Land, Air and Water Resources

Mapping the Future’s Sweet Spot for Clean Energy and Biodiversity

Climate change is driving both the loss of biodiversity and the need for clean, renewable energy. It is also shifting where species are expected to live in the future. Yet these realities are rarely considered together. Where can clean energy projects be built without impacting the future habitat ranges of threatened and endangered species?

Adding Crushed Rock to Farmland Pulls Carbon Out of the Air

Adding crushed volcanic rock to cropland could play a key role in removing carbon from the air. In a field study, scientists at the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University found the technology stored carbon in the soil even during an extreme drought in California. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Communications.

UC Davis Team Competes in Regional Soil Judging Contest

A team of UC Davis doctoral and undergraduate students have something to celebrate as the fall quarter comes to a close. UC Davis sent a team to the Region 6 (southwest) Collegiate Soil Judging Competition, where groups are scored on their ability to describe and classify soils and landscapes.

Harvesting Light to Grow Food and Clean Energy Together

People are increasingly trying to grow both food and clean energy on the same land to help meet the challenges of climate change, drought and a growing global population that just topped 8 billion. This effort includes agrivoltaics, in which crops are grown under the shade of solar panels, ideally with less water.

Now scientists from the University of California, Davis, are investigating how to better harvest the sun — and its optimal light spectrum — to make agrivoltaic systems more efficient in arid agricultural regions like California. 

The Distance Local Energy Goes to Bring Power to the People

Study Comparing Energy Providers Finds Parallels to Local Foods Movement

When you go to the grocery store, you can look at an apple and know if it was grown in Chile, Washington or somewhere closer to you by a quick glance at its sticker. But consumers have largely been in the dark when it comes to energy, and how far it has traveled to reach them. 

Wildfire on the Rise Since 1984 in Northern California’s Coastal Ranges

From Berryessa to Klamath Mountains, High-Severity Burns Quadrupled During Warm Drought

High-severity wildfires in northern coastal California have been increasing by about 10 percent per decade since 1984, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, that associates climate trends with wildfire.

Irrigation expert Isaya Kisekka named recipient of the IA 2020 Excellence in Education Award

Isaya Kisekka, associate professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources and in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, is the recipient of the 2020 Excellence in Education Award from the Irrigation Association (IA). The award recognizes a person who teaches irrigation, water management and/or water conservation at a two- or four-year institution.

Cacti and Other Iconic Desert Plants Threatened by Solar Development

Native Desert Plants Important to Indigenous Cultures Especially Vulnerable

With their tough skins, pointy armor and legendary stamina, cacti are made to defend themselves from whatever nature throws at them. 

But large solar energy facilities are one threat that cacti weren’t built to withstand, according to a study by the University of California, Davis.