Monica Palta

Alexis Woods is focused on sustainable glyphosate management and environmental equity. She mentors students and promotes diversity in STEM through BioGals and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).

Help me End AIDS with AIDS/LifeCycle 2025! I'm supporting AIDS/LifeCycle 2025 to help support the life-changing services of San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Will you join in our mission End AIDS?

With federal funding uncertain, supporting the life-changing services of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation is more important than ever. Join me in making a difference—help me raise funds by donating to my AIdS/LifeCycle ride at:
giving.aidslifecycle.org/index.cfm?fu...
@tallanddorky.bsky.social

White House budget proposal could shatter the National Science Foundation “This kind of cut would kill American science and boost China.”…

White House budget proposal could shatter the National Science Foundation - 'The cuts could be as deep as 66 percent, with one person indicating the top-line budget number for the National Science Foundation could start at $3 billion.' vs. $9 billion currently arstechnica.com/science/2025...

Weather and climate office hours, 02/07/25 topic: Further thoughts on NOAA & NWS amid the chaos - YouTube The latest in a recurring series of live, virtual, & interactive "office hours" hosted by Dr. Daniel Swain on various topics related to extreme weather and c...

On Fri 2/7, I'll discuss why #NOAA's National #Weather Service is an indispensable public utility, & the broader risks of "moving fast and breaking things" that are not easily fixable. Plus, thoughts on possible major SoCal storm next week? #CAwx #CAwater www.youtube.com/live...

@charlesgaba.com is a hero and downloaded CDC’s entire website. A small group of us has come together to preserve this critical resource and make it accessible to the scientific community.

More to come. These data are public and they are ours. Deletion disobedience is one way to fight back.

Trump’s emergency water order responsible for water dump from Tulare County lakes – SJV Water The sudden announcement Thursday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that Kaweah and Success lakes would immediately begin dumping water was in response Trump’s emergency water order responsible for w...

If the reports are correct, Trump will release from these reservoirs, 32,000 acre-ft (~10 billion gals) will be lost. Some will evaporate, some will seep into groundwater. Farmers who had rights to that water are now unlikely to have physical or legal access to it.
sjvwater.org/trumps-emerg...

Most rewarding thing I've done today is create this list, which is now enriched by many great suggestions from others. But I need water orgs based outside North Am and Europe. Who can help me extend the inclusiveness of this list? bsky.app/profile/did:...

Opinion: After the Los Angeles fires stop burning, another grave risk to lives and property looms Mudslides and debris flows are a risk around Altadena, Pacific Palisades and other areas affected by the wildfires, which can destabilize mountain slopes.

A Los Angeles Times' opinion piece on the dangers of post-wildfire mudslides relies on the expertise of UC Irvine civil & environmental engineering Professor Brett Sanders and research he did with his Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy colleague Professor Doug Houston. bit.ly/3PTEcFS

Boiling won't help. Explaining the Palisades and Altadena 'Do Not Use' water alerts Why are there water advisories related to neighborhoods burned by the Palisades and Eaton fire? Here's a guide to understanding the toxic world of urban wildfires and contaminated water.

Eight water suppliers have issued 'do-not-use' or 'do-not-drink' water advisories in L.A. County. In these areas, there are concerns that the water might be contaminated by toxins from the fires. @jmarantosplants.bsky.social www.latimes.com/lifestyle/st...

Officials were warned of failing water system before Palisades fire. Fixes never happened Thousands of pages of records reviewed by The Times show L.A. County officials had for years described water infrastructure in areas where hydrants ran dry during the Palisades fire as 'leak prone,' '...

Important story, but needed at least 4 additional points of context which either myself or @edithdeguzman.bsky.social tried to provide when interviewed (and perhaps others too).

The obvious quotes which made it into the article (& its headline) don't get us there.🧵

www.latimes.com/california/s...

All of the data/publications that www.pacinst.org generates on #climate, #water, #science & #publicpolicy, will forever be available free. As will everything on my personal site, gleick.com. If there are peer-reviewed publications of mine behind a paywall, simply email me. I'll send it to you free.

With L.A. expecting rain, here’s how likely debris flows are near burn scars If rainfall rates exceed a half-inch per hour the Eaton and Palisades burn scars will be susceptible to debris flows, threatening Altadena, Pacific Palisades

NEW: Officials warn of potential thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. Isolated downpours could trigger debris flows in the Eaton and Palisades burn areas and threaten nearby communities of Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades.
#LAfire #CAwx #EatonFire #PalisadesFire #CAfire

yes and we will continue to need updated stories here as the potential and reality of confusion is ever present even when all agencies doing their best

A computer screen with a display showing output from an xray diffraction spectrometer.

