Tag: Fresh Water

New Study: How Cities Can Finally Get Smart About Water

May 7, 2013  |  by: Bob Lalasz  |  4

If the definition of insanity is making the same mistakes over and over, then many cities have taken a certifiable approach to securing their water supplies — and they need some radical therapy before taking the big economic, ecological and human hits that come with a permanent state of thirst.

That’s the conclusion from a new study in the journal Water Policy, whose authors compared the water supply histories of 4 cities — San Diego, Phoenix, San Antonio and Adelaide, Australia. Among the lessons learned? Urban water conservation, recycling and desalination aren’t silver bullets. In fact, the best solution may lie upstream with farmers — saving just 5-10% of agricultural irrigation in upstream watersheds could satisfy a city’s entire water needs.

Brian Richter, a senior freshwater scientist at The Nature Conservancy and the study’s lead author, told me more about what cities need to do to say on the right side of dry.

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Notes from Silver Creek: Computer Modeling for Stream Conservation

March 26, 2013  |  by: Dayna Gross  |  1

What effects will land use changes have on a stream and its wildlife? How do conservation managers know what will happen in a stream when a restoration project takes place? Will it really lower water temperatures? Will fish thrive?

Surely conservationists can’t see into the future? 

Actually, stream managers now use sophisticated computer modeling to predict the outcomes of their activities. These models allow them to see how planting native shrubs, for instance, will alter stream flows and water temperatures.

In 2010, The Nature Conservancy was contacted by Maria Loinaz, a PhD candidate  at the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Idaho.  She was interested in developing a hydrologic model of the Silver Creek watershed using software called MIKE SHE/Ecolab.

This software is changing the way stream managers engage in restoration. It incorporates data on both groundwater and surface water, including stream flow, precipitation, vegetation and soils to accurately predict the effects of a new activity on a stream.

Maria proposed using the MIKE SHE program to model the groundwater and surface water systems and use the EcoLab program to build a water temperature model. Together these would allow her to model what happens to stream temperatures when riparian buffers were planted or stream flows increased.  Maria also wanted to incorporate fish data to see whether she could model where, based on the hydrology and temperature, fish would thrive in the system.

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A Q&A with the New Director of our Global Freshwater Program

February 14, 2013  |  by: Mark Tercek  |  1

More than 1 billion people face daily water shortages, and within the next 20 years, more than half the world’s population could face water shortages. Our CEO sits down with the new Global Freshwater Program Director to find out where to go from here.

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What is Cool Green Science?

Most projections say at least 9 billion people will be alive on Earth come 2050 -- putting tremendous pressures on the natural systems that we all rely on for survival and prosperity.

Cool Green Science is where Nature Conservancy scientists and science writers discuss and debate how conservation can help meet those challenges head on -- in partnership with you, of course. You'll also find photos, videos and dispatches from our fieldwork, book reviews, raves and groans about new research, natural history accounts, citizen science opps, and much much more -- including stuff about critters that are just cool.

Cool Green Science is managed by Matt Miller, senior science writer for the Conservancy, and edited by Bob Lalasz, its director of science communications. Email us your feedback.

Live Osprey Cam

They're getting huge! Watch live as two ospreys grow up in a parking lot nest in Orange Beach, Alabama--and read Conservancy scientist Jeff DeQuattro on why these birds of prey are a great indicator species for the health of the Gulf's ecosystem.

Editors’ Choice

Danya Gross: Science Illustration: More Than Pretty Pictures
Great illustrations often communicate conservation science when photos, text and CAD sketches fail -- and they can make all the difference in winning community support for a restoration project.

Tim Boucher: The Best Apps for Novice and Serious Birders
Tim reviews offerings from Audubon, iBird, Nat Geo, Peterson and Sibley and tells you which works best in the field.

Criag Groves: Genetic Engineers and Conservation Biologists: Scenes from a First Date
Synthetic biology is way more than "de-extinction" -- and its findings and their consequences could be profound for conservation practice.

Matt Miller: Big Fish: Return of the Alligator gar
Alligator gars were persecuted and eliminated for crimes they didn't commit. A new conservation effort is bringing them back.

Spotlight: Marine Restoration Science

The Future of Coral Reef Restoration Science
Conservancy coral scientist James Byrne says it's discovering how to plant corals in a way that optimizes genetic diversity--but without crossing a very thin line.

The Future of Sea Grass and Shellfish Restoration
Conservancy Marine Steward Bo Lusk argues that letting barrier island breaches remain open is the best thing for bay and sound ecosystems and the shellfish and fish they support.

Restoring Blue Forests--Opportunities for Mangroves
Mangroves grow like weeds -- which makes restoring them easy...unless you put them in the wrong places, says Nature Conservancy senior marine scientist Mark Spalding.

Tales from the Cab -- Risk & Restoration in SE Louisiana
Conservancy Marine Lead Scientist Mike Beck finds passionate support for coastal marsh restoration from a New Orleans cab driver who's lived through Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac.

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