Technological advances could offset loss

Climate change will likely cause wheat and barley yields to decline by 17 to 33 percent by the end of the century, predicts a new statistical model developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University.

Researchers find salt-tolerant gene in tilapia

Most fish live either in freshwater or saltwater, but others, including tilapia, have the remarkable ability to physiologically adjust to varying salinity levels — a trait that may be critically important as climate change begins to alter the salinity of ocean and coastal waters as well as the water in desert lakes and creeks.

Ozone pollution threatens rice crop; researchers see hope

High levels of surface ozone are damaging rice yields at an alarming rate in China, the world’s largest agricultural producer and one of its most polluted nations, report researchers at the University of California, Davis, and in China.

For the first time, the research team identified a specific stage of the rice plant’s development as being vulnerable to ozone pollution, which they warn has the potential to impact the international rice market and compromise global food security.

Soil microbes may help fight climate change.

Kate Scow, a professor of soil science and soil microbial ecology at UC Davis, keeps plastic bags filled with soil on her desk.

Melting sea ice may speed up nature’s clock.

Aerial tree mortality survey shows patterns.

Why do some trees die in a drought and others don’t? And how can we predict where trees are most likely to die in future droughts?

Scientists from the University of California, Davis, and colleagues examined those questions in a study published in the journal Ecology Letters.  

Water-focused project will help policymakers better assess impacts of climate change.

A mid increasing demands for accurate climate projections, a new grant to the University of California, Davis, from the U.S. Department of Energy Regional and Global Climate Modeling Program aims to help make better use of regional climate datasets.

Ben Houlton hasn’t quite settled into his office in The Barn.

The new director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment took over the program in August from Mark Schwartz, who had steered the program for seven years.

What plants will heal the land when its future environment won't look like its past?

Climate change raises an important question for restoration ecology: What’s the best way to heal the land when its future environment won’t look like its past?

Researchers strive to slow climate change so forests have time to adapt

Fires used to be nature’s way of keeping forests healthy. They would burn slowly through the hills and forests of California every decade or so, clearing out underbrush and making room for more plants to grow and animals to roam. Forest fires seldom claimed mature trees, which were sturdy and hydrated enough to handle the heat.