Environment Content

Extreme Weather Cycles Change Underwater Light at Tahoe

Katherine E Kerlin — May 21, 2025 - 9:00am

Large shifts in UV radiation at Lake Tahoe are associated with wet and dry climate extremes, finds a 51�Թϱ�� study.

Native Turtles Return to Yosemite After Removal of Invasive Bullfrogs

Katherine E Kerlin — May 20, 2025 - 9:00am

After invasive American bullfrogs croak, native turtles return to Yosemite, finds a 51�Թϱ�� study.

California Risks Billions in Economic Losses Without Water Supply Action

Katherine E Kerlin — May 14, 2025 - 2:28pm

A new economic analysis by UC professors shows the high cost of inaction on California’s perpetual water supply challenges. It estimates that the state could lose enough water each year to supply up to 9 million households — with economic losses totaling between $3.4 and $14.5 billion per year, depending on the severity of the scenario.

How One Word Could Strip the Endangered Species Act

Katherine E Kerlin — May 13, 2025 - 12:31pm

A rule change proposed by the Trump administration could green-light the destruction of protected species' habitats and gut the Endangered Species Act, write an ecologist and law professor.

Helping Birds and Floating Solar Energy Coexist

Katherine E Kerlin — May 12, 2025 - 2:00am

How might floating solar energy projects impact wild birds and vice versa? A 51�Թϱ�� paper outlines key considerations for a growing floating solar industry.

Sulfur Runoff Amplifies Mercury Concentrations in Florida Everglades

Katherine E Kerlin — May 08, 2025 - 10:26am

Sulfur from sugarcane crops is flowing into wetlands in the Florida Everglades, creating toxic methylmercury, which accumulates in fish, a 51�Թϱ�� study finds.

How Are They Biting? High Speed Video Reveals Unexpected Jaw Movements in Reef Fish

Andy Fell — May 05, 2025 - 5:20pm

Some reef fish have the unexpected ability to move their jaws from side to side, biologists at the 51�Թϱ��, Davis have discovered. This ability – which is rare among vertebrate animals – allows these fish to feed rapidly and efficiently on algae growing on rocks. The work is published May 5 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Arctic Plants React Unexpectedly to Climate Change

Katherine E Kerlin — April 30, 2025 - 8:00am

Rapid climate change is upending established plant diversity and growth patterns in the Arctic, with species blooming in some areas and declining in others, suggests a study published today in the journal Nature.

The decades-long study of more than 2,000 plant communities across 45 areas in the Arctic tundra found that many locations saw vegetation change in type, abundance and growth, between 1981 and 2022.

Novel Study Calculates the Cost to Cattle Ranchers of an Expanding Wolf Population

Amy M Quinton — April 21, 2025 - 4:16pm

51�Թϱ�� researchers found that one gray wolf can cause between $69,000 and $162,000 in losses due to lower pregnancy rates in cows and decreased weight gain in calves.

A New Record for California’s Highest Tree

Katherine E Kerlin — April 17, 2025 - 9:00am

A 51�Թϱ�� professor's pleasure hike in the High Sierra turned into a new elevation record for California's highest tree, the Jeffrey pine, which wasn't formerly known to grow at extreme elevations.