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2021 Sustainability

December 15, 2021
Optimizing coastal wetland restoration for carbon capture and storage
UCSC leads a large collaborative effort to develop guidelines for maximizing the effectiveness of coastal wetlands as a climate mitigation solution with multiple benefits.
December 06, 2021
New study shows plants struggle to keep pace with climate change in human-dominated landscapes
A new global-scale analysis found a mismatch between plant phenology and rising temperatures that was more pronounced in the most human-dominated landscapes, especially crop lands.
November 24, 2021
UC Santa Cruz ranked No. 3 green college
Princeton Review evaluates schools based on institutional data as well as a 10-question student survey.
November 23, 2021
Reviving deep-rooted knowledge
The Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the Arboretum & Botanic Garden aims to assist the tribe's efforts in cultural revitalization, recuperation and relearning of dormant cultural knowledge, and environmental justice.
October 28, 2021
Survivor salmon that withstand drought and ocean warming provide a lifeline for California Chinook
Late migration of outgoing juvenile fish is a crucial life history strategy for survival of spring-run Chinook salmon during drought years.
September 28, 2021
Wild, wild life
Alumnus Sebastian Kennerknecht cares so deeply about animals that he built a career in wildlife conservation photography to help fight for their survival.
May 24, 2021
‘We Are What We Eat’: Alice Waters to celebrate new book in live event with Michael Pollan
Renowned chef and food activist Alice Waters will be in conversation with bestselling author Michael Pollan at a live virtual event presented by Bookshop Santa Cruz and Extended Session, and co-sponsored by UCSC’s Humanities Institute.
May 20, 2021
Survival of migrating juvenile salmon depends on stream flow thresholds
New understanding of relationship between stream flows and salmon survival provides a critical tool for balancing water needs in the highly managed Sacramento River.
May 19, 2021
Missing the middle: the importance of regional-scale field research
Regional-scale research networks such as the UC Natural Reserve System are ideal for documenting the impact of climate change on plants and animals.
May 04, 2021
Long-term monitoring shows successful restoration of mining-polluted streams
Despite differences in aquatic life and toxic metals in streams across a broad region of the western United States, scientists found common responses to cleanup of acid mine drainage.
May 03, 2021
Physics grad student awarded DOE support for research at national lab
Eli Nygren, a graduate student in physics at UCSC, is among 78 outstanding U.S. graduate students to receive support from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program.
April 13, 2021
Study of U.S. tuna fisheries explores nexus of climate change, sustainable seafood
A new study by researchers at UC Santa Cruz and NOAA examines traditional aspects of seafood sustainability alongside greenhouse gas emissions to better understand the carbon footprint of U.S. tuna fisheries.
April 08, 2021
UCSC climate change conference focuses on food security issues
‘Confronting Climate Change: Food Security in a Changing World’ will be held virtually April 28-29, featuring a panel of experts and a series of short films.
March 25, 2021
UCSC ecologist Erika Zavaleta appointed to California Fish and Game Commission
Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to the California Fish and Game Commission.
March 18, 2021
New analysis shows potential for ‘solar canals’ in California
UC Santa Cruz researchers and their partners published a new study that suggests covering California’s water delivery canals with solar panels could be an economically viable means of advancing renewable energy and water conservation.
March 05, 2021
The collapse of Northern California kelp forests will be hard to reverse
Most of Northern California’s kelp forest ecosystem is gone, replaced by widespread ‘urchin barrens’ that may persist long into the future, according to a new study.
March 01, 2021
Scientists describe ‘hidden biodiversity crisis’ as variation within species is lost
Many of the benefits people receive from nature depend on diversity within species, but this intraspecific variation is poorly understood and declining rapidly.
February 26, 2021
Massive debris flow swamps Big Creek Reserve as heavy rains follow summer wildfire
Boulders the size of vehicles and decades-old redwoods were ripped from the banks of the Big Creek drainage when an atmospheric river inundated the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve on the Big Sur coast in late January.
February 04, 2021
Healthy oceans need healthy soundscapes, say marine scientists
A global team of researchers has documented the pervasive impacts of noise on marine animals and ecosystems and identified actions to return to the soundtrack of the healthy ocean.
February 01, 2021
Green New Deal architect Rhiana Gunn-Wright will make a virtual campus visit
Gunn-Wright previewed some of the insights she'll share on climate policy and environmental justice during her February 10th event with the Institute for Social Transformation.
January 19, 2021
Grant funding will advance aquaculture research in UCSC’s new state-of-the-art facility
Researchers won a USDA grant in support of their efforts to develop ocean-friendly feed formulas for farm-raised rainbow trout. This work will take place in the team's new aquaculture facility at the UCSC Farm.