Environment/Energy

Plant predator

Plants, insects wage garden war

Plants that grow rapidly have poor internal defenses against pests. So it’s ladybugs, and others, to the rescue.

Blog explains science behind the weather

UCI Earth science graduate students created a blog that predicts and explains the science behind Orange County weather.

Yellowthroat warbler

Preserving wetlands for science

San Joaquin wetlands manager William Bretz helps preserve the fragile ecosystem for UCI researchers and students, as well as the creatures that depend on the marsh for survival.

Jay Famiglietti

A glass half empty

It may have been a rainy winter, but there’s still cause for concern about California’s water supply. Just ask Jay Famiglietti, UC Irvine Earth system science professor and founding director of the new UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, which aims to help the state tackle its drought-induced water crisis. Famiglietti recently made headlines when he and NASA […]

Glacier in West Greenland

Warmer ocean speeding Greenland glacier melt

Glaciers in West Greenland are melting 100 times more rapidly at their end points beneath the ocean than they are at their surfaces, according to a UC Irvine/NASA study.

Shaking up earthquake theory

New information about the inner workings of earthquake faults could change how experts estimate the potential for the next “big one,” according to UC Irvine researchers.

Amy Townsend-Small

‘Green’ spaces may worsen global warming

Turfgrass management can create more greenhouse gas than plants remove from atmosphere, study finds.

Francois Primeau

Oceans losing ability to absorb greenhouse gas

Like a dirty filter, the Earth’s oceans are growing less efficient at absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas produced by fossil-fuel burning, reports a study co-authored by Francois Primeau, UC Irvine Earth system science associate professor.

Orchards wither in the dry fields near Interstate 5

Water: California’s disappearing resource

The view from space is not pretty as satellites show California groundwater being pumped for irrigation in unsustainable quantities.

Oladele Ogunseitan and Jean-Daniel Saphores

Solving the e-waste dilemma

Electronic devices could create significant environmental and health problems after they are thrown away. UC Irvine researchers are working with engineers, manufacturers and public health officials to find solutions.