UC Irvine professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Amir AghaKouchak said while the rainfall was significant, it is not likely enough to pull the region out of drought. … “It's better than last year, but we will remain under drought situation this year, at least that's how it looks like. … From an ecosystem perspective, wildfires around us are increasing over the years and drought is a major contributor," AghaKouchak said.

Engineers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have developed a composite material that mimics the expansion and contraction of chromatophores on the skin of squid that control infrared light and heat transmission, which it claims can be cost-effectively scaled for insulating applications such as beverage cups.

"California's wildfires have been getting worse every year in recent decades, owing to factors such as climate change and a century-long fire deficit coupled with a buildup of vegetation and fuels," said study leader Tirtha Banerjee, UCI assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.

“The impacts of flooding continue to escalate in the U.S. and around the world, and the main culprit is urban growth in harm’s way, with communities underprepared to deal with extreme events that are getting more intense in a warming climate,” said lead author Brett Sanders, UCI professor of civil & environmental engineering.