The Wall Street Journal - 20.09.2019

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Friday, September 20, 2019 |A

Rosenberg said. “It puts a

punctuation mark on it.”

The reasons for the decline

are hard to pinpoint, because

there may be many, and the

causes differ from one species

to another, researchers have

said. “There is no Holy Grail,”

said Nicole Michel, senior

quantitative ecologist at the

National Audubon Society, a

nonprofit conservation group.

But generally speaking, re-

searchers attribute the decline

to the broader impact of cli-

mate change, deforestation and

shifts in agricultural practices.

Habitat loss and the use of pes-

ticides had an impact on grass-

land birds in North America

and their decline, the study

says.

In North America, research-

ers had a hunch the bird popu-

lation might be steadily declin-

ing due to anecdotes from bird

watchers and guesses among

scientists, said Dr. Rosenberg.

But, before now, they didn’t

have the numbers to prove it.

Researchers tracked popula-

tion changes for 529 bird spe-

cies—or about 76% of breeding

species—in the continental U.S.

and Canada using data that

spanned up to nearly five de-

cades. Of those species, 419 ex-

perienced population loss,

while 100 showed small in-

creases. To track these birds,

researchers used several bird-

monitoring data sets and, sepa-

rately, 143 weather radars used

to track their migrations.

When they first discovered

the net population loss through

this process, “it took a lot of

work from that point on to

make sure we could justify our

numbers,” Dr. Rosenberg said.

The findings in North Amer-

ica reflect similar declines in

bird populations globally, like

those of farmland birds in Eu-

rope, the study said.

Populations for waterfowl

and raptors instead saw in-

creases over this nearly 50-

year period, likely due to

changes in policy on hunting

and for insecticides like DDT,

the study said.

Bird populations across

North America—from common

sparrows to threatened spe-

cies—have plummeted over the

past five decades, according to

an expansive new study send-

ing shock waves through the

research community.

North America’s overall bird

population has dropped 29%

since 1970, with about 3 billion

fewer birds now than nearly 50

years ago, according to a study

published Thursday in Science.

Described as unprecedented

by researchers and scientists,

the findings display a new and

unexpected assessment of the

bird population across the con-

tinent. The research also is a

grim indicator of the overall

health of the environment and

reflects what may be occurring

in other less closely observed

animals, said Ken Rosenberg, a

conservation scientist at the

Cornell Lab of Ornithology who

was the study’s lead author.

“Birds are literally the ca-

nary in the coal mine,” he said.

The loss was particularly

profound for grassland birds—

which include more common

species like sparrows and

finches—with the population

falling 53%. The decline of

these birds, known for their

adaptability to human land-

scapes, in particular surprised

researchers.

“If we can’t keep those pop-

ulations healthy, then some-

thing’s really wrong,” Dr.

BYJENNIFERCALFAS

Bird Numbers Dive

In North America

U.S. NEWS

Beaumont. Some areas had

seen as much as 42 inches

since Tropical Depression

Imelda began approaching the

area near the Louisiana border

Tuesday afternoon, according

to local government data.

The Texas Department of

Transportation reported that

flooding left various roadways

inaccessible, including Inter-

state 10 south of Beaumont.

Authorities urged people to

avoid driving, if possible.

Gov. Greg Abbott declared a

state of disaster in 13 Texas

counties affected by the

storm.

On social media, residents

and visitors in Beaumont re-

ported being trapped in

homes, stores and hotels. The

Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue

organization, urged people

with boats to report for res-

cues in the area.

The Jefferson County Sher-

iff’s Office ordered evacua-

tions of Gilbert Lake Estates, a

subdivision located south of

Beaumont. The department

wrote on Facebook Thursday

morning that a levee holding

up to 5,600 acres of water

“could break at any moment.”

In Houston, flooding be-

came worse throughout the

day Thursday. Jeff Lindner, a

meteorologist with the Harris

County Flood Control District,

warned on Twitter of potential

life-threatening flash flooding.

Mr. Lindner said rainfall

rates Thursday morning were

averaging 5 inches to 6.

inches an hour in eastern

Houston. As the storm moved

south, roadways around the

city began to flood and close.

The Houston-Bush Intercon-

tinental Airport reported that

it was at a full ground stop as

of 9:30 a.m. local time. In an 11

a.m. update, the airport said

its terminals and concessions

remained open, but streets

surrounding the airport were

flooded. An FAA update said

the airport was expected to

remain closed until Friday af-

ternoon.

All city bus and train ser-

vice was halted.

City officials said in an af-

ternoon news conference that

the situation in Houston was

improving, but still urged cau-

tion. By 3 p.m., the rate of

rainfall had slowed to about

half an inch per hour, Mayor

Sylvester Turner said.

The Harris County Sheriff’s

Office reported it had fielded

phone calls for 133 high-water

rescues in the Houston area

before noon.

Most of the emergency calls

in Houston were for stranded

drivers, officials said.

HOUSTON—Two men died

in southeast Texas on Thurs-

day amid flooding that shut

down some roads and the air-

port in Houston and forced

rescuers to evacuate people

around Beaumont, 80 miles to

the east, authorities said.

A man named Hunter Mor-

rison was electrocuted and

drowned while trying to move

his horse out of floodwaters,

according to the Jefferson

County Sheriff’s Office, which

covers the Beaumont and Port

Arthur area.

East of Houston, a man

drowned in a flooded under-

pass, where he was extracted

from a submerged van, the

Harris County Sheriff’s Office

said. Authorities said they

don’t know if the man was the

only occupant of the van.

As of 11:30 a.m. local time

Thursday, 26 inches of rain

had fallen in 12 hours in Ham-

shire, Texas, just south of

BYELIZABETHFINDELL

Two People Die in Texas Flooding

Rain from Tropical Depression Imelda inundated southeastern Texas, forcing evacuations. In one area, 26 inches of rain fell in 12 hours.

BRETT COOMER/HOUSTON CHRONICLE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

More than 2 feet of

rain fell in 12 hours

in one town in

southeastern Texas.

Asparrowperchesinatreein

New York’s Central Park.

LUCAS JACKSON/REUTERS

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