Sea levels are rising, threatening coastal areas, including cities, around the world. … A new research grant is looking at the idea of reflooding lowland depressions to alleviate the problem on the coasts, starting with the Qattara Depression, a massive low-lying desert area in western Egypt.

“In cascading events, the sequence, timing and order of events really matter,”  says Amir AghaKouchak, a professor of environmental and civil engineering at the University of California, Irvine. He adds that some events can take place over years, making it harder for scientists to model or predict their risks. … The upcoming challenge is to turn science into policy, says AghaKouchak. “I think cities and states need to spend more resources on planning for future extreme scenarios, exploring potential grey swan events,” he said.

“Almost any objective analysis for getting to zero emissions includes hydrogen,” said Jack Brouwer, director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. Mr. Brouwer does not think hydrogen will become the dominant energy source soon, but he argues that it has great potential as a fuel for vehicles, power plants and appliances. … UC Irvine has experimented with hydrogen for years and formed partnerships with local governments and major corporations to popularize its use in Southern California.

In the heart of California, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, are pioneering a technological marvel that could revolutionize environmental monitoring and energy management. Led by Efrain Mendez-Flores from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the team has developed a solar-powered wire-traversing robot, aptly named RaccoonBot, designed to operate autonomously in remote areas for extended periods.