Environment & Ecology

July 3, 2020

Research Into This Elegant Wildflower Brings Climate Center Stage

By Sean Crommelin

Peach sought to examine the effects that particular conditions correlated to climate have on the floral reproductive traits of the wildflower.

June 13, 2020

The Remarkable Recovery of the Channel Island Fox

By Sean Crommelin

In the late 1990s, the foxes were on a precipice. Now —two decades later— they stand as symbols of an incredible success story in conservation.

May 16, 2020

Goleta Beach Water Quality Deteriorated After 2018 Montecito Mudslide Cleanup Efforts

By Jacqueline Wen

UC Santa Barbara researchers examined the possible impacts of sediment disposal on the water quality at Goleta Beach.

May 9, 2020

Experiments With Drosophila Flies Raise Questions About Function of Opsins

By Sean Crommelin

For over a century, opsins have historically been observed operating in rhodopsin, a light receptor.

May 6, 2020

Red Tide, Blue Waves: Bioluminescence in Southern California Beaches

By Leon Liu

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. 

April 27, 2020

27-Year Monitoring Project Reveals Regional Effects of ENSO on Sea Urchin Settlement

By Sean Crommelin

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.

April 23, 2020

Clear As Mud: Planktonic Remains in Millenia-Old Mud Reveal Climate History of Pacific

By Sean Crommelin

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).

April 15, 2020

California Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment and Living Shoreline Restoration Opportunities

By Gracie Shi

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.

April 14, 2020

UCSB Researchers Investigate the Impact of Nitrogen Pollution on Coral Bleaching in Moorea, French Polynesia

By Sean Crommelin

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.

April 9, 2020

Re-examining Remote Kelp Forests After 45 Years

By Jacqueline Wen

Studying kelp forests in remote areas could allow investigators to tease apart human impacts from natural changes.

April 7, 2020

Campus Lagoon: Yesterday’s Memory and Today’s Home

By Yiu-On Li

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.

March 18, 2020

Researchers Assess Ability of Warm and Cold Range Edges To Track Climate Change

By Jacqueline Wen

The group tested several hypotheses that may explain the shift in a species’ distribution.

March 16, 2020

Renowned Journalist David Wallace-Wells Warns Against Very Real Effects of Climate Change

By Anastassia Dardenne

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.

March 5, 2020

A Hail Mary for the Monarch Butterfly: The Plan To Rehabilitate Ellwood Butterfly Grove

By Sean Crommelin

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.

February 27, 2020

UCSB’s Fourth Annual Zero Waste Festival Highlights Sustainability and Waste Reduction

By Leon Liu

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.

February 27, 2020

Researchers in Kruger National Park Observe How Fire and Drought Shape Plant Communities

By Sean Crommelin

Scholars capitalized on this devastating drought to obtain information regarding the resilience and resistance of the plant communities found throughout the South African savanna.