ERG assistnat professor Lara Kueppers is featured in this Capital Valley Radio segment on a newly published study that finds that meadows in the Sierra Nevada are slowly disappearing. “What we found was that this phenomenon of tree encroachment into meadows was widespread,” says Keuppers, who co-authored the study. “It’s not just local, due to the effects of roads or trails. It’s even in these remote locations.”
SF Chronicle | July 07, 2017
NST lecturer Kristen Rasmussen is featured in this San Francisco Chronicle article on sweet and savory porridge and hygge - the Danish concept of all things cozy and comforting. Rasmussen has hosted hygge-inspired porridge popups in the Bay Area over the past six months; the pop-ups are a way to connect to her family's Danish heritage as well as to link her love of cooking, nutrition, and foraging.
San Diego Union-Tribune | July 07, 2017
ESPM associate CE specialist Max Moritz is highlighted in this San Diego Union-Tribune article on California's wildfire season. A continued trend of backcountry development and aggressive fire suppression to keep those properties safe has led to densely packed forests in close proximity to many communities. We will need some very new approaches to deal with both the increasing hazard of fire and our increasing exposure to it,” said Moritz. “The situation we have created is dangerous, and without a major shift in perspective it will only get worse.”
Point Reyes Light | July 06, 2017
ESPM assistant adjunct professor and assistant CE Specialist Ted Gratham is featured in the Point Reyes Light for his collaboration with the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) on a new study focusing on how releases from Peters Dam influence floodplain areas important to the endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout. SPAWN and Grantham will use topographic mapping, 2D hydraulic modeling and real-time hydrologic measurements to determine the floodplain activation flow.
UC Merced News | July 05, 2017
ERG assistant professor Lara Kueppers co-authored a recently published study on Sierra Nevada meadows that are increasingly overrun by forest as changing conditions allow nearby tree offspring to take hold in meadow environments that previously favored shrubs and grasses over saplings. For the many species that depend on meadows, this change may force them to find new habitats. In addition, given the delicate balance of California’s water system, which relies heavily on snowmelt from the Sierra, the authors worry that meadow loss may lead to a dramatic change in how water is stored and used.
Fresno Bee | July 04, 2017
ESPM Center for Fire Research and Outreach researcher Brandon Collins is quoted in this Fresno Bee article on this year's wildland fire season in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra foothills. Newly dead conifers in the region are a fire hazard because the dead, dry needles are still attached to the branches. After winter rains knock the needles to the group and dry out, “there’s a lot more material that is ready to burn,” Collins said. “You don’t have that potential for fire moving from crown to crown, but you have potential to spread fire. The embers can land on something ready to burn. You get spots in front of the main fire.”
Grist | July 03, 2017
ARE professor Meredith Fowlie is featured in this Grist article on ways the US can be weaned off fossil fuel dependence and shut off greenhouse gas emissions. Fowlie argues that there are different paths to meeting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, and some will cost a lot more than others. The long-run political viability of decarbonization depends on finding lower-cost paths.
Climatewire | June 30, 2017
ARE professor Max Auffhammer and ERG postdoc James Rising are highlighted in this ClimateWire article on recently published research that lays out an outlook for widening economic inequality caused by higher temperatures. Rising is part of the Climate Impact Lab consortium that studied county-level impacts of climate change. "Climate change is global, but adaptation is local," said Auffhammer, who is familiar with the work but not involved with the research. "So you need to figure out how much should you do, and since we all have a very scarce or limited budget of public dollars to spend on these adaptation-type mechanisms both public and private, we want to put them to the best use. And this will help."
Desert Sun | June 30, 2017
ARE professor Max Auffhammer is featured in this Desert Sun article on electricity use spikes in the Southwest during heatwaves. Record-breaking demand for electricity is likely to continue, said Auffhammer, who wrote a paper on the subject in February. Hot states with growing populations, such as Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, will feel the biggest impact, he said.
Popular Science | June 29, 2017
ERG postdoc researcher James Rising is featured in this Popular Science article on recently published research that models out climate change impact on the American economy on the county level. The modeling was done with the assumption that humans won't make efforts to mitigate climate change and doesn't take into account people's attempts to adapt. Rising, who coauthored the study, noted, "It’s important to understand that there’s a lot of opportunity to use numbers from our paper to decide on what kind of responses we want to make.”