Media Watch Archives
Move over, Death Valley: These are the two hottest spots on Earth
Science -
Lut [Desert] hit its all-time high in 2018, a record the Sonoran [Desert], in a weird coincidence, matched the next summer, Yunxia Zhao, [graduate student, civll & environmental engineering], of the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues report .… It’s unclear whether climate change is driving up surface temperatures, Zhao says. But she notes that the Sonoran’s highs coincided with La Niña, a climate oscillation featuring cooler surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean and drier desert conditions. Read More
Iran's groundwater depletion is reaching crisis levels, warn researchers
Phys.org -
More than three quarters of Iran's land is under extreme groundwater overdraft, where the rate of human uptake is higher than the rate of natural recharge. This is according to a new study led by Concordia researchers published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. The article was co-authored by Samaneh Ashraf …. Amir AghaKouchak, [professor, civil and environmental engineering], of the University of California, Irvine, also contributed to the paper. Read More
Droughts are getting longer and more intense (and humans are to blame)
Yahoo News (The Conversation) -
Researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) say that the increasing droughts are caused by greenhouse gases and aerosol pollution. … Lead author Felicia Chiang, who conducted the project as a UCI graduate student in civil & environmental engineering, said: “There has always been natural variability in drought events around the world, but our research shows the clear human influence on drying, specifically from anthropogenic aerosols, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.” Read More
Opinion: Drought-stricken western states face a water crisis and another dangerous fire season
MarketWatch -
Amir AghaKouchak, UCI associate professor of civil & environmental engineering and others write, “Scientists are also closely watching the impact that the rapid warming and drying is having on trees, worried that water stress could lead to widespread tree deaths. Dead and drying vegetation means more fuel for what is already expected to be another dangerous fire season. … As climate scientists, we track these changes. Right now, about 84% of the western U.S. is under some level of drought, and there is no sign of relief.” Read More
California Wildfire Season Is Ramping Up
New York Magazine -
And while the fire season is traditionally considered to begin in June, researchers at UC Irvine found in a study published in Nature last month that the “start of the wildfire season has also advanced to May.” The study also determined that in this extended fire season, the “overall fire frequency of all wildfires” has increased over the past two decades due to poor wildfire management and “the drying of forest fuels due to human-induced climate warming.” Read More
A dangerous fire season looms as the drought-stricken Western US heads for a water crisis
Yahoo News (The Conversation) -
Amir AghaKouchak, UCI associate professor of civil & environmental engineering and others write, “Scientists are also closely watching the impact that the rapid warming and drying is having on trees, worried that water stress could lead to widespread tree deaths. Dead and drying vegetation means more fuel for what is already expected to be another dangerous fire season. … As climate scientists, we track these changes. Right now, about 84% of the western U.S. is under some level of drought, and there is no sign of relief.” Read More
Fri 8 AM | Researchers Confirm Increasing Intensity Of California Fire Seasons
Jefferson Public Radio -
If you've been thinking every fire season seems more intense than the last, you are correct--at least for California. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine pulled in data from the last 100 years, and found some clear trends. For one thing, every year of the 21st century has featured an increase in fire destruction over the previous year. For another, the center of fire season has shifted earlier; it's now in July instead of August. We get an overview from the lead researchers: [Assistant] Professor Tirtha Banerjee and PhD Candidate Shu Li [civil & environmental engineering]. Read More
DOE Awards $6.2 Million for Cutting-Edge Research for Efficient Hydrogen Gas Turbines
Department of Energy -
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced eight university-led projects will receive nearly $6.2 million in federal funding for research and development projects aimed at advancing hydrogen—a clean burning fuel—as a high-performing, efficient gas for turbine-based electricity generation. Increasing the reliability, efficiency, and performance of hydrogen power will reduce carbon emissions and advance the Biden-Harris administration's goal of a 100% clean electricity by 2035. … Each project is led by a faculty member or principal investigator with robust engagement from graduate students. The universities receiving awards include: … The University of California, Irvine (Award amount: $800,000) ….a Read More
The hype behind the gas industry’s hydrogen push
Green Left -
Green Tech Media reported that “The Road Map to a US Hydrogen Economy” was described as “agnostic” by Jack Brouwer, a professor at the University of California at Irvine and director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center, when it comes to the source of hydrogen (methane versus water). The plan mentions the use of methane-derived hydrogen throughout and also promotes the idea of using hydrogen for “blending into the gas grid” — where it would be burned with a mixture of methane. Read More
Zero net carbon transportation will save money and create jobs
CalMatters -
Dan Sperling, founding director of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies writes, “The state of California commissioned the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies to devise a roadmap to achieve zero net carbon transportation by 2045. Our 450-page report, Driving California’s Transportation Emissions to Zero, released last month, is a collaboration of 33 transportation researchers from the UC campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles and Irvine. We found that California can indeed achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, while embracing goals of environmental justice and high quality job creation.” Read More