UC Research and Innovation

UC researchers and administrators in research policy

Climate

How much wildfire smoke is infiltrating our homes?

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By: Kara Manke | UC Berkeley | September 2, 2021 Though overall air quality in the U.S. has improved dramatically in recent decades, smoke from catastrophic wildfires is now creating spells of extremely hazardous air pollution in the Western U.S. And, while many people have learned to reduce their exposure by staying inside, keeping windows closed and running air filtration ... Continue Reading »

Fire and the foothills: reducing wildfire threats while boosting biodiversity

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By: Kathleen Wong | | UC Natural Reserve System | September 2, 2021 The foothills of California are familiar to anyone who has ventured into county parks to hike: iconic oak savannas, chaparral-covered hillslopes, and grasslands. They encircle the Central Valley like a bathtub ring, and include much of the Coast and Transverse ranges. Ranging from a few hundred to a few ... Continue Reading »

Poor and Minority Communities Suffer More from Extreme Heat in U.S. Cities

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Christine Clark | UC San Diego | July 13, 2021 Excess urban heat is common within cities, but not all communities burden the consequences equally, according to new UC San Diego research Low-income neighborhoods and communities with higher Black, Hispanic and Asian populations experience significantly more urban heat than wealthier and predominantly white neighborhoods ... Continue Reading »

Engineering Professor Awarded NASA Grant to Study Impacts of Wildfires on California’s Coastline

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Elizabeth Arakelian | UC Merced | July 20, 2021 California is known for its beautiful coastline, where the Pacific Ocean meets sandy beaches and rugged cliffs. While many scientists have studied the land or the ocean independently, less is known about the nexus of the two. Now with the help of a $750,000 award from NASA, civil and environmental engineering Professor Erin ... Continue Reading »

Law students’ research helps shape California wildfires bill

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By: Daniel Melling UC Los Angeles | June 3, 2021 ith the effects of climate change increasing across California, state legislators are exploring new policies to better protect communities – and UCLA law students in the California Environmental Legislation and Policy Clinic are helping. Last fall, six students in the clinic worked alongside legislators and their ... Continue Reading »

If Countries Implement Paris Pledges with Cuts to Aerosols, Millions of Lives can be Saved

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By: Christine Clark, UC San Diego | June 1, 2021 Aerosol reductions that would take place as countries meet climate goals could contribute to global cooling and prevent more than one million annual premature deaths over a decade, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego. The landmark Paris Agreement of 2016 does not address emissions ... Continue Reading »

Carbon sequestration: a critical but less-understood piece of the climate puzzle

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By: Name, UC Los Angeles Institute if the Environmental & Sustainability | April 21, 2021 After passing the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, Congress turned its attention to other critical efforts, including comprehensive legislation to battle climate change. The bill, introduced into the House of Representatives on March 2, aims to fully decarbonize the ... Continue Reading »

Northern California kelp forest collapse will be hard to reverse

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By Tim Stephens, UC Santa Cruz | March 5, 2021 Satellite imagery shows that the area covered by kelp forests off the coast of Northern California has dropped by more than 95 percent, with just a few small, isolated patches of bull kelp remaining. Species-rich kelp forests have been replaced by “urchin barrens,” where purple sea urchins cover a seafloor devoid of kelp and ... Continue Reading »