Harrison Tasoff in red shirt

Featured Articles

Storm clouds gather over the ocean.
Photo Credit
Photo by Daniel Lerman on Unsplash
Strong storms and higher seas from El Niño exacerbate winter hazards in Southern California.

Understanding the causes and impacts of 2026’s record-breaking El Niño
An arial view of Campus Point looking toward the university and the mountains behind it.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
UCSB’s privileged position on the coast places it in the vanguard of climