/



Jerry Brown, govvoner of California, said this drought can and will cause forest fires and water shortages. "We're in for tough times" says Brown. So try to cut back on water usage until we get some rain.

Bee Worried

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-bees-no-food

It's a known fact that bees pollinate 71 of the 100 crops that we rely on and use as our daily food supply. Bees are vital to our survival as a species. However, in the past few years, 30% of beekeepers' bees have been dying off. Broader issues such as global warming, habitat loss, parasites, and especially pesticides have been the causes of this drastic dissapearance. If we don't find a way to end this soon, not just the bees lives will be in jeopardy.

The exhaust of 33 million people

http://www.arb.ca.gov/knowzone/students/airpollu/airpolpage/whyis.htm
All around California, people are contributing to the huge problem of pollution and smog.  The geography of California is perfect for air to get trapped from cars and other vehicles putting out exhaust that is slowly killing out the planet.  People need to find ways to take a chunk of there daily amounts of smog by using more public ways to travel to help save the environment.

We have to drink less water?

The State of California is reccomending cutting water by 35%! Thats a lot of water and many people are resisting. But under the states preliminary plan communities that don't meet the required cuts will have to pay a huge fine. Up to 10,000 dollars a day. Some communities though are asking the requirement to be lower due to the upcoming warm and dry summer. Mr. Durkin form a district near Sacramento said "The state water board should consider the regions dry, warm summers when setting the rate." Especially for inner state valley regions, where they don't get much rain anyway.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/us/in-california-cities-braced-to-cut-water-by-10-to-35.html?ref=topics&_r=0

Global Warming Causes Drought?

http://ca.water.usgs.gov/data/drought/drought-water-decisions.html -explains drough

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/03/02/california-drought-climate-change-global-warming/24262559/ - shows connection between drought and global warming


Studies show that 98% of California is in a drought, and 2014 was California's third driest year out 119 years, and it doesn't look like it will be cooling down. The main reason we are in this drought is because of the harsh effects of global warming. If we can find ways to slow down the process, like walking instead of driving to school, maybe we won't need to monitor the amount of water we use per day, and California can be healthy once again.

Massifornia Science Blog 2015

                                                            Mr. Souza's Website


                                                                   Blog Rules

                                                                 

Give Bees a Chance 🐝

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-bees-no-food

Were you aware that California produces 99 percent of artichokes, 99 percent of walnuts, 97 percent of kiwis, 97 percent of plums, 95 percent of celery, 95 percent of garlic, 89 percent of cauliflower, 71 percent of spinach, 90 percent of broccoli and 69 percent of carrots? 

This huge amount of produce wouldn't be possible without bees, who pollinate fruit and vegetables that we eat, and the diet that we feed cows, pigs, etc., which we often eat as well. This makes it alarming that beekeepers are reporting a loss of 30% of all honeybee colonies each winter. This is considered twice the loss that is economically tolerable.

There are multiple reasons behind this, including habitat loss, global warming, parasites, and overuse of insecticides by the name of neonicotinids. When the insecticide is absorbed by the plant, it works its way into the pollen and nectar of the plant, which is obviously harmful.

No Water! More Mosquitoes! More Death!

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-027.aspx
You may have heard of a huge drought in California, but maybe not. Either way, the drought is really bad, and it is causing even more problems that may be even worse than the water crisis. One of the many issues created by our lack of water is the West Nile Virus. This potentially neuroinvasive disease had the second highest number of human cases in 2014 with 801 people contracting this virus. 31 people died from this dangerous disease, the highest number of deaths that WNV has ever caused. The proportion of  mosquitoes infected with WNV has reached a high with the mosquito infection rate now 6.0, which is shocking considering the infection rate of an epidemic being 5.0. 60% of birds have also been found to be infected. If we do not act now to try and stop this potentially deadly disease, we may face an epidemic which could effect everyone.

Climate Change Kills California

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140805-yosemite-snowpack-spectrometry-california-drought-science/

California's environment is being greatly affected by the drastic climate change our Earth is undergoing. "75 to 80 percent of the state's water comes from the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. That's water that serves tens of millions of people, grows about half of the fruits and nuts in the United States, produces hydropower, drives industry, supports recreation, and nourishes wildlife." The amount of water will become scarce, and already has decreased. This generation won't necessarily be heavily impacted by some of these changes, but our posterity will be. 

Water for Oil with no Water to Waste

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-fracking-california-0

Big Oil wants all the water they can get for fracking. Fracking basically takes water and puts it through a process to make it into oil.  With California extreme low on water with cut backs on water being reduced as time goes on.  We need to learn how to save more water and use less oil.

