Environment & Ecology

Experiments With Drosophila Flies Raise Questions About Function of Opsins

May 9, 2020 by

For over a century, opsins have historically been observed operating in rhodopsin, a light receptor.
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Red Tide, Blue Waves: Bioluminescence in Southern California Beaches

May 6, 2020 by

With water that is a murky brown by day and a brilliant electric blue by night, many beaches in Southern California have been reporting bioluminescent waves crashing against the coastline. 
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27-Year Monitoring Project Reveals Regional Effects of ENSO on Sea Urchin Settlement

April 27, 2020 by

Inspired by similar sites in Japan and the East Coast, Schroeter’s team initially conceived the project as a means to monitor enhancement strategies for red sea urchins as a commercial fishery.
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Clear As Mud: Planktonic Remains in Millenia-Old Mud Reveal Climate History of Pacific

April 23, 2020 by

The scientists' findings and modeling are part of ongoing research that hopes to understand the effect changes in climate may have on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
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California Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment and Living Shoreline Restoration Opportunities

April 15, 2020 by

In the seminar, Mann provided not only information about what California as a whole has done to protect our coast but also specific actions Santa Barbara County has taken to make contributions.
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UCSB Researchers Investigate the Impact of Nitrogen Pollution on Coral Bleaching in Moorea, French Polynesia

April 14, 2020 by

Researchers have discovered an important relationship between the extent of coral bleaching experienced by a reef and the level of nutrient pollution present in the water the reef is in.
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Re-examining Remote Kelp Forests After 45 Years

April 9, 2020 by

Studying kelp forests in remote areas could allow investigators to tease apart human impacts from natural changes.
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Campus Lagoon: Yesterday’s Memory and Today’s Home

April 7, 2020 by

Besides attracting a great deal of sunset photos and nostalgia for UCSB students in quarantine, the Campus Lagoon plays host to a wide variety of flora and fauna.
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Researchers Assess Ability of Warm and Cold Range Edges To Track Climate Change

March 18, 2020 by

The group tested several hypotheses that may explain the shift in a species’ distribution.
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Renowned Journalist David Wallace-Wells Warns Against Very Real Effects of Climate Change

March 16, 2020 by

The talk was a shocking recount of the negative effects that humans have already had on the planet and the gravity of the situation if no action is taken.
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A Hail Mary for the Monarch Butterfly: The Plan To Rehabilitate Ellwood Butterfly Grove

March 5, 2020 by

The new Parks and Open Space manager for the Goleta Public Works Department spoke regarding progress made in bringing back the long-declining monarch butterfly to Coronado Preserve and Ellwood.
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UCSB’s Fourth Annual Zero Waste Festival Highlights Sustainability and Waste Reduction

February 27, 2020 by

The festival, held at Storke Plaza, featured over a dozen on-campus organizations and local businesses that are dedicated to reducing Goleta’s waste output.
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Researchers in Kruger National Park Observe How Fire and Drought Shape Plant Communities

February 27, 2020 by

Scholars capitalized on this devastating drought to obtain information regarding the resilience and resistance of the plant communities found throughout the South African savanna.
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CO₂ and Climate Change: Same Goal, New Perspectives

February 18, 2020 by

Hain believes that the boron isotope-pH proxy may be the next step in climate change research, as it generates a baseline representation of the relationship between CO₂ and global temperature.
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“Three Billion Birds Lost”: A Seven-Action Plan to Help

February 7, 2020 by

Rosenberg and his team found that bird populations in North America have decreased by almost 2.9 billion since 1970. 
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