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The Shrinking Salton Sea and the Dust Storms Impacting the Imperial Valley
Just a hundred miles to the East of San Diego, lies one of the largest inland lakes in the West. Formed by an inflow of water from the Colorado River, the Salton Sea covers 318 square miles of the Imperial Valley. However, as a result of combined human activity and climate change, the lake is […]
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Big Data is Helping Firefighters Battle Wildfires
Wildfire activity in the United States is rapidly changing. Many of these changes are felt throughout the West as weather conditions become hotter and drier due to climate change. California continues to experience drought conditions throughout most of the state despite the recent rains. The ongoing drought has led to a dramatic increase in wildfires. […]
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Scientists and City Planners Work Together to Combat Climate Change
With the increasingly growing threat of climate change, coastal regions are more susceptible to a host of risks to the natural environment and our quality of life as a result. Our beaches and coastal bluffs are being eroded by ocean storms and sea level rise, ongoing drought leaves us vulnerable to wildfires and habitat and […]
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Drought in the West
Climate scientist Julie Kalansky discusses how drought in California and Nevada is a common occurrence, with the attendant water restrictions and threat of severe wildfires bringing the reality of climate change into sharp focus. Future climate projections for the region suggest a trend toward more extremes, including more severe and prolonged drought as well as […]
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Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions
Climate change is an urgent problem that affects everything from human health and food security to immigration patterns and water resources. With unchecked emissions of climate pollutants, there is a 50% probability for the planetary warming to cross the so-called dangerous threshold of 20C by 2050; and there is at least a 5% probability the […]
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Our Impact on the Earth
“Mother Nature is not happy right now and she’s trying to tell us, in many ways,” says Kimberly Prather, Professor of Climate, Atmospheric Science, and Physical Oceanography at UC San Diego. New weather patterns and events are causing concern but how do we know these changes are caused by human activity? Climate scientists are looking […]