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Research scientist Michelle Newcomer Talks About Wildfire’s Effects on Water Quality at AGU1 min read

by Christina Procopiou on December 12, 2018

Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Hydrogeologist and EESA research scientist Michelle Newcomer has been studying the potential impact of the 2017 Northern California wildfires on the Russian River watershed.

Before the Camp Fire this fall, the October 2017 Northern California Wildfires were the deadliest in California history. Last year’s fires burned 110,000 acres in Sonoma and Napa counties–and 8 percent of the Russian River watershed.

This week  in Washington, D.C. at  the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, research scientist Michelle Newcomer has been describing Berkeley Lab’s work to assess the impact of fires combined with post-fire storms on post-fire hydrology and water quality, and the potential impact of the fires on maintaining the filtration benefits at Sonoma Water’s Riverbank Filtration facilities.

Berkeley Lab has been collaborating with the Sonoma Water and scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to analyze surface- and groundwater samples collected from across the watershed for physical characteristics like river discharge, and chemical variables such as metals and mercury.

The study complements the national lab’s body of work aimed at understanding how the hydrology and microbiology of surface and groundwater systems respond to extreme events.

Read more about their research.

News & Events

EESA scientist co-authors new comprehensive guide on ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere2 min read

January 18, 2021

Berkeley Lab researchers are working on ways to sequester more carbon in soil, including through agricultural practices. (Credit: Berkeley Lab) Scientists say that any serious plan to address climate change should include carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and policies, which makes the newly launched CDR Primer an especially vital resource, says Berkeley Lab scientist Margaret Torn, one…

New EESA research explores impact of land-use policy on California’s terrestrial carbon and greenhouse gas budget3 min read

January 12, 2021

The 28 million acres of natural and working lands across California provide a unique opportunity to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals through various land-use strategies, such as expanding urban forest areas or restoring woodlands. However, the need to mitigate wildfire severity is also a critical priority for California, and one that can increase emissions…

Impacts of Climate Change on Our Water and Energy Systems: It’s Complicated5 min read

January 11, 2021

As the planet continues to warm, the twin challenges of diminishing water supply and growing energy demand are intensifying. But because water and energy are inextricably linked, as we try to adapt to one challenge – say, by getting more water via desalination or water recycling – we may be worsening the other challenge by…

New Study: Are Drylands Getting Drier?1 min read

January 5, 2021

EESA visiting postdoctoral fellow Sha Zhou led a recent study exploring why climate models do not project drylands will become substantially drier with climate change as scientists have long believed. A paper published yesterday in the journal Nature Climate Change, “Soil moisture-atmosphere feedbacks mitigate declining water availability in drylands,” describes the importance of long-term changes…

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