1 year of water left

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html


This is about the drought in California and how little water we have left. According to the LA Times we have about one year of water left in California any many of the water reserves are really low.

Not Just a Drought

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-drought-mosquito-activity-20150408-story.html

 The water supply is getting very scarce. The drought is causing cases of the West Nile Virus, the drought is to blame. We need to start conserving water, because the drought is not just affecting the water. It is causing some serious side affects. Of the 801 total cases in California, 561 patients developed a serious neurological form of the disease, which can often result in swelling of the brain. 

90% of Ocean Debris is Plastic!

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/savethebagban

After reading into this stunning article about pollution in the Pacific Ocean I am all for saving the California bag ban. It's the statistics that really caught my attention: For decades, plastic trash has been polluting the Pacific, with damaging results for ocean wildlife. Ninety percent of ocean debris, which harms more than 660 marine species, is made up of plastic trash. This plastic kills thousands of birds, marine mammals and sea turtles each year.

Waves of Plastic

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/keep-plastic-out-pacific

California has been expiriencing a issue with how much plastic enters the ocean each day. "Californians throw away 123,000 tons of plastic bags each year, and too many of them end up as litter in our ocean. Today, there are 100 million tons of trash in the North Pacific Gyres..." says environmentalist. Tons of animals have been dying each day, some of these animals are, seabirds, fish, and turtles. More and more animals have been rescued from plastic bag entanglement. I believe that if we start to cut plastic production, then more animals will be saved.

California's Plan Bee

This article made me realize the importance of bees in our ecosystem. "We rely on bees to pollinate 71 of the 100 crops that provide 90% of most of the world’s food." With all the bees that are dying out, we might not have enough food to keep us going. 
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-bees-no-food

mosquitoes are killing us softly

click here for article


Here in California we have had a really bad outbreak of West Nile Virus. It's been in record numbers, and I'm pretty sure it's because of the terrible drought we've been having. The abundance of stagnant water is making mosquitoes more likely to lay eggs in it, and then birds drink it. We've had 801 deaths so far, and 60% of dead birds (that's a lot of dead birds) are infected. If it weren't for the drought there is no doubt this wouldn't happen.

Will California run out of water?

http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20150408/NEWS06/150409646/-1/News

It is the fourth year of California's drought and there are many things people are blaming for this recent issue. Some say it is because of almonds. Others say it is climate change. Or farming. But I belive that all of these things ( including almonds) have contributed to the drought and we all need to contribute to ending it. Massachusetts kids, send us water in the mail.

California out of water

http://cacs.org/research/unsustainable-california-the-top-10-issues-facing-the-golden-state-water-supply/

The water supply in California is not enough for the demanding 38 million residents. Lakes are drying and Even under normal conditions, without the necessary policy reforms and different funding sources, California’s water supply would still be unreliable. California receives the greatest portion of agricultural revenue in the U.S. (11.3%). In some cases, crops that generate large portions of the state’s agricultural revenue require less acreage and less water compared to cheaper crops. Even though there are trying to stop the drought that we are in, I think that we can't and we will lose all of our water.

California Gets Emergency Water

California for those of you who don't know has been in a drought and is losing tons of water because of the shortage of rain but as of 2 weeks ago Governor Jerry Brown as signed a $1 billion emergency water plan. [Click On Link Below]
http://ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-28.html

Insufficient Funds for Education

http://cacs.org/research/unsustainable-california-the-top-10-issues-facing-the-golden-state-education/

California is significantly lower on funds compared to the rest of America. Money is being raised but will it be enough?

Water supply shortage

http://cacs.org/research/unsustainable-california-the-top-10-issues-facing-the-golden-state-water-supply/

2013 marked the driest year on record for many regions in the state, and the same conditions happened in 2014.  While many attribute the state’s unpredictable water supply to the drought and rising temperatures, California’s current drought conditions actually reveal weakness in the state’s water supply management policies.  Even under normal conditions, without the necessary policy reforms and different funding sources, California’s water supply would still be unreliable. The state’s old and insufficient water infrastructure, largely unmanaged groundwater supplies, inefficient water use, and environmental issues are just some of the threats to the state’s future water supply in the short- and long-term. As the population continues to grow and temperatures continue to rise, these challenges will intensify. I think that we need rain to help the very scarce water In California.  

California is Running Out of Water

https://newsela.com/articles/cali-water/id/8389/

This article talks about California's drought.  The Governer, Jerry Brown, announced that he is making restrictions on water so everyone can only use a certain amount.  He is hoping these restrictions will limit the water use by 25%.  Because all of the people are using so much water for basic things like washing clothes, doing dishes, and taking a shower, these restrictions are really needed.  California is slowly running out of water.

