2019 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Maggi Young]

I have never visited Scotland though, Should have

  Well, that's true!!  Never too late!!

[Robert]

Plus or minus 500,000 folks are without electricity in Northern California - including us. Saving battery power, but earlier there was not even telephone or internet. At least emergency services are back. I will get back to this when the electricity is restored. 

[ian mcdonald]

I,ll second that Maggi. Robert, I hope you will soon get back to normal.

[Hoy]

Robert,

Sorry to hear. I read about it in the news. Hope you get the power back soon.

[Robert]

Hello Trond, Ian,

The power is back on now. At one point there were 800,000 people without power. Those depending on well water had no water. Some had no operational cell tower in their area – no communication, no emergency services. Needless to say there are many very unhappy people, especially where the forecasted strong winds never materialized.

> Trond

Your sphagnum bogs are beautiful. The soil must be extremely acidic with high levels of Al³⁺ and/or Fe²⁺ with very little available phosphorus. Do you find any rare or unusual plants species near these sites?

Our wet meadows are different. Depending on the elevation and the situation very distinct plant species can be found in our wet meadows. The plants growing on these wet/flooded (sometimes only seasonally) sites tell a clear story. In many cases it is very easy to determine the short-term stability of these meadow, for example, will trees and other shrubby species invade or will the current plant population remain, more or less, unchanged.

> Yes, the garden is taking shape and I am starting to make slow progress again. Two years ago this was a site of an extra room to our house. Some day it will be a beautiful garden.

Autumn is a great time to visit the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Here are a few photographs from the other day.



This is a typical forest/meadow scene.



There are many meadows where I traveled the other day. There are a number of very wet meadows in this area with very distinct plant populations. This meadow has both wet and seasonally moist aspects with a corresponding species distribution.



This meadow is very distinct, with both stable and shifting elements to it. At this site the mix of annual plant species shifts each season depending on seasonal weather patterns and other climatic variables.

[Hoy]

Glad you have got the power back!

Hello Trond,
......

Your sphagnum bogs are beautiful. The soil must be extremely acidic with high levels of Al³⁺ and/or Fe²⁺ with very little available phosphorus. Do you find any rare or unusual plants species near these sites?

......

Robert,

Typically sphagnum bogs support very few species, mostly monocots. Also cranberry and a few other small shrubs can be found there. On very acidic sites, and with sufficient rainfall such bogs are dominated by Narthecium ossifragum. On richer soil quite a few orchid species can be found. On higher and drier ground (but still in a high precipitation area) you get another kind of vegetation often dominated by Ericaceae. Like this, a pasture on the island of Bømlo not far from my home (Erica cinerea):




In low rainfall areas it is quite different although the juniper (Juniperus communis) shrubs occur everywhere from sea level to high mountain, and both on very dry and very wet sites. In this picture from Stråholmen close to our summer house Prunus spinosa dominates though:



Similar but managed area where the shrubs are removed:

[Hoy]

Here is the juniper dominating




and here is a managed meadow several hundred years old




On sandysoil it looks like this:



On this side of the fence it is no animals grazing, on the far side sheep are keeping the vegetation down (previously cows were feeding here).



On higher and wetter ground you can find sedge meadows, like this one with Carex rostrata:



100 years ago such meadows were used as animal fodder. The vegetation was brought home to feed animals during winter.

[Robert]

Hello Trond,

I enjoyed your photographs and text immensely. There appears to be some similarities and clear differences between the ecosystems you enjoy in Norway and those we find here in our portion of California. Your dry sites would be considered moist in our part of California, especially in our lower elevations during the summer.

In the higher elevations, mostly above 6,000 feet elevation, some of our moist meadows can have large populations of Carex species. Carex rarely dominates these sites, but generally share the sites with much lesser numbers of Poaceae, and other specific geophytes and dicots.

Recently I crunched the climatic data from our specific part of California. Since February 2019 temperatures have been running more or less below average - 5 months with below average temperatures, 3 months with above average temperatures. For the most part, all the below average temperatures can be accounted for by below average high temperatures. Low temperatures have been running average to above average, with only 2 months with slightly below average low temperatures (as per the 40 year standard deviation).

