Energy & Environment

UC Merced Aerial Picture
New Film Profiles Immediate Actions to Restore California's Wildfire-vulnerable Forests
February 9, 2024
The new film "California's Watershed Healing" documents the huge benefits that result from restoring forests to healthier densities. UC Merced's Sierra Nevada Research Institute partnered with the nonprofit Chronicles Group to tell the... Read More
Warming Climate Pushes Rain to Higher Elevations, Raising Flooding Risks
February 5, 2024
A new study co-authored by UC Merced researchers assesses the effect of a warming climate in pushing the elevation of snow to rain higher during a storm, increasing runoff and the risk of flooding. The study also shows the importance of... Read More
Having a Mix of Tree Heights Enhances Drought Resilience in Sierra Nevada Forests
January 19, 2024
In a paper published in Nature Communications, UC Merced Professor Roger Bales, collaborating with an international team, found that the height of neighboring trees strongly influenced whether a given tree survived California's record... Read More
Lukens’ Latest Research Tracks Sediment’s Journey in the Eastern Sierra
January 16, 2024
Rocks, from ponderous boulders to tiny grains of sand, are subject to the whims of moisture, weather and time as they tumble from surrounding slopes into rivers, pools and lakes. UC Merced Professor Claire Lukens is getting more detailed... Read More
¿Field Curious? Smashes Barriers to Outdoor Science
January 8, 2024
When Carlos Martinez was growing up in Southern California, his experience outdoors largely consisted of the irrigated lawns and tidy trees of his local park. Camping and hiking were not in his family’s recreational repertoire. Meanwhile,... Read More
Researcher Among the World's Most Highly Cited for the Fourth Straight Year
December 19, 2023
Distinguished Professor Martin Hagger from the Department of Psychological Sciences has been awarded one of this year’s Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher awards. He is one of four researchers from UC Merced to receive the award, and... Read More
New Partnership Offers Ph.D. Students a Path to Pedagogical Excellence
December 4, 2023
Graduate student Samuel Leventini comes from a long line of educators, and the tribology researcher thinks he might want to follow in those footsteps. Thanks to a new supplemental grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Leventini... Read More
Climate Change to Drive Surge in Insects that Attack Almonds, Peaches, Walnuts
November 29, 2023
As a result of climate change, the Golden State's farms are expected to face a surge in agricultural pests, which poses a threat to California's specialty crops industry. Populations of three major insect pests – codling moth, peach twig... Read More
Grant Funds Research into Wildfire Behavior and Ecological Effects of Fuel Treatments
November 22, 2023
A grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will fund a project led by a UC Merced researcher looking into predicting behavior of wildfires. Jeanette Cobian-Iñiguez is leading a team from UCs Merced and Irvine awarded $1,179,479 to... Read More
Research Team Explores the Effects of Climate Catastrophes on Different Species
November 15, 2023
How different species of animals respond to extreme weather events — which are increasing because of climate change — appears to be related to body size and habitat preference, a new study shows. When extreme weather causes widespread... Read More
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