News archives

Smog over Los Angeles neighborhoods

Fighting Climate Change Isn’t an Automatic Win for Environmental Justice

Some simulated pathways for reducing emissions in the U.S. maintained or exacerbated existing racial inequities

Seismologist Wenyuan Fan

A Scientist’s Life: Wenyuan Fan

Seismologist seeks to understand why some earthquakes are more predictable than the others

Researchers at center of photo conduct fieldwork at Salton Basin. Photo: Ryley Hill

California’s Salton Sea May Be Staving Off Earthquakes As It Disappears

Major earthquakes on southern San Andreas Fault apparently triggered by Salton Sea basin filling with water

Surface rupture from the M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake in 2019

“Segment-Jumping” Ridgecrest Earthquakes Explored in New Study

Seismologists use supercomputer to reveal complex dynamics of multi-fault earthquake systems

ALERTCalifornia Launches to Provide Essential Tools to Understand and Adapt to Natural Disasters

UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia public safety program leverages novel technology and cutting-edge research to understand the causes, behavior and aftereffects of wildfires and other natural disasters in the Golden State

Polluted waters off Imperial Beach. Photo: WILDCOAST

Coastal Water Pollution Transfers to the Air in Sea Spray Aerosol and Reaches People on Land

Scientists find bacteria, chemical compounds from coastal water pollution in sea spray aerosol along Imperial Beach

A WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron sits on the flightline prior to an atmospheric river mission Jan. 28, 2020 at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The Hurricane Hunters performed “AR recon” from January through March 2020.

Atmospheric River Reconnaissance Flight Season Gets an Early Start this Winter

Air Force and NOAA aircraft collecting data over the Pacific from November to March

Trematodes Centrocestus formosanus (left) and Haplorchis pumilio

Parasites Associated with Eating Fish Showing Up in Southern California Fishing Locales

Snail that hosts potentially dangerous flatworms found to be widespread

 Isabel Rivera-Collazo in the field in Puerto Rico

Scripps Launches Two Projects on the Impact of Climate Change on Coastlines and People

National Science Foundation grants support research hubs in Southern California and Puerto Rico

UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography Awarded $5.6 Million for Southern California DDT Ocean Dumpsite Research

NOAA funding will aim to further characterize, monitor, and research dumpsite

Flooding overtops Fremont Weir, 2019. Photo: Florence Low/California Department of Water Resources

Climate Change Projected to Increase Atmospheric River Flood Damages in the United States

Damage costs in western states could triple by end of century

Big Sur experienced some of the most substantial cliff retreat rates observed by Scripps researchers

New High-Resolution Study on California Coastal Cliff Erosion Released

Website presents details on state’s continually changing coastline

Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii. Photo: NOAA

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach New High

Peak monthly average of 421 parts per million is 50 percent greater than pre-industrial levels

Researchers with Adam Young carrying a LIDAR drone on the beach.

As California Cliffs Erode, UC San Diego Team Works to Track and Understand these Changes

Advanced imaging and geotechnical technology powering understanding of our coastline and its hazards

scientist studying beaker

Deciphering the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for Potent Freshwater Toxin

Scientific discovery enables future monitoring of harmful toxin

Dante Capone headshot

Scripps Student Spotlight: Dante Capone

PhD student researches how California wildfires affect coastal marine plankton

Istock photo of smoggy Los Angeles

New Evidence Suggests California’s Environmental Policies Preferentially Protect Whites

Systemic racism could explain why minorities are exposed to more pollution throughout the state

Geisel library at sunset

UC San Diego Receives $7.35 Million in Federal Community Project Funding

Federal funding will aid ocean dumpsite and cliff erosion research, and improve telehealth offerings

Damage to Oroville Dam spillway, Feb. 27, 2017. Photo: Dale Kolke/Calif. DWR

Climate Change Identified as Contributor to Oroville Dam Spillway Incident

Case study of weather triggering the 2017 crisis points to how atmospheric rivers are impacted by global warming

 Satellite imagery of the Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in the South Pacific Ocean on January 15, 2022. (CSU/CIRA and JAXA/JMA)

Tonga Tsunami a Reminder of Need for Better Global Detection Network

International effort to deploy new technology could greatly improve warning systems

Photo: Rawpixel/iStockPhoto

Variable Precipitation Linked to Rising Infectious Disease among Young Children Worldwide

Global database analysis spotlights higher risk in low-to-middle-income nations

San Francisco skyline during October 2020 wildfire

Exposure to Wildfire Smoke Increased Number of Bay Area COVID Deaths

Review of 2020 health data suggests wildfires made COVID victims more vulnerable

U.S. Air Force Reserves "Hurricane Hunters" fly atmospheric rivers

Atmospheric River Storm Observations over Pacific Ocean to Expand This Winter

Filling data gaps will improve precipitation forecasts for western states

Outfall from San Antonio de los Buenos sewage treatment plant at Punta Banderas, Mexico

U.S.-Mexico Border Wastewater Transport Model Suggests Solutions to Reduce Coastal Contamination

Researchers model a variety of border sewage treatment scenarios, finding the best solution that provides greatest safety to the health of beachgoers

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