Environmental Science and Policy Content

California’s 2020 Wildfire Season

Katherine E Kerlin — May 04, 2022 - 9:00am

A �ٺ��Ƶ study summarizing the 2020 California wildfire year said just over 9,900 wildfires burned 4.3 million acres in 2020. That's twice the previous record but only average compared to burn rates before Euro-American settlement. Fire severity is the far greater concern.

Helping Out Lakes in Hot Water

Katherine E Kerlin — June 09, 2021 - 1:55pm

When hot weather hits, we long for cool waters. The warm sand, sparkling lakes, that first run off the pier and into the splash of summer. This is classic, nostalgia-soaked stuff.

But the world’s lakes are getting warmer and losing oxygen, which threatens biodiversity, water quality and habitat for freshwater species, according to two studies published this month.

Prioritizing Who Gets Vaccinated for COVID-19 Saves Lives

Katherine E Kerlin — April 02, 2021 - 4:09pm

�ٺ��Ƶ experts discuss how to prioritize vaccine distribution and address health disparities. Learn about their recommendations and public health efforts.

When ‘Eradicated’ Species Bounce Back With a Vengeance

Katherine E Kerlin — March 15, 2021 - 12:00pm

Some invasive species targeted for total eradication bounce back with a vengeance, especially in aquatic systems, finds a study led by the University of California, Davis.

Dead Trees Fuel Wildfire Severity in Sierra Nevada

Katherine E Kerlin — January 13, 2021 - 9:00am

California’s drought of 2012-2016 killed millions of trees in the Sierra Nevada — mostly by way of a bark beetle epidemic — leaving a forest canopy full of dry needles. A study published from the University of California, Davis, and the U.S. Forest Service helps answer concerns about what effect dense, dead foliage could have on subsequent wildfires and their burn severity.

A Fixed-Effort Fishery More Sustainable for Economy and Environment

Katherine E Kerlin — November 04, 2020 - 10:00am

For a truly sustainable fishery, more needs to be considered than just the abundance of the harvested species. Harvesting even abundant species can create indirect extinction cascades down the food web that can harm the long-term economic and ecological sustainability of a fishery.

That is according to a study from the University of California, Davis, published today in the journal Science Advances.

Social Distancing Varies by Income in U.S.

Katherine E Kerlin — July 29, 2020 - 12:08pm

Wealthier communities went from being the most mobile before the COVID-19 pandemic to the least mobile, while poorer areas have gone from the least mobile to the most mobile, according to a study by the University of California, Davis.

The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used anonymized data from mobile device location pings between January and April 2020 to find that social distancing in the United States varies strongly by income.