Earth Systems Science

UC Merced’s Berhe Joins Scientists in Warning of Global Land Mine Crisis

July 24, 2025

A sign posted on a tree in Eastern Europe warns of active land mines.

More than 100 million land mines remain buried around the world, posing a threat in approximately 70 countries and territories, and killing or injuring about 5,000 people, most of them civilians, every year. As the world’s geopolitical landscape shifts, nine scientists studying...

National Science Foundation Grant Supports Biodiversity Research

MERCED, Calif. — A $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support a five-year investigation by University of California, Merced, researchers into environmental changes in marine...

Senegal Shrubbery Research Could Bear Fruit for Many

Shrubs blooming in a specific area of Africa might hold the answers to feeding millions of people on that continent, and possibly others. UC Merced Professor Teamrat Ghezzehei, his doctoral student,...

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...

Senior Earns Prestigious Study Opportunities

UC Merced senior Jesse Anaya answered his phone one day to hear an unfamiliar voice ask, “Are you ready to change the world?” “Yes,” he replied. “Now, who is this?” A representative from the Harvard...

Marine Biologist Receives Fulbright Award

Mónica Medina, a professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of California, Merced, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research at the Observatoire Océanologique...

Impact: Ecologist Simulates Climate Change with Infrared Heaters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06VNtISfSycClimate change is leading to higher temperatures around the world, forcing plants, trees and animals to adapt to new conditions or relocate, often to higher...

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...

Study Shows Sugarcane Ethanol Production Causes Air Pollution

The burning of sugarcane fields prior to harvest for ethanol production can create air pollution that detracts from the biofuel’s overall sustainability, according to research published recently by a...

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...