climate change – Page 3

Climate warming shifts lightning-caused forest fires farther north

Written on June 26, 2017.

Extreme lightning storms are the main driver of recent massive fire years in Alaska and Canada, and these storms are likely to move farther north with climate warming, potentially altering landscapes, according to findings in Nature Climate Change by researchers from UCI, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and elsewhere. Analyzing satellite images and data from ground-based networks, they discovered increases of 2 to 5 percent a year in lightning-ignited fires since 1975. In addition, the scientists...

Small Climb in Mean Temperatures Linked to Far Higher Chance of Deadly Heat Waves

Written on June 7, 2017.

UCI-led analysis of data from India could have dire implications for future Jun. 7, 2017 – An increase in mean temperature of 0.5 degrees Celsius over half a century may not seem all that serious, but it’s enough to have more than doubled the probability of a heat wave killing in excess of 100 people in India, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions. This could have grim implications for the future, because mean temperatures are projected...

UCI’s James Randerson is elected to National Academy of Sciences

Written on May 3, 2017.

Earth system scientist is honored for climate change studies Irvine, Calif., May 3, 2017 – James Randerson, whose studies on the relationships among humans, the ecosystem and the environment have advanced our understanding of the effects of climate change, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. He is one of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates announced May 2 by the academy. Considered one of the highest honors in science, NAS membership is based on distinguished...

UCI Scientist Recounts South China Sea Coral Death

Written on March 23, 2017.

March 23, 2017 – A South China Sea atoll lost nearly half of its living coral in one summer due to spiking ocean temperatures and stagnant weather, according to new research by Kristen Davis. UCI assistant professor of Earth system science and civil & environmental engineering and colleagues. The findings in Scientific Reports describe how a two-degree-Celsius rise in surface temperatures in the South China Sea was amplified by weather conditions and local circulation...

Over time, nuisance flooding can cost more than extreme, infrequent events

Written on February 21, 2017.

Long-term impact of climate change on US cities is rising, UCI researchers find Irvine, Calif., Feb. 21, 2017 – Global climate change is being felt in many coastal communities of the United States, not always in the form of big weather disasters but as a steady drip, drip, drip of nuisance flooding. According to researchers at the University of California, Irvine, rising sea levels will cause these smaller events to become increasingly frequent in the future, and the cumulative effect will...

UCI introduces iRain smartphone app

Written on January 5, 2017.

Data used by agencies worldwide is now freely available Irvine, Calif., Jan. 5, 2017 — Climate researchers and weather forecasters get their rain data from a network of precipitation-sensing satellites that orbit Earth. iRain, a new mobile phone app developed by engineers at the University of California, Irvine puts the same precision rainfall information into the pockets of the public. The free app, available for iPhone and Android devices, provides timely satellite rain data via UCI’s...

On the Water Front

Written on December 12, 2016.

Renowned hydrologist joins UCI to lead interdisciplinary research efforts Dec. 12, 2016 — Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, an expert in hydrology and water resources, recently joined the University of California, Irvine as a Distinguished Professor of civil & environmental engineering. After nearly three decades at the University of Minnesota, with her research laboratory perched atop a waterfall on the Mississippi River, she moved to a region suffering from a severe drought, but the native...

NOAA Grants UCI $1.15 Million for Coastal Research

Written on November 8, 2016.

Nov. 8, 2016 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Science has awarded UC Irvine researchers $1.15 million for their efforts to understand and mitigate sea level rise and storm surge impacts on changing coastal landscapes. Funding comes through NOAA’s competitive Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise (EESLR) program. With the four-year award, researchers will develop modeling tools to analyze how sediment management...

Food for thought

Written on May 6, 2016.

Five takeaways from the campus summit on sustainable solutions Tom Vasich / UCI The Global Food Summit: Sustainable Solutions brought together leaders, practitioners and academics from across the University of California system May 5 and 6 to share ideas about ending hunger and address the agricultural challenges of climate change. The standing-room-only events took place at the UCI Student Center’s Crystal Cove Auditorium and at the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Center of the National...

UCI receives $700,000 EPA grant to study climate change, air quality

Written on April 11, 2016.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded UCI $701,304 to study the impact of climate change on air quality. “This grant offers an exciting opportunity to learn about air pollution in the future from both state-of-the-art experiments and computer modeling techniques,” said Donald Dabdub, UCI professor of mechanical & aerospace engineering. “We know that both ammonia and organic compounds will be emitted more strongly in the future, and this can bring about new chemical reactions,...

Tag: climate change