Carmel-By-the-Sea

Often simply called Carmel, this city in Monterey County, California was founded in 1902.  The early history of this city was formed by the numerous artists, actors & writers who flocked to this perfect section of the Pacific coast.  The white sand beaches and aqua waters draw visitors from around the globe. 

This image was shared by Hayden from Carmel Valley.

My Your Our Water

Sea Walls

These wooden posts are what remain from the old sea wall in Capitola, California. Sea walls are built as a form coastal defense constructed. The purpose of which s is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the natural action of tides and waves. As ocean levels rise, there is speculation that the financial cost of coastal flooding will far exceed the costs of not building protective sea walls.  Yet, the ecological changes to the natural shores as a result of sea walls come with a hefty price tag as well.

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Summer Waves

"According to the U.S Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, Table 1240, 58.67 million people went to the beach in 2010." Now that statistic is 5 years old. One can only assume that  the number of americans enjoying time along the many beautiful coastlines has dramatically increased. As a beach goer it is your responsibility to leave it better than you found it. Have fun in the surf and sand but back out your trash and remember that the ocean is home to thousands of creatures big and small.

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Testing the Ice

An ice core is a core sample that is typically removed from an ice sheet, most commonly from the polar ice caps of Antarctica, Greenland or from high mountain glaciers. "Ice cores are one of the most effective, though not the only, methods of recreating long term records of temperature and atmospheric gases.Ice core records allow us to generate continuous reconstructions of past climate, going back at least 800,000 years." The basics of understanding the use of ice cores as a means to study climate change can be better understood at the web site Arctic Glaciers.

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Small Fish

Small 'forage fish' are a crucial source for larger animals in the ocean ecosystem. Without little fish, there can be no big fish Scientists and fishermen are becoming increasingly aware of their singular importance as the fuel that drives productive coastal ecosystems. 

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Tides

"The tides come in the tides go out. It is clock work."

This image was shared by Suzy M in Watsonville, CA.

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Snow Hands

How much snow was there? It was about THIS deep....

The National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Climate Prediction Center, and National Weather Service currently predict that, "there is a greater than 90% chance that El Niño will continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, and around an 80% chance it will last into early spring 2016". This is good news for California. A wet winter could bring a greater snow pack in the Sierra Nevadas which results in a greater spring thaw helping to ease the drought.

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Tahoe

Lake Tahoe, located in the Seirra Nevadas, is known for it's astounding clarity and deep blue color. It was believed that the surreal blueness of the lake was in direct relation to the clarity but recent studies released Thursday by UC Davis revealed that “the clarity is controlled by very fine particles, dust and clay and silt that are washed into the lake. The blueness is controlled by algae, the less algae, the bluer the lake" 

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Set Sail

"Maritime frivolities in the bay."

This image was shared by Johnny M.

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Tidepool Laundry

"Socks don't belong in tidepools. This little hermit crab was mistakenly resting on a discarded piece of clothing instead of a rock. The human footprint on the environment just got literal."

This image was  shared by Q Mitchell from Davenport, CA.

My Your Our Water