Climate & Sustainability
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A Surprising Twist Puts Desalination Plants at the Bottom of the Ocean. Here’s Why
Although proponents of subsea desalination technology say it would have little effect on undersea life, others urge further research to gauge its impact on marine ecosystems. The twilight zone is “extremely important for many ocean processes such as the carbon cycle and nutrient cycling,” says Adina Paytan, a professor affiliated with the Institute of Marine…
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How beaches are affected by climate change
“We know sea-level rise is happening in response to this warming. It’s widely understood through the observational evidence of what is happening,” said Patrick Barnard, research director for the UC Santa Cruz Center for Coastal Climate Resilience. “And now, we really need to move to thinking about solutions as a global community–and not arguing about…
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Las turberas: el desconocido ecosistema que puede almacenar hasta 10 veces más carbono que los bosques amazónicos y que existe en Colombia
Colombian newspaper El Tiempo interviewed Environmental Studies Professor Scott Winton and Ph.D. student Edmundo Mendoza about their research uncovering peatlands across Colombia that provide important carbon sequestration ecosystem services.
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The sticky study of sunblocking a warming planet
Secrecy about solar geoengineering breeds disinformation, said Sikina Jinnah, an environmental studies professor at UC Santa Cruz. “We don’t want to have a potential tool in our toolbox excluded from consideration because people misunderstand what it is,” she said.
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Researchers quietly planned a test to dim sunlight. They wanted to ‘avoid scaring’ the public.
“It’s absolutely imperative to engage with both local communities and broader publics around not just the work that is being proposed or is being planned, but also the broader implications of that work,” said environmental studies professor Sikina Jinnah.
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Sea Level Rise – Iconic Santa Cruz surf spots could slip away with erosion
Gary Griggs, a coastal geologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, discussed measures the City of Santa Cruz has taken to protect West Cliff Drive. But, he notes the likelihood that storms will continue to wreak havoc in the long term. “Two studies show that waves seem to be getting bigger, more energetic. Not…
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Evolution in overdrive as Baltic cod shrink due to fishing pressure, study shows
“The study is a wonderful example of genomic time travel,” said Malin Pinsky, an associate professor of biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and co-author of the 2023 paper. “The broad message that humans are altering the course of evolution resonates far beyond Baltic cod,” Pinsky, who wasn’t involved in this study, added.
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New video game to help people prepare for wildfires
NBC Bay Area features games for community wildfire resilience created by Ph.D. student MJ Johns and Professor of Computational Media Katherine Isbister.
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In the Central Valley, residents fight against California policies that incentivize pollution marketed as renewable energy
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha is skeptical of a state funding program to build digesters that produce methane fuel from cow waste. “Any time you build this new infrastructure, you’re entrenching us even further into the fossil fuel economy,” she said.
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How changing ocean colors could impact California
Earth’s oceans have been getting greener at the poles and becoming bluer closer to the equator, according to a study published Thursday in Science. The shift reflects changes in marine ecosystems, which experts say could affect fish populations and create problems for fisheries, including in California. “It has lots of potential implications for the way…
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Scientists warn of critical missing piece in humans’ understanding of animals: ‘Not quite sophisticated enough’
Animals use various strategies to adapt to climate change, but scientific studies usually measure only one factor over a period of time or space. A new paper says considering multiple factors within one study could create a more holistic understanding. “The picture that we all have in our heads for species on the move, we’re…
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In the Arizona desert, a farm raising fish raises questions about water use
The seafood industry needs to reduce its reliance on catching small wild fish to feed bigger farmed ones that humans eat, said Pallab Sarker, an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who studies sustainability in the aquaculture industry. He said seabirds and mammals rely on small species like anchovies and mackerel commonly…