Water

Study: Climate Change Extends Drought Recovery by at Least Three Months

October 17, 2024

A group of researchers at UC Merced has found that climate change means it takes about three months longer for California to recover from drought, and probably longer. “Climate change has fundamentally changed the odds of getting out of drought. It has weighted the dice,” said Emily...

Report: Central Valley Makes Modest Environmental Improvements

California’s Central Valley environment is getting healthier, but not fast enough. Its air quality is still among the worst in the nation, according to a report released today. The Sierra Nevada...

'Dynamic Duo' Wins Systemwide Award for Sustainability Efforts

Making an entire campus sustainable takes a lot of planning, education and work. But those efforts are what earned two of UC Merced’s sustainability leaders systemwide recognition. Former Director of...

Park Leaders Collaborate, Learn at UC Merced Institute

At a time when Californians are dismayed about closures of state parks, and protected lands around the globe are under increasing stress from reduced government resources, an innovative institute is...

National Parks Institute Seeks Solutions for a New Generation

More than two dozen executives from around the world who are responsible for conservation of some of the most treasured places on earth are coming to California for help in making sure there’s a...

Graduate Student at Home with Mountain Water Research

Peter Kirchner may have been born in California’s San Fernando Valley, but his heart and mind have always been close to the mountains. Much of his life has been spent living in Mono County, where he...

Scientists Propose Thinning Sierra Forests to Enhance Water Runoff

Runoff from the Sierra Nevada, a critical source of California’s water supply, could be enhanced by thinning forests to historical conditions, according to a report from a team of scientists with the...

Sierra Nevada Water Researchers Awarded $2M Grant

Researchers with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI) at the University of California, Merced, have received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand on a prototype...

Students Clash in Month-Long Battle to Save Water

Hundreds of UC Merced students are about to learn just how far they can stretch a drop of water. “UC Merced Water Battle 2011” begins Saturday, pitting students in the nine Valley Terrace residence...

Research Gets to the Root of California's Water Cycle

In a remarkable outdoor laboratory in the Sierra, a team of researchers led by UC Merced hydrologist Roger Bales is using sensors to gather a mother lode of data to greatly improve ecological...