Environment & Ecology

Simply Stated: What is an El Niño year?

January 18, 2024 by

If you are like me, you may have heard the explanation, “because it’s an El Niño year” as a response to any questions about why it has been raining so much or why it has been so warm all of a s...
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Closing the Loop: UCSB’s A.S. Department of Public Worms’ sustainable solution to food waste

December 28, 2023 by

For most people, the moment their scraps fall and join the leftovers at the bottom of the dining commons’ green compost bins marks what they believe to be the end of the line for that food. In reali...
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UC Santa Barbara faculty take part in United Nations Plastics Treaty negotiation

December 18, 2023 by and

UC Santa Barbara’s Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory recently joined the United Nations in making historic progress toward a plastic-free world. Over 175 countries around the globe convened in Nairob...
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A conversation with SB Channelkeeper on the legal battle against nitrate pollution

November 20, 2023 by

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, an organization with the mission of protecting and restoring local water resources, has joined a broad coalition of environmentalists, fishing organizations and Latinx and...
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UCSB Decarbonization Study Project Committee launches clean energy master plan

November 16, 2023 by

In a virtual kickoff meeting, UC Santa Barbara’s Decarbonization Study Project Committee launched its official campus Clean Energy Master Plan.  The initiative is a joint effort of both UCSB offici...
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A warming ocean: What’s happening below the surface with the Hofmann Lab?

November 16, 2023 by and

With marine heatwaves facing our oceans as a climate stressor, UC Santa Barbara’s Hofmann Lab draws attention to just how drastically marine organisms may change in response.  As a relatively recen...
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“River Undammed”: Largest dam removal in history underway, researchers optimistic

November 9, 2023 by

Decades of hard-fought activism of the Yurok and Karuk tribes have borne fruit in the beginnings of the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. Hopes are high for the future of the Klamath River ...
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UCSB Lab Studies Emergence and Disease Risk of Mosquito-Borne Viruses

November 9, 2023 by

Diseases like dengue are becoming much more common due to the expansion of the range of the mosquito species that transmit it. Andrew MacDonald, an assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren Sch...
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“The Future of the Amazon”: UCSB’s Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies hosts international conference

November 2, 2023 by and

Dozens of scholars, researchers, activists and policymakers from institutions across the globe arrived at UC Santa Barbara for a three-day international conference from Oct. 25-27, aimed at discussing...
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“The Heat Will Kill You First”: Writer Jeff Goodell warns against extreme heat, says we are not doomed

October 26, 2023 by

You probably heard it on the radio, read it in the newspaper or saw a post on Instagram at some point over the past few months: 2023 was the hottest summer ever recorded in human history. According to...
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Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary enters final quarter of public comment phase

October 12, 2023 by

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is nearing the close of its public comment phase, making it one step closer to official designation.
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Q&A with SB Channelkeeper: August is National Water Quality Month!

August 25, 2023 by

National Water Quality Month was first started in 2005 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to bring awareness to the issue of water pollution, encourage appreciation of the water we d...
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MethaneMapper: A new effective AI-based tool for methane detection

April 27, 2023 by

From erratic weather patterns to increasing occurrences of hurricanes, the climate crisis is worsening by the minute. The main component of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions, with methane in ...
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Local community members express concern over 10 new proposed aquaculture sites off of Southern California coast

April 17, 2023 by

Santa Barbara community members delivered 2,500 petition signatures on April 5 to the local National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office against the 10 newly proposed aquaculture sites in t...
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An Environmentalist Guide to Campus Beaches and Marine Protected Areas

February 9, 2023 by

Thousands of wavy turban snails lay on the sands of Coal Oil Point Reserve in the aftermath of the storms in early January. The snails — many of which remain onshore — washed up due to powerful st...
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