News Archive - Environment

Scientists Track Sudden Disappearance of Antarctic Ice Shelf Lake

A global team of scientists including several from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego discovered the sudden demise of a large, deep, ice-covered lake on the surface of an Antarctic ice shelf.

CO2 Emissions Are Rebounding, but Clean Energy Revolutions are Emerging

At the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November, ample discussion is likely to focus on how the world is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement’s goals of stopping warming at well below 2°C.

Synthetic SPECIES Developed for Use as a Confinable Gene Drive

Scientists have developed a gene drive with a built-in genetic barrier that is designed to keep the drive under control. The researchers engineered synthetic fly species that, upon release in sufficient numbers, act as gene drives that can spread locally and be reversed if desired.

If Countries Implement Paris Pledges with Cuts to Aerosols, Millions of Lives can be Saved

Aerosol reductions that would take place as countries meet climate goals could contribute to global cooling and prevent more than one million annual premature deaths over a decade, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego.

Researchers Create New CRISPR Tools to Help Contain Mosquito Disease Transmission

Scientists have developed a toolkit that helps pave the way to a gene drive designed to stop Culex mosquitoes from spreading disease. Culex mosquitoes spread devastating afflictions stemming from West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and the pathogen causing avian malaria.

Sustainable method to 3D print steel wins big at Triton Innovation Challenge

A startup developing a 3D printing technique that can manufacture steel cheaper than existing methods, with no carbon emissions and minimal wasted scrap metal, earned the $7,000 Grand Prize at the Triton Innovation Challenge.

Plant Consumers Play Unexpectedly Large Role in the Evolution of Seedling Success

Scientists have found that herbivores have a lot to say about plant evolution and determining the success of seedlings. The influence of birds, rabbits, mice and other herbivores likely counteracts early plant emergence due to climate change, the researchers found.

New View of Species Interactions Offers Clues to Preserve Threatened Ecosystems

Scientists from around the world have produced a new analysis—believed to be the most detailed study of ecological data from global forests—that is furthering science’s understanding of species interactions and how diversity contributes to the preservation of ecosystem health.

Scientists Map “Pulse” of Groundwater Flow through California’s Central Valley

For the first time, scientists at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and School of Global Policy and Strategy, as well as the U.S. Geological Survey are using advanced satellite data to map the “pulse” of groundwater flow through the San Joaquin Valley.

Why Commercialization of Carbon Capture and Sequestration has Failed and How it Can Work

There are 12 essential attributes that explain why commercial carbon capture and sequestration projects succeed or fail in the U.S., University of California San Diego researchers say in a recent study published in Environmental Research Letters.