Close up view showing fraction of metals. Fun stuff.

Just had a sample of the Eaton Fire ash that is in my driveway run on the department XRF. Is there titanium (new house paint)? Yup. Lead (old house paint)? You betcha. Heavy metals? Check. Treat that ash like it's toxic folks (because it is)

Torched Talks with Edith de Guzman and Greg Pierce Gather your questions about fire and water and join us on Tuesday, January 28 at noon on Zoom

Join me and @gregspierce.bsky.social on 1/28 @ 12pm PT for a timely discussion about the fires and much more, moderated by the one and only @awalkerinla.bsky.social. www.torched.la/torched-talk...

For the Press: UCLA research and commentary on the LA fire response and recovery | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Our experts are available to comment on: 1) Water Supply and Urban Water Systems; 2) Air Quality and Public Health Impacts from Wildfires; 3) Land Use and Governance Considerations for Recovery; 4) Po...

You should follow @edithdeguzman.bsky.social who is w/ @luskininnovation.bsky.social @ucanr.bsky.social

Among many regular streams of engaged research, Edith has been putting in tons of time on water-fire-climate intersections re: to the ongoing LA fires.

innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2025/01/16/f...

Map of ECMWF ensemble average precipitation over the Western U.S. through Tuesday morning. Half an inch or more of liquid equivalent (locally snow) is possible in the SoCal mountains, with a few tenths of rain elsewhere.

SoCal showers now likely Sun-Mon! Decent soaking (0.5+ in.) possible mtns; lighter (0.2-0.5 in.) elsewhere. This will be a cold/convective system (w/showers + t-storms). Enough to tamp down but not end fire season; t-storm downpours may risk fire zone debris flows. #CAwx #CAfire

Response and Recovery to Wildfire Caused Drinking Water Contamination

Policy and technical guidance for wildfire impacted water systems (and officials) from Andrew Whelton of @purdueuniversity.bsky.social
engineering.purdue.edu/PlumbingSafe...

Recording of the talks are now available www.cee.psu.edu/events/women...

#wildfire #hotwater #machinelearning #reactivetransport #Matryoshka

@waterbarnes.bsky.social

Hi Bluesky 👋🏼 I'm an Urban Water Specialist @ucanr.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social. My research focuses on designing and managing urban environments to create sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships between natural ecosystems and people. #WaterResources #NatureBasedSolutions #WaterJustice

The unprecedented demand for water in the Pacific Palisades over a sustained period for firefighting efforts has resulted in significant low water pressure in your area. As is common in many wildfire situations, this reduces water quality and can pose a health risk. LADWP and the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water strongly advise consumers in the 90272 zip code and adjacent communities north Of San Vicente Blvd. to ONLY USE BOILED TAP WATER OR BOTTLED WATER FOR DRINKING AND COOKING PURPOSES until further notice.

I assume most people in LA got this, but just in case…

As wildfires rage through the LA area, air pollution is a major concern. It is important to recognize that such disasters also severely impact river water quality through land-river connectivity, particularly following post-fire rainfall.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
SharedIt: rdcu.be/dAAhw

This is a phenomenal overview of the LA Fires: the climate science of the causes and spread, the science and logistics of fire response capacity (including engineering of municipal water systems), the numerous policy implications, plus so much more. Also a master class in science communication. 🛟🧪📈

Another great resource for those in LA concerned about drinking water safety after the fires:

LA Now Faces Water Contamination Threat After Wildfires, Expert Warns The wildfires in the Los Angeles area have destroyed thousands of structures, many of them homes, and firefighters continue to battle the infernos.

The LA fires may make drinking water unsafe in some areas - see this article to learn why, and for resources on how to minimize risk:

www.sciencealert.com/la-now-faces...

How will calamity change Los Angeles? Short-sighted policies amplified the destruction. Will LA–and California–learn from their mistakes?

Can rebuilding Los Angeles be more equitable? UCLA IoES’s Stephanie Pincetl tells The Economist that LA's wildfire recovery is a chance to fix its housing crisis. You can have luxury apartments, “but then you have places where the cleaning lady can actually live.”

‘Completely Dry’: How Los Angeles Firefighters Ran Out of Water As wildfires roar into residential neighborhoods, firefighters in California and elsewhere are finding that water systems can’t keep up with the demand.

Why have the LA wildfires overwhelmed city water systems? UCLA water expert Greg Pierce
tells @nytimes.com that municipal water systems are designed for urban fires—not the fast-moving wildfires intensified by climate change. @gregspierce.bsky.social