Night skies are getting 9.6% brighter every year as light pollution erases stars for everyone Feb. 23, 2023 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. Read more Image
Before global warming, was Earth cooling down or heating up? Feb. 20, 2023 Climate models and geologic archives are at odds over whether Earth gradually warmed or cooled over the past few thousand years. Researchers tackle this global "temperature conundrum" in a new paper. Read more at UArizona News Image
UArizona researchers awarded $1.2M to explore farming at existing solar power sites Feb. 15, 2023 A $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy supports a UArizona agrivoltaics project that will examine how crop production and livestock grazing can flourish at existing commercial solar farms. Read more at UArizona News Image
Economic impact of UArizona space sciences rivals that of Super Bowl Feb. 8, 2023 University of Arizona space sciences activities generate more than $560 million every year for the local economy, according to an economic impact report delivered by Rounds Consulting Group. Read more at UArizona News Image
Chris Zatarain: Creating Music to Tell Environmental Stories Feb. 3, 2023 Chris specializes in playing the oboe and the English horn which he uses to create music that synthesizes the world between music, art, science, and the environment. In the last couple of years he has composed two pieces of environmental sound art/music. His most recent piece carries people through the emotions felt as reading Earth’s Wild Music written by Kathleen Dean Moore. Read more Image
Ellie Moore: Going Green Not Grey Jan. 6, 2023 Ellie is a passionate UArizona student who connects other students on campus to various environmental opportunities through the Find Your Environment platform. Find Your Environment is a resource students can use to find the perfect green opportunity for them such as events, clubs, educational programs, courses, and more. Read more Image
Lake Mead update: Are water levels rising? Dec. 29, 2022 Plunging water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell could negatively affect millions of people. The former at one point this year dropped to less than 150 feet from "dead pool" status – when the volume falls to a level so low that water cannot flow downstream from the dam. Andrea Gerlak, professor of geography, development and environment at the University of Arizona, said Lake Mead is "dangerously close" to hitting a low enough elevation for it to stop turning the turbines, and producing electricity. "But, more importantly – if and when Hoover Dam stops producing electricity – it will call into question our very assumptions for how we manage water and energy in the southwestern U.S." Read more at UArizona News
USDA awards over $4.7M to support 'climate-smart' food production Dec. 20, 2022 The Arizona Partnership for Climate-Smart Food Crops will promote climate-smart food production practices and help farmers reduce water consumption and carbon emissions. Read more at UArizona News Image
UArizona president launches commission to fortify the future of agriculture and food production Dec. 8, 2022 University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins has formed a commission tasked with identifying solutions to food and economic insecurity in the state and around the world. Read more at UArizona News Image
Jacob Blais: Live Sustainably with Less Tension Dec. 2, 2022 Jacob is studying Natural Resources with an emphasis in Global Change Ecology and Management. He is an Intern Advisor for the Arizona NASA Space Grant Undergraduate Research Internship Program and a Liverman Scholar. He is researching soil respiration in the Sonoran Desert to investigate how different monsoonal precipitation patterns will affect soil carbon storage. Read more Image