Part 2. Viewing river features from different vantage points … This is Part 2 of a three part blog series on the Los Angeles River, based on a reconnaissance of the Los Angeles River conducted by Bill Dennison and Simon Costanzo from IAN, organized by the Council for Watershed Health on 1-2 April 2014. This blog focuses on the river features that could be viewed from different vantage points alongside the river or from elevated vistas. Mouth of the Los Angeles River (left to right):

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Part 1. Geography, hydrology (and floods), and water cycle … This is Part 1 of a three part blog series on the Los Angeles River, based on a reconnaissance of the Los Angeles River conducted by Bill Dennison and Simon Costanzo from IAN, organized by the Council for Watershed Health on 1-2 April 2014. This blog focuses on the geography, hydrology (including floods), and water cycle for the Los Angeles River.

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On March 28-29, 150 scientists gathered in Ocean City for a day and a half of talks, posters, eating and drinking, ice skating and swimming (indoors). The Atlantic Estuarine Research Society (AERS) is the original group of estuarine scientists, formed in 1949, which has been replicated first nationally and increasingly globally which has evolved into the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation.

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Report card goals relate to benefits provided by coexisting natural ecosystems and human-built infrastructure. The problem is that the Ohio River is a working river. That thought occurred to me as I watched the barges glide past the window during the Ohio River report card workshop last December. A team of IAN science communicators spent two days on the banks of the Ohio River, across from Cincinnati, gathering information from experts on the Ohio and Tennessee River basins.

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A team from the Integration and Application Network stopped off at New York Harbor School for a visit and quick tour. Getting there was part of the fun, as we drove right by the newly completed One World Trade Center, towering over lower Manhattan. We parked down near the Battery and boarded a ferry that left from a pier adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry. The small Governors Island ferry moors at the northern end of the island, which is shaped like an ice cream cone.

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'Scientists who made a difference' series … This blog accompanies the biographical sketch of Alexander von Humboldt that Bill Nuttle recently posted provides a selection of his writings as poetry and one of his scientific sketches as art. The 'Poetry' uses von Humboldt's exact words (translated from German) in prose form to focus on cadence and word choice. It captures von Humboldt's philosophy of natural science connections that was in his multi-volume treatise entitled 'Cosmos:

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'Scientists who made a difference' series … Alexander von Humboldt became world famous by illustrating how nature works. If you ever get to Humboldt, Nebraska (40°9′54″N 95°56′45″W) you will have gotten someplace special. Humboldt lies almost exactly at the geographic center of the Mississippi River watershed; motto:

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In early 2014, a 558 pp. book “Long Island Sound: Prospects for the Urban Sea” was published. The co-editors JS Latimer, MA Tedesco, RL Swanson, C Yarish, PE Stacey and C Carza were able to get 57 contributors to produce this comprehensive summary of the state of science in Long Island Sound. Springer lists the book for $279 and the eBook for $219, which is a steep price.

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In collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Program and US Geological Survey (USGS), we released a report entitled "New Insights: Science-based evidence of water quality improvements, challenges, and opportunities in the Chesapeake". The release was conducted at the Chesapeake Bay Program in Annapolis on 25 February 2014 . We produced a 52 pp. full color report and a small trifold executive summary to accompany the full report.

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Alex Fries and I had the chance to travel to Adelaide, Australia to deliver a two-day Science Communication Course to the South Australia Department of Environment, Water, and Natural Resources (DEWNR). The course focused on Ecosystem Health Report Cards. DEWNR is currently creating state-wide report cards in the marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments, reporting on elements like pest species, soil health, reefs, seagrass, salt marsh, and dunes.

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