Read on if you are interested in California drought, Santa Cruz County, coho salmon, San Lorenzo River and high-pressure zone.
by Hilltromper staff
Jan. 16, 2014—For the majority of California cities, last year was the driest year on record. The problem? “A mountain in the atmosphere,” as Bob Benjamin, a National Weather Service forecaster in Monterey, analogized in an interview with the Mercury News. This “mountain” is a type of high-pressure zone common during the winter, but it’s also common for these zones to break down and allow for rain. Not this one, though—the 4-mile-high, 2,000-mile-long ridge has been looming since December 2012, and its refusal to break is stumping researchers. Over at the California Weather Blog they're even calling it the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge.
People aren’t the only ones hurting. In the American River, the low water levels are threatening the nests of eggs laid by Chinook salmon. And locally, endangered coho salmon, trapped in a lagoon at the San Lorenzo rivermouth by the low water flows, are reportedly being caught by fisherman. The Sentinel reports that when the fish are repeatedly accidently caught and released, their chance of reproductive success dramatically decreases.
Chris Berry, who through the Santa Cruz Water Department enforces environmental regulations, even suggests state and federal regulators consider a temporary shutdown of fishing on the San Lorenzo River.
Similarly, Gov. Jerry Brown is being pushed to declare a drought, with speculation that this could happen as early as Feb. 1. That way it would be easier for water transfers and other outside help.
But with sunny skies in the seven-day forecast, rain is needed far beyond reasons for dry lawns and dusty skies. With people and wildlife alike in danger, all that can be done is trying to individually conserve water and hope that you’ll be pulling out your rain boots from the back of your closet sooner rather than later.
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