The next series of storms will build an even deeper snowpack that is now more than 200% of normal. As it melts into streams, water managers are hoping the water can be captured. However, others are worried that weather extremes caused by climate change could quickly melt the snow and cause devastating consequences. "Snow is like a natural reservoir," said UC Irvine engineering professor Amir Aghakouchak.

Just how much beach has been lost at Bolsa Chica through the years? UCI lead researcher [graduate student] Daniel Kahl analyzed satellite data for The Orange County Register to give a sense of how severe the erosion has been in recently flooded areas. He said the Bolsa Chica beach had been losing 2 feet of width per year, on average, since 1985, but that rate increased to 14.8 feet per year in 2020 and 2021, the latest data available.

UC Irvine researcher Jack Brouwer, a professor of mechanical engineering, said SB 100 didn’t go far enough. Under a bill focused on decarbonizing the electric grid, homes could move more toward electrifying appliances which could be a lifestyle shift for some Californians, Brouwer said.

David Kisailus is a professor of materials science and engineering at UC Irvine and a co-author of the study. He said: ‘This process achieves two goals at the same time. ‘On the one hand, it helps remove human urine from wastewater streams, mitigating environmental pollution and the buildup of unwanted nutrients. On the other hand, it produces a material that can be commercially marketed for use in a variety of settings.’ Read More

But with snow from the last storm still piled high in the mountains, concerns are growing about the rain combining with snowmelt to generate flooding, especially in the mountain canyons with creeks that could overflow. "Those collector creeks that are capturing all that snowmelt and rainfall at the same time are going to be seeing some of the highest flows we've seen in some time," said [Professor] Brett Sanders, a climate engineering expert at University of California, Irvine.

What makes the diabolical ironclad beetle (the insect's actual common name) so indestructible? To find out, researchers at the  University of California, Irvine and their colleagues repeatedly drove over them with their cars. Yes, the creepy crawlers survived the tire test and countless other more exacting compression tests in the laboratory. After years of research, materials scientist David Kisailus and grad student Jesus Rivera determined that it’s the combination of the material and structure of the beetle's exoskeleton which is different than other beetles.