Jason Chin » Climate Change http://jasonchin.net Blog, Illustration, Books Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:00:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Fluctuating Fog Levels on the California Coast http://jasonchin.net/2010/02/fluctuating-fog-levels-on-the-california-coast/ http://jasonchin.net/2010/02/fluctuating-fog-levels-on-the-california-coast/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:40:29 +0000 Jason Chin http://jasonchin.net/?p=170 A new study finds fluctuating levels of fog on the California coast which could have an adverse affect on coast redwoods.   The study, conducted by biologist James Johnstone from U.C. Berkley, suggests that there has been a 30% decline in fog frequency along the coast in the past over the last century.  Redwoods rely on fog in the dry summer months to retain moisture.  When the fog rolls in, moisture condenses on the trees’ needles and falls to the ground to be soaked up by the trees’ roots.  But not only do they make their own rain, recent research has found that redwoods also absorb moisture through the needles themselves.  Over the course of one year, 30% to 40% of a redwoods total water intake is fog dependent, which is why this research has redwood enthusiasts worried.  The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more about the study on npr.org

Read the full study at pnas.org

]]> http://jasonchin.net/2010/02/fluctuating-fog-levels-on-the-california-coast/feed/ 0 Redwoods as Carbon Banks http://jasonchin.net/2010/01/redwoods-as-carbon-banks/ http://jasonchin.net/2010/01/redwoods-as-carbon-banks/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:14:42 +0000 Jason Chin http://jasonchin.net/?p=121 A pioneering group of Californians is trying to turn forests that include redwoods into “Carbon Banks” according to NPR’s Morning Edition in a report filed this past November.  The Conservation Fund’s goal is to manage their forests in such a way that they increase the amount of carbon the forests absorb and retain.  According to the report, it seems to be working:

The Conservation Fund calculates that over two years, its forest has soaked up an extra 350,000 tons of carbon. That’s roughly equivalent to taking 80,000 cars off the road for a year.

Turning forests into “carbon banks” may be an economically viable proposition.  With the prospect of a climate change bill being passed this year, a carbon marketplace (where “carbon credits” can be traded) is looking very possible. When those regulations are in place, forests will have economic value beyond the price of their timber, and that’s what the Conservation Fund is banking on.

Listen to the full report on NPR.org

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