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Los Angeles, City of Water. Photo LOS ANGELES is the nation’s water archvillain, according to public perception, notorious for its usurpation of water hundreds of miles away to slake the thirst of its ever-expanding population.

Los Angeles, City of Water

As a character in “Chinatown,” the noirish 1974 film starring Jack Nicholson that churns through the city’s water history, puts it, “Either you bring the water to L.A., or you bring L.A. to the water.” Recently, however, Los Angeles has reduced its reliance on outside sources of water. Preserving an Accident, the Salton Sea in California, for the Good of Nature. Photo MECCA, Calif. — The area around this town of date palms attracts two kinds of migrants — hundreds of humans who work the land, and millions of birds that stop to rest and gorge at the nearby Salton Sea.

Preserving an Accident, the Salton Sea in California, for the Good of Nature

The sea is a 110-year-old, increasingly briny, shallow lake that covers 350 square miles but is dwindling fast. Educators Guides & Lesson Plans - Screenscope - Journey to Planet Earth. A Place to Play. Overview The Los Angeles River, which flows through the city of Los Angeles, California, and other nearby cities, is a flood-control channel.

A Place to Play

Encased in concrete by the United States Army Corps of Engineers following floods in the 1930s, it has long been a hidden eyesore and a dumping ground, scarcely known to most residents of the city, and playing no meaningful part in civic life. But many years of effort by advocacy groups and city leaders to revitalize the river have begun to pay off. In May of 2014, the Corps of Engineers recommended approval of a $1 billion proposal to restore habitat, widen the river, establish wetlands, and create recreational opportunities. In this series of lessons, you'll assume the role of a GIS analyst hired by the City of Los Angeles to identify promising locations for new park development close to the river.

Build skills in these areas: Home : Los Angeles River : The City of Los Angeles. The New River: An environmental success story Page 4 of 4. California Water Foundation. Qualifying Products. Roundup Weedkiller Found In 75% of Air and Rain Samples, Gov. Study.

Fisheries

West Virginians Still Stocking Up On Water, Fearing Pollution. Copyright © 2014 NPR.

West Virginians Still Stocking Up On Water, Fearing Pollution

It's Not Magic On The Mountain, It's A Rain-Making Machine. Hide captionA ground-based cloud-seeding tower at Alpine Meadows ski area near California's Lake Tahoe.

It's Not Magic On The Mountain, It's A Rain-Making Machine

It spits out silver iodide particles that are the right size and shape to help precipitation form. Lauren Sommer/KQED A ground-based cloud-seeding tower at Alpine Meadows ski area near California's Lake Tahoe. It spits out silver iodide particles that are the right size and shape to help precipitation form. Welcome - California Water Plan Web Site. Desalination. Introduction Water desalination is the removal of salts and dissolved solids from saline water (brackish or seawater), also known as Desalting or Desalinization.

Desalination

In addition to the removal of minerals, the process removes most biological or organic chemical compounds. Most desalination processes are based either on thermal distillation or membrane separation technologies. California Drought Obama: Desalination Could Water Central Valley. Science Nation - Dead Zones in the Ocean. Watch decades of economic expansion in 5 American cities from space. Las Vegas, above, is among the most visible examples of rapid growth over nearly 30 years. (Google Earth screengrab.) Economic booms, bubbles and busts often require decades to unfold and can happen on a scale so large it’s hard to visualize and contextualize. But thanks to modern technology, that’s no longer the case. Earlier this year, Google and a handful of partner organizations unveiled a time-lapse project using satellite imagery taken over decades that allows users to see how the planet has changed over time.

The interactive animations show off the effects of deforestation, glacial retreat and urban growth. Weather Extremes : Heavy Rain Makes Dent in California Drought. Japan Breaks National Heat Record. Chinese Heat Wave Continues An all-time national heat record was set in Japan today (August 12th) when the temperature peaked at 41.0°C (105.8°F) at the Ekawasaki site in Shimanto (part of Kochi Prefecture).

The previous record of 40.9°C (105.6°F) was recorded at Tajima and Kumagaya on August 16, 2007. Tokyo endured its warmest daily minimum on August 11th with a low of 30.4°C (86.7°F). Snowpackcomparison.jpg (JPEG Image, 700 × 393 pixels) How California's Worsening Drought Could Make Your Grocery Bill Spike. By Emily Atkin "How California’s Worsening Drought Could Make Your Grocery Bill Spike" Gilroy, Calif., south of Gilroy, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008.

How California's Worsening Drought Could Make Your Grocery Bill Spike

CREDIT: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu. They're Getting It Right "Down Under" and the U.S. Should Follow Their Lead  Though recent news hasn't been good - record drought in the Southwest, the precipitous decline of Monarch butterflies, the extermination of top predators that keep our ecosystems healthy - my recent trip to Australia made me feel more hopeful than in a long time.

They're Getting It Right "Down Under" and the U.S. Should Follow Their Lead 

In Australia, I encountered a broad constructive response to sustained drought and loss of biodiversity. I wasn't expecting this. I knew that Australia had made many of the same stewardship mistakes as the United States and expected Australia's course corrections to be about the same. Was I wrong! The Australians are far ahead of the United States in responding to many environmental issues.