News – Page 6

UCI Earth system scientist joins international team studying Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica

Written on May 1, 2018.

Mathieu Morlighem, UCI assistant professor of Earth system science, is contributing his expertise in ice sheet numerical modeling to the newly launched International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. The five-year, $25 million project, co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the U.K.’s Natural Environment Research Council, aims to provide answers to some of the most pressing inquiries about ice mass loss near the South Pole and the impact it will have on global sea level rise. “Thwaites,...

Scientists project a drier Amazon and wetter Indonesia in the future

Written on April 27, 2018.

UCI-led study examines role of plants, trees in global transfer of rainfall Irvine, Calif., April 27, 2018 – Climate models predict that an increase in greenhouse gases will dry out the Amazon rainforest in the future while causing wetter conditions in the woodlands of Africa and Indonesia. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have identified an unexpected but major factor in this worldwide precipitation shift: the direct response of the forests themselves...

Bleaching of Coral Reefs Reduced Where Daily Temperature Changes are Large

Written on April 26, 2018.

By taking a closer look, UCI scientists find resilience in face of heat stress Apr. 26, 2018 – Coral reef bleaching is stark evidence of the damage being inflicted by global climate change on marine ecosystems, but a research team led by scientists at the University of California, Irvine has found some cause for hope. While many corals are dying, others are showing resilience to increased sea surface temperatures, pointing to possible clues to the survival and recovery of these...

Topsy-turvy Currents Key to Removing Nitrate from Streams, UCI-led Study Finds

Written on March 15, 2018.

Scientists calculate ‘speed limit’ for pumping pollutant to hungry algae, bacteria Mar. 15, 2018 – More than 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci sketched what he called “la turbolenza,” comparing chaotic swirls atop flowing water to curly human hair. It turns out those patterns influence myriad phenomena, from the drag on an airplane’s wings and the formation of Jupiter’s red spot to the rustling of tree leaves. New findings to be published Friday in the journal Science add...

UCI-led study helps explain Greenland glaciers’ varied vulnerability to melting

Written on March 14, 2018.

More accurate maps of bed topography reveal physical processes controlling retreat Irvine, Calif., March 14, 2018 — Using data from NASA missions observing Earth, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have created new maps of the bed topography beneath a score of glaciers in southeast Greenland, thereby gaining a much better understanding of why some are undergoing rapid retreat and others are relatively stable. “The undersides of glaciers in deeper valleys are exposed to...

Global fisheries to be, on average, 20 percent less productive in 2300, UCI study finds

Written on March 8, 2018.

Warming-induced plankton growth near Antarctica will impair marine food chain Irvine, Calif., March 8, 2018 — University of California, Irvine scientists expect the world’s fisheries to be, on average, 20 percent less productive in the year 2300, with those in the North Atlantic down nearly 60 percent and those in much of the western Pacific experiencing declines of more than 50 percent. In a study published this week in Science, UCI climatologists outline the results of computer simulations...

Wind and solar power could meet four-fifths of U.S. electricity demand, study finds

Written on February 27, 2018.

UCI, Caltech, Carnegie: Investment in greater storage, transmission capabilities needed Irvine, Calif., Feb. 27, 2018 – The United States could reliably meet about 80 percent of its electricity demand with solar and wind power generation, according to scientists at the University of California, Irvine; the California Institute of Technology; and the Carnegie Institution for Science. However, meeting 100 percent of electricity demand with only solar and wind energy would require storing...

UCI ‘Islands’ its Microgrid from Southern California Edison Grid

Written on February 23, 2018.

Successful test demonstrates reliability and resiliency of campus power system Feb.23, 2018 – The Advanced Power and Energy Program at the University of California, Irvine, in partnershipwith campus Facilities Management, successfully islanded the campus 20 megawatt-class microgrid from the Southern California Edison (SCE) grid. During the 1 hour and 15 minute test, the microgrid performed flawlessly in response to varying campus electrical load demands. “This...

UCI oceanographers solve mystery of phytoplankton survival in nutrient-poor Pacific

Written on February 14, 2018.

Essential iron is hoarded and recycled by the climate-regulating aquatic plants Irvine, Calif., Feb. 14, 2018 — Upwelling in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean provides essential nutrients for the region’s microscopic plants, but iron – a key ingredient that facilitates nitrogen consumption – is in short supply. To compensate, the phytoplankton band together to recycle the scarce metal and retain it in their upper-ocean habitat, scientists at the University of California, Irvine have discovered. “For...

UCI’s Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Judith Olson elected to National Academy of Engineering

Written on February 8, 2018.

Distinction honors contributions to research, education and practice Feb. 8, 2018 – Two University of California, Irvine faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to those pursuing research, education and applications in engineering and technical fields. Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Distinguished Professor of civil & environmental engineering, and Judith Olson, Donald Bren Professor Emeritus...