Environment & Ecology

MethaneMapper: A new effective AI-based tool for methane detection

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 ...
read more

Local community members express concern over 10 new proposed aquaculture sites off of Southern California coast

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...
read more

An Environmentalist Guide to Campus Beaches and Marine Protected Areas

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...
read more

Addressing the Groundwater Problem in one of the World’s Largest Crop producers

An assistant professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan Meha Jain presented her research on ways to sustainably increase agricultural production, specific...
read more

Pelicans in Peril: Recent Brown Pelican Die-off in Santa Barbara Seemingly Related to Starvation

Experts provide insight and updates regarding the recent pelican crisis in Southern California.
read more

Environmental Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert Speaks in IHC’s “Regeneration” Lecture Series

Renowned science journalist Elizabeth Kolbert speaks to UCSB students about human effects on the environment and the actions that must be taken to fight the climate crisis.
read more

Back in Bloom: Flowers Begin Their Return to the South Coast

Southern California’s native wildflowers exhibit a dazzling array of colors, shapes, sizes and timing of blooms.
read more

Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Garners Public Support for Official Designation

The sanctuary will protect a crucial part of the California coastline which includes culturally important sites for the Chumash people, valuable oceanographic features and a rich ecosystem.
read more

Peering Into the Sea Otter Genome Reveals Much

The researchers found an opportunity to learn about the consequences of species-wide declines by looking to otters in the aftermath of the fur trade.
read more

Living on the Margins: Shrinking Forest Footprints in the Future American West

“I guess the message would be there's actually a pretty nuanced response, potentially, to how we might see more ecosystems affected by climate change,” Professor Anna Trugman said.
read more

At North Campus Open Space, Years of Restoration Work Unveil a Transformed Landscape

In a landmark conservation deal with the Trust for Public Land in 2013, Ocean Meadows Golf Club was sold by its owner, Mark Green, for $7 million, with a further $10 million raised to facilitate the g...
read more

UCSB Earth Science Researchers Map Fossil History in Ediacaran Era

MacDonald and collaborators were able to extract accurate dates from the use of a rhenium-osmium chronometer.
read more

UCSB Ecologist Looks to AI To Improve Wildlife Camera Trapping

The data analyzed in this study was taken from a long-term camera trap project in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique.
read more

Despite Public Outrage, Pine Mountain Remains Threatened By Logging

The project threatens 755 acres of conifer forest and chaparral on a mountain ridge in Los Padres National Forest.
read more

Thinking Globally and Acting Locally: Ian Shive and the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network Celebrate New Hospital

Shive is an author, photographer, filmmaker and conservationist, whose most recent works include the Discovery+ series “The Last Unknown” (2021).
read more