Some other interesting observations:

The summer Southwest Monsoon season was a non-event on the western slope of the Crystal Range this year. For most of the summer season our portion of California was under a fairly consistent southwestern upper airflow. The monsoonal moisture was shunted to the east, with only a few storms reaching the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada in our region.

The May-June thunderstorm season over our portion of the Sierra Nevada was fairly active. The snow-albedo effect had a strong impact on where strong convection and thunderstorms activity developed (frequently, but not always, on slopes just below the snowline).

The recent wind event (800,000 households had their electric power turned off) was a non-event in the foothills and Sierra Nevada Mountains in our area. Due to the stable atmospheric conditions (a stable air mass is not easily lifted over mountains) and terrain-forced air flow (both terrain and the specific direction of the upper wind flow), the air mass dammed against the Sierra Nevada Mountains creating conditions favorable for slow wind speeds while the north winds raged on the western side of the Sacramento Valley.

Now we shall see what the coming season brings. Currently temperatures are still running a bit below average for October. Looking at the teleconnections, the MJO has been inactive and then active, but more or less stationary in zones 1 and 8 over the last month or so. The ENSO is neutral, however the trend has been in the direction of another El Niño event (but not necessarily becoming an El Niño event). Statistically, wet Septembers are frequently followed by relatively dry, below average precipitation during mid-winter (September was wet). My guess is that conditions will be different this winter, with average precipitation. The trend toward fewer temperatures ≤32 F, higher snow levels, and fewer snow cover days will likely continue. Of course, this will impact or flora, both in the wild and our gardens. All the different aspects of vernalization will come into play, as well as other impacts.

[Robert]

It was a beautiful autumn day in the Crystal Range yesterday. A weak frontal system moved through the region during the morning hours and dropped a trace of snow on the highest peaks. By afternoon it was all gone.



This time of year most nights are frosty above 6,500 feet (1,981 meters). Senescence has set in and the foliage of many of the herbaceous perennial species has been frozen many times and is now flatten to the ground.



Many deciduous shrubs have brilliant autumn leaves. Pictured is Spiraea splendens. The lingering carotenoids in the leaves create bright yellow/gold colors. About 10% of the Spiraea also contain lingering anthocyanins in the leaves and have a bright red color.



The composition between the coniferous trees, understory vegetation, and the reflective water is striking.



I like to check out the snotel machines. In this photograph, the upright stems at the base of the machine are the remnant inflorescences of Stipa nelsonii var. dorei (a few other grasses too).

At the highest elevations I gather meteorological data from my own data recorders. Above about 7,000 feet (2,134 meters) the peaks of the Crystal Range rise abruptly. Here the geostrophic winds can highly influence the characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer. Understanding the terrain-driven airflow and other meteorological phenomenon are important variables to consider when analyzing the flora in this life zone. Gathering wintertime data is challenging. The open ridges are exposed to strong winds and highly susceptible rime build-ups when conditions are favorable. Placement of instruments is critical as well as creative design to protect sensors from rime accumulation. I now have 1 year of practical experience under my belt and have learned a great deal from both my mistakes and successes dealing with rime. Now to see what this coming season brings.

[Hoy]

Robert,

Yes, your climate is very different to ours! And although some habitats may look similar they differ a lot. And although a dry month here may be as dry as some of yours the evaporation here is much less.

We still have slightly higher than average temperature but we also have higher than average precipitation! In the mountain that means snow which doesn't melt as new snow fall before the old one has time to melt.

Nice colours of the spiraea! Usually I doesn't considerSpiraea for fall colour




Early snow in the mountains (Valdresflye).




At our summerhouse. This path is usually quite dry!




Between the showers. The sea (salt water) is usually clear, now it is brown due to the humus in the freshwater.




The native Viburnum opulus with fall colour.

[Robert]

An interesting shift in the weather is occurring. September precipitation in the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains was well above average. Statically, 64% of the precipitation seasons with above average precipitation during September are followed by below average precipitation for the whole precipitation season. Adding to the probability of below average precipitation and above average temperatures has been the dramatic rise in surface season temperatures (SSTs) off the coast of California. Recently the Eastern Asian Jet has been quite strong, however the storm track has been into Northwestern North America. To date, there have been no indications that the jet will sag to the south into California. Other teleconnections that could be conducive to wet weather such as an active and progressing Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) or favorable Arctic Oscillation (AO) conditions have not occurred to date.

