Energy & Environment

UC Merced Aerial Picture
Water Risks to Agriculture: Too Little and Too Much
March 18, 2024
Water is among the most precious resources on the planet. Some areas don't get enough; some get too much. And climate change is driving both of those circumstances to ever-growing extremes. Two UC Merced experts in civil and environmental... Read More
2024 Sierra Nevada Science Symposium Convenes Sierra Researchers at UC Merced
March 15, 2024
The 2024 Sierra Nevada Science Symposium, hosted March 5-6 at University of California, Merced, brought together National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Geological Survey, National Forest, state, local, and other resource managers and... Read More
An Invisible Water Surcharge: Climate Warming Increases Crop Water Demand in the San Joaquin Valley's Groundwater-Dependent Irrigated Agriculture
March 13, 2024
University of California researchers from the USDA-funded Secure Water Future project recently found that increases in crop water demand explain half of the cumulative deficits of the agricultural water balance since 1980, exacerbating... Read More
Education Access to Natural Reserve to Expand with New Field Education Center
March 11, 2024
Even though the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve (MVPGR) is adjacent to campus, it's an area that can be daunting to access. Last year, more than 2,000 people visited the reserve or campus lands adjacent to the reserve to learn... Read More
'Roads to Removal' Symposium Looks at Opportunities to Fight Climate Change
March 4, 2024
Discussions around climate change often center around the bad news - the planet is warming, weather is getting more extreme, resources are increasingly scarce. But there also is cause for hope. There are options to mitigate climate... Read More
Climate and Carbon Dioxide ‘Roads to Removal’ Discussion Set for UC Merced
February 23, 2024
What does the greater Merced community need to know about climate change? How might the Central Valley play a significant role in discussions and solutions about carbon dioxide removal? What new projects are on the horizon, and can they... Read More
New Film Profiles Immediate Actions to Restore California's Wildfire-vulnerable Forests
February 9, 2024
The new film "California's Watershed Healing" documents the huge benefits that result from restoring forests to healthier densities. UC Merced's Sierra Nevada Research Institute partnered with the nonprofit Chronicles Group to tell the... Read More
Warming Climate Pushes Rain to Higher Elevations, Raising Flooding Risks
February 5, 2024
A new study co-authored by UC Merced researchers assesses the effect of a warming climate in pushing the elevation of snow to rain higher during a storm, increasing runoff and the risk of flooding. The study also shows the importance of... Read More
Having a Mix of Tree Heights Enhances Drought Resilience in Sierra Nevada Forests
January 19, 2024
In a paper published in Nature Communications, UC Merced Professor Roger Bales, collaborating with an international team, found that the height of neighboring trees strongly influenced whether a given tree survived California's record... Read More
Lukens’ Latest Research Tracks Sediment’s Journey in the Eastern Sierra
January 16, 2024
Rocks, from ponderous boulders to tiny grains of sand, are subject to the whims of moisture, weather and time as they tumble from surrounding slopes into rivers, pools and lakes. UC Merced Professor Claire Lukens is getting more detailed... Read More