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Environment

Rising Simultaneous Fire Weather Threatens International Firefighting Efforts

February 18, 2026

Depicted is a scene of burned-out trees and ash in the wake of the Caldor Fire.
High-risk conditions for fires are increasingly happening across countries at the same time, making wildfires even more challenging to tackle, new research reveals. Scientists from UC Merced and the University of East Anglia found this synchronized extreme fire weather — characterized by...

UC Merced Scientists Among Global Elite Shaping AI, Climate and Health

UC Merced continues to demonstrate its growing influence on the global stage. Several faculty members landed on Clarivate’s 2025 list of the world’s most‑cited researchers. The honor...
Photo depicts climate scientist Michael Mann speaking at a podium at UC Merced.

Climate Speaker Series at UC Merced Kicks Off with Warnings … and Hope

The global climate crisis was entirely predictable and impacts nearly every facet of life. But we still can slow its progress and mitigate the effects we already see. That was the message...
Photo is a mugshot of Professor Josué Medellín-Azuara depicted on a blue and gold background.

Report Reviews How California's Water Projects Balance Needs of People and Endangered Species

A National Academies committee that includes a UC Merced researcher recently released its findings from a review of the science behind the operations of two massive California water projects....
Professor Roger Bales

Professor and Environmental Champion Bales Retires, But Research and Advocacy Continue

Professors Roger Bales and Martha Conklin arrived in Merced in 2003, the first non-administrative faculty members at UC Merced. They came with a vision: to create a research university that would...
Photo depicts trees that survived a fire, surrounded by ash on the ground.

Thinning, Burning Forests Provide Multiple Benefits, Some of Them Surprising

Wildfires are growing more frequent and severe across the western United States, and California's Sierra Nevada is ground zero. Decades of fire suppression have left these forests overstocked and...
Photo depicts Professor Erin Hestir boarding a plane with a NASA logo on it in South Africa.

Multinational Effort to Map South Africa’s Biodiversity from the Air Earns NASA Award

BioSCape, a multinational research project co-led by UC Merced, the University at Buffalo and the University of Cape Town, which monitored Earth’s biodiversity from the air, has received a...
Photo depicts an irrigated field.

AI-Powered Irrigation System Offers Opportunities for Communications as well as Farming

An almond orchard in Parlier provides a look into the future of farming. Researchers at UC Merced and the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources installed an irrigation system...
Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe

From Soil to Climate Solutions: Berhe Leads Sierra Nevada Research Institute into its Next Chapter

When Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe arrived at UC Merced in 2009, she and her husband, Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei, were leaving major research institutions to join a brand-new campus in California...
UC Merced and Almond Board officials are pictured underneath letters that spell out "University of California Merced"

New Technology, New Opportunities, New Varieties: UC, Almond Board Sign Agreement

A new partnership focused on a popular snack nut will offer exciting opportunities for students, research potential for faculty and the latest technology for farmers. Representatives of the...

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