To data this October, temperatures are averaging 2.74 F (1.52 C) below average at 6,700 feet (2,042 meters) in the Crystal Range (our portion of the Sierra Nevada). There have been 3 snow cover days, which is average from this date, and the average snow cover water content to date is 0.18 inches. Currently there is no snow cover at 6,700 feet. To get a feel for average high and low temperatures at 6,700 feet these are the current averages, High: 57.73 F (14.29 C), Low: 33.70 F (0.94 C), Average: 45.72 F (7.77 C).

Considering the current data, the probability of above average temperatures and below average precipitation in our region over the next 3 months I estimate to be about 70%. Of course, the native flora will be responding to all the climatic shifts, first on a biochemical and physiological level, and then if there is a sustained long-term climatic change, anatomical, morphological, and then ecological shifts are likely. An excellent baseline of data has been established and any trends will slowly become apparent as additional data is recorded.

Hi Trond,

Nice photographs. It is late in the day and there are other things that need to be done. I will comments a bit later. 

[Robert]

Hi Trond,

You have some very nice autumn scenes. It looks so lush and moist. Here it is dry and as per my previous posting it looks like the dry, and now above average temperatures, will continue for awhile.

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) has been negative for quite a while, except for a brief period in positive territory during late August to Mid September. The NAO is a major teleconnection for Western Europe and I feel sure it has been influencing your weather. Our local weather keeps me busy enough.    I do not have time to follow European weather very closely, however I am very interested in anomalous climatic-weather events where ever they may occur, so thank you so much for sharing your experiences! 

[Robert]

We are currently experiencing our third strong, dry, north wind event this month. Currently wind speeds in our area are 28 mph (12.5 m/s), with gusts to 44 mph (19.7 m/s). Areas to our west are experiencing much stronger winds. With the current pressure gradient running 15.2 mb between Sacramento, California and Medford, Oregon, there is a likelihood that wind speeds will increase throughout the day. During the wind storm of 9 October the pressure gradient was ≥ 12.2 mb, and ≥ 12.0 mb on 23 October. As a precaution to prevent wildfire, such as the one that destroyed the town of Paradise, California last year, ~ 1 million households are without electric power at this time in Northern California. Needless to say, with dew points at 16 F (-8.9 C) and 16% relative humidity, the strong, dry winds are challenging to our gardens.

[Maggi Young]

We can only  hope that things  are  helped  by the  precautions  taken and that  some  normality will soon return.
 Take  care, Robert!

[Robert]

Hi Maggi,

We are preparing for our fourth windstorm, forecast to arrive tomorrow. Depending on what report one wants to believe any ware from 1 million to 600,000 thousand households will have their power turned off once again. We have been lucky in Sacramento; the power has not been turned off during any of the strong wind events this month. Our garden is a mess, however I look at the whole thing as a learning experience. It is best to look for the silver lining.

I poked around to see what some of the peak wind gusts were during the last windstorm. A few examples are: Sacramento Executive Airport, 49 mph (21.9 m/s); Fairfield, 64 mph (28.6 m/s); and Jarbo Gap, 70 mph (31.3 m/s). Jarbo Gap is very near where last year’s Camp Fire started and destroyed the town of Paradise, California. All the power shut downs are in response to last year’s Camp Fire. The electric utility company was found to be responsible for the genesis of the Camp Fire.

We have been very fortunate. Once again there are a number of major wildfires burning in California at this time. Many have lost their homes to these fires. At this time there are no major fires near our Sacramento home or the El Dorado County farm.

Currently our precipitation totals are running about 81% of average. At the farm to date we have totaled 1.56 inches (39.6 mm) of precipitation. The average to date (28 October) is 1.92 inches (48.8 mm). It is still far to early in the season to be concerned about a precipitation deficit for this season. I am very concerned about the above average surface sea temperatures (SSTs) in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. There are a number of other teleconnection forecasting indicators that I am watching closely. Currently, November looks to be a dry month for us, with above average temperatures. Beyond this point December does not look promising either, however the mathematical probability of an accurate forecast definitely declines with time. The dynamic nature of the atmosphere makes atmospheric science a challenging and fascinating pursuit.