Our Plastic Ocean

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/marinedebris.html

You've probably heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a huge patch of debris in the Pacific Ocean. In 2001, there were over 334,000 pieces of plastic per square mile in the Garbage Patch, and that number has only gone up since then. Trash in our oceans is a huge problem. 80% of marine debris comes from land, so we are to blame, not the fishing industry. California beaches are visited over 150 million times a year, and it costs some half a billion dollars to keep litter in check. Marine debris affects almost 700 marine species by disrupting their habitats, entangling them, and by the species eating trash. We are also affected, because trash on beaches like glass can physically injure us and chemicals in trash in the ocean can be harmful to us. When fish eat trash or poisonous chemicals, and we eat the fish, we can get sick. We need to decrease our trash and litter to save our oceans, beaches, ourselves, and wildlife.

We're all gonna die. (This is about bees)

Honeybees are dying off! Beekeepers have reported that they're losing about 30 percent of all honeybee colonies each winter. Honeybees are dramatically underrated and they actually pollinate a lot of the food that we eat, so if we loose all of our dear little bees we will loose a considerable amount of food!

    http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-bees-no-food

Toilet restrictions

http://ca.gov/drought/news/story-81.html

Thanks to the severity of the drought in California there are a LOT of major water conservation attempts, making life in California just that little bit more annoying. Some of the major setbacks include...

Toilets and urinals cannot use more than 1.28 gallons of water per flush with urinals being banned from using 0.125 and public faucets in bathrooms cannot exceed 1/2 of a gallon per minute. The list goes on for quite a while but I will not take the time to list all of them.

California's Drought. Will it Stop? Who's to Blame?

http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/whos-to-blame-for-californias-drought

California's drought is known to every Californian now because it's be going on for years now. It's in our California that we will need to reduce our water use to help slow down this drought.

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-bees-no-food

Millions of bees are dying off in the U.S, although this is a huge problem in California

38,000 African Elephants of Plastic

https://student.societyforscience.org/article/plastics-sea-create-raft-problems

Water pollution is a huge problem around the world, especially in California.  According to Science for Students, "If you could somehow weigh all the plastic floating in the world's oceans, it would equal the mass of roughly 38,000 African elephants."

Can converting sea water into water help with the drought

https://newsela.com/articles/desalination-drought/id/6027/

Converting sea water into water can help make the drought of California gone because now we are working on turning sea water into normal water.

Routine Traffic Jams in Mill Valley

http://patch.com/california/millvalley/new-light-at-tam-junction-causes-traffic-congestion-for-mill-valley-commuters

Although this post was created in 2013, the traffic problem in Mill Valley is still occurring, and even worst than what it use to be. Experiencing the many traffic jams in Tam Junction, trying to get to the city is extremely annoying when it takes 15 minutes when it should take 5. The convenience issue is not the only frustrating thing. The fact that more fuel is burnt because of inconvenient traffic is an easy fix. More lanes could be put up or even a simple road change. This problem is way larger than what is should be, and could be easily fixed.

West Nile virus in California?

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-027.aspx
This is a really bad case of West Nile virus in California for the last couple years.  There have been several cases but not astonishing numbers, the thing is that the less water we have in California the more West Nile Virus (WNV) there is.  I think that we need people to be more educated so they don't spend so much water on things that aren't important.  I also think that we need to be more careful about what we eat because that is how the WNV is transmitted.

Sea Lion Die-off Starts Again

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150211-sea-lions-pups-stranding-starving-california/

For the third winter in a row starving sea lion pups are washing up on Californian beaches. "Since January 1, nearly 500 of the tiny animals have been admitted to the state's rehabilitation centers—a number many times higher than normal." I think this is a huge problem, because this is really bad for the sea lion population. The fact this is happening over and over again means that their is something is happening to the sea lions population, people need to find out what this is before it starts happening to other animals.

Your Food Affects CA's Drought!!

http://graphics.latimes.com/food-water-footprint/

The food that you decide to eat uses a lot of water. By cutting down on eating animal products will help save a large amount of water that could help California's drought. California has been in a drought for a while now and any extra water is necessary for the environment. I think that we should be able to do anything we can to help with the drought, even if that consists of cutting down on animal products. 

Drought in California

http://ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-30.html
The drought in California is getting worse. In April 2015, snow was measured at its lowest level ever recorded and we need to start conserveing our water.

Needles or Measles

http://www.who.int/csr/don/13-february-2015-measles/en/

There has been a big outbreak of measles in the USA, even though this may seem like it is a national problem, when you look closer you will see that 88 out of the 121 cases from January 1st to Feburary 6th are in California. People are being too stubborn to get their shots because some people believe it causes mental illness, but there is no proof.

California drought

http://youtu.be/rHWHuP91c7Y- here is a video by the New York Times that I think you guys should watch because it really explaines all of the people efected By the drought and what kinds of measures California should take.

Joachim de hemptinne

Is desalination the only option to end California's drought?

http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/why-isnt-desalination-the-answer-to-all-californias-water-problems/

The new technology of desalination is gaining traction as the answer to California's water issues. Desalination is the process of turning ocean water into drinking water. This idea is very controversial as it is very pricy and could threaten marine life in the Pacific Ocean. California is running out of ideas to end the drought and desalination may be the last chance.

healthcare in california

http://cacs.org/research/unsustainable-california-the-top-10-issues-facing-the-golden-state-healthcare/

health care costs are rising faster than the economy can handle. it is now becoming extremely hard to afford really good healthcare that will ensure the health of california families.

Urban Water Conservation Plummets In California

http://ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-30.html

California has been in a drought for over 2 years now and just now people are being told not to water their lawns. I am worried that in the future people might be only allowed to use a certain amount of water a day.

Toxic Waste

http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
The amount of hazardous waste in Califonia is growing at an alarming rate. Some of this wast is toxic enough to cause illness in ranging severity in both people and animals in the surrounding ecosystems.

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2. Do not be rude or insulting to the students/teachers.
3. Only post Science related Links,Photos,Videos.
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Thank you

~Elias

The drought

The drought is bad. ca.gov/drought/ 

California's Worst Drought In Years

California's reservoirs are getting dangerously low.

http://www.ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-30.html

Water With No Future: Statewide Water Rashioning

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/01/396859879/california-governor-issues-1st-ever-statewide-mandatory-water-reductions

California's govener demands the entire state to begin rashioning water. Especially large land areas like golf courses.

California drought

http://ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-30.html

CA Water Conservation Needs to Start Now

http://www.ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-30.html

As the CA drought gets worse, the state is progressively losing water and it is more important that everyone starts using less water immediately.

Plastic in the pacific

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/keep-plastic-out-pacific

We need to solve the problem of trash in our oceans. Thousands of tons of trash is in our ocean and it is a big problem.

California drought is worsened by global warming, scientists say

Website

California is getting dangerously hot!

http://www.startribune.com/business/218795731.html
Global warming is getting out of control in California; forest are dying, water is becoming more and more acidic and animals are having trouble surviving with all their recourses getting obliterated.

california sets record for west nile virus activity

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-027.aspx

Toxic water in Ca?

Chemical spills, pipeline collapses, and toxic algae makes it almost impossible to get drinkable to some California citizens! To find our more (because I'm lazy)↓↓↓click the link below↓↓↓
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/protect-californias-waters

California is shown to have many virus issues. Viruses get stronger and medicine gets weaker http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-027.aspx

Charge Ahead: California's Electric Car Revolution

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/charge-ahead-california

California is beginning to fight back against pollution by using more and more electric cars. The government is making it easy by removing gas stations and replacing them with charging stations.

No Snow, no water, no more green lawns

  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/02/us/california-imposes-first-ever-water-restrictions-to-deal-with-drought.html
Record low snow falls, have caused VERY Little water in our reservoirs. Restrictions have been put on water use, but we're still lagging behind.

California's clean water act issue

Our nations water is in trouble because polluting industries have carved loop holes in the Clean Water Act, which has left 139,000 miles of streams in California open to pollution. 
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/protect-californias-waters

Keep plastic out of the pacific! Trash is killing wild life in California and we are making bans on plastic bags to stop it.

California is Running Out of Water... Fast!!

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/opinions/sobel-california-drought/

California Needs water ASAP

Drought Getting Worse?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/01/396780035/scary-times-for-california-farmers-as-snowpack-hits-record-lows


California is getting worse with their drought problem. Last year, wells at La Jolla dried up. The well that dried up affected life's of many farmers. We need to do something fast before we run out of water.

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/cae/no-bees-no-food

CA Drought

CA Drought Link
LA Times

Bees in California are dying out and we don't know why.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/disappearing-bees-progress-or-frustration-1/

In california, where produce is a big industry, bees are dying out! A mysterious condition is making them all die, which means they can't pollinate plants or make honey. If we don't find out why, things could go downhill.