Environmental Research

UC Merced Sees Strong Gains in U.S. News Grad School Rankings

April 7, 2026

Top 100 Best Graduate Schools ranking, two students in a lab

UC Merced saw broad gains in the U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings with graduate programs rising in national standing, reflecting the campus’s growing academic and research profile. UC Merced’s School of Engineering broke into the top 100 in the rankings...

The sign reads University of California, Merced

Two UC Merced Researchers Among This Year’s AAAS Fellows

Professors Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and Ming-Hsuan Yang have been named 2025 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and...

Depicted is the sun in an orange sky framed by palm leaves.

UC Merced Climate Experts Explain Why March Heat Wave is Dangerous

Temperatures in the 90s are nothing new to the northern San Joaquin Valley. But having them in March, as expected this week, is unusual and potentially dangerous. An exceptionally strong ridge of...

A sign on a southern California beach indicates it is unsafe to swim because of human-caused contamination.

Ocean Chemistry Now Substantially Shaped by Humans

Although the oceans are the least explored places on the planet, even their depths are not untouched by humans. Drawing on more than 2,300 seawater samples collected across the Pacific, Atlantic...

Depicted is a scene of burned-out trees and ash in the wake of the Caldor Fire.

Rising Simultaneous Fire Weather Threatens International Firefighting Efforts

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...

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...

graphic with five individuals higlighted; three females and two males with UC Merced and ARCS logos on blue background

Innovative Research Secures Coveted Fellowships for Ph.D. Students

The ARCS Foundation Northern California awarded five UC Merced graduate students with 2025-26 fellowships. ARCS advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to...

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 depicts a vendor demonstrating a drone on the UC Merced campus.

Challenges, Opportunities Presented at Small Farm Tech Expo

The Small Farm Tech Expo brought researchers, farmers, university students and even a group from a Modesto elementary school to UC Merced to talk about agriculture technology and how it can best help...

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....