Research and Creative Activity News

Dr. Corrie Hannah, a research scientist at the University of Arizona’s Arizona Institute for Resilience, is committed to finding solutions to social and environmental challenges prevalent in marginalized communities with limited resources.

Her research has taken her around the world, but its her work here in Tucson that could have an even broader reach. In addition to exploring disaster risk reduction and humanitarian aid, she is also expanding the resources available to historically underfunded scholars tackling climate adaptation research throughout Africa.

The ponderosa pine is one of the most ubiquitous conifer species in western North America. In the American Southwest, winter snowmelt and summer rains play a critical role in ponderosa forests' survival, but the 23-year megadrought may have these semi-arid trees at the end of their rope, according to new research by UArizona scientists.

Arizona, California, and Nevada have reached an agreement to address the looming water crisis in the region by reducing their use of Colorado River water. This temporary solution marks a significant victory for the western states, which rely on the river for irrigation and drinking water.

A new plan would conserve at least 3 million acre-feet of water by 2026 in an effort to ensure the crucial waterway continues to generate power and provide drinking water.

The University of Arizona is helping communities contribute to decision-making on water resources in the state. Professor Sharon Megdal with the UA Water Resource Research Center talks about getting indigenous peoples involved and how their knowledge can be transferred to cities coping with water concerns.

Isabella Feldmann is a 2022-2023 Earth Grant student who interns at the Sonoran Institute. She explains that Earth Grant has amazing professional development opportunities in the environmental field that allows students to broaden their experiences in the industry! She’s also writing a thesis studying how marine microorganisms out of the Amazon River Plume use organic phosphorus versus manmade inorganic phosphorus as an energy source.

Snakes are cold-blooded animals, or ectothermic, because they get their temperature from their surroundings and cannot generate their own body heat. While this can come in handy, the downside of being a cold-blooded animal is the struggle to survive in cold environments.

Data shows that the night sky got, on average, 9.6% brighter every year. For many people, the night sky today is twice as bright as it was eight years ago. The brighter the sky, the fewer stars you can see. If this trend continues, a child born today in a place where 250 stars are visible now would only be able to see 100 stars on their 18th birthday.

August 11, 2022—Pasadena, CA—Today, Carbon Mapper released the findings of airborne observations in Spring and Fall 2021 of 151 shallow water offshore oil and gas platforms in U.S. state and federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sharon K. Collinge, a leader in global sustainability and an expert on landscape change and ecological processes, is joining the University of Arizona as director of the Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies, or AIRES, beginning August 1.