West Coast

11 Stories

Skies Turn Orange 'Like a Scene From Mars'
Skies Turn Orange
'Like a Scene
From Mars'
photo gallery
Sep 9, 2020 5:50 PM CDT

Skies Turn Orange 'Like a Scene From Mars'

Wildfires also create 'a strange smell' over the Bay Area

(Newser) - Wildfires raging through Oregon, Washington, California, and neighboring states caused an eerie orange light to appear over parts of the West Coast on Wednesday, NBC News reports. "I have never seen the sky in SF look like this in the nearly 20 years I've lived here," wrote...

West Coast Waters Hide Alarming Secret
West Coast Waters
Hide Alarming Secret
new study
Dec 19, 2019 10:40 AM CST

West Coast Waters Hide Alarming Secret

New study finds startling coastal acidification

(Newser) - Those majestic West Coast waters? They hold a secret, and some of our most valuable fisheries could hang in the balance. A new study says US Pacific coastal waters are acidifying at twice the global ocean average, posing a major threat to fisheries there, the Sacramento Bee reports. "California...

They Were Dying by the Millions. Now, a Creature Comeback

Starfish are popping up again on the West Coast

(Newser) - Starfish are making a comeback on the West Coast, four years after a mysterious syndrome killed millions of them. From 2013 to 2014, Sea Star Wasting Syndrome hit sea stars from British Columbia to Mexico. The starfish would develop lesions, then disintegrate, their arms turning into blobs of goo. The...

New Report on America's Homeless Is Bleak

Things are getting worse, not better

(Newser) - The nation's homeless population increased this year for the first time since 2010, driven by a surge in the number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles and other West Coast cities. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development released its annual Point-in-Time count Wednesday, a...

Mysterious Jelly-Like Fish Washing Up on West Coast

Experts blame strong winds for carrying so many Velella velella ashore

(Newser) - Ocean-goers up and down the West Coast have spent weeks photographing thousands of mysterious sea creatures washing up on seashores from Washington to California, reports CNN . Called Velella velella, or "by-the-wind sailors," the silver-purple sea creatures that vaguely resemble jellyfish are typically found well out in the ocean,...

Serious Problem in the Ocean: Sardine Crash
 Serious Problem in the 
 Ocean: Sardine Crash 
in case you missed it
Jan 11, 2014 7:51 AM CST

Serious Problem in the Ocean: Sardine Crash

Predators, fishermen suffering as a result

(Newser) - The West Coast sardine population was down 72% since 2006 per a fall assessment—the worst crash since the mid-20th century, and one with far-reaching implications, particularly since the steep decline is expected to continue. One of those implications: Ocean predators that depend on sardines may be starving, the Los ...

Occupiers Aim to Shut West Coast Ports Today

But they face opposition from some union leaders

(Newser) - For the Occupiers' second Big Act protesters are planning today to shut down 11 major West Coast ports from San Diego to Anchorage. They've launched the plan despite opposition from what appears to be a natural constituency for the 99% protesters: Unions. Leaders of the Longshoremen and other unions...

Japan Earthquake Sends 'Island' of Debris to Hawaii, US West Coast
 'Island' of Earthquake 
 Debris Headed for US 
in case you missed it
Apr 10, 2011 6:09 AM CDT

'Island' of Earthquake Debris Headed for US

Tires, cars, and human remains to wash up in Hawaii, west coast

(Newser) - If oceanographers are right, a veritable island of cars, houses, human remains, and other debris from Japan’s earthquake will soon wash ashore in Hawaii, and from there travel to the west coast of the US. Using computer models developed by tracking buoys across the ocean, researchers at the University...

Tsunami Warning Extended to Entire US West Coast
 Tsunami Waves Hit 
 US Mainland 
UPDATED
Mar 11, 2011 11:15 AM CST

Tsunami Waves Hit US Mainland

But no major damage reported

(Newser) - The first tsunami waves triggered by Japan's massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake have hit the US mainland, the AP reports. Waves surged slightly along the northern coast of California and could reach seven feet; Oregon also saw high water. The tsunami was earlier moving through all the Hawaiian islands, according to...

Prepare to Bundle Up: Farmers' Almanac

(Newser) - Get the most out of your shorts and flip-flops now, because the area between the Appalachians and the Rockies is in for a brutal winter, the Farmers' Almanac warns. "The middle part of the country's really going to be cold—very, very cold, very, very frigid, with a lot...

W. Coast Cities Boast Smallest Carbon Footprint

New York metropolitan area also high in rankings

(Newser) - West Coast metro areas boasted some of the lowest carbon emissions per capita in the country in 2005, according to a ranking of 100 urban areas by the Brookings Institution. Honolulu topped the list, followed by Los Angeles, the Portland-Vancouver area, and New York. Population density, mild climates, and aggressive...

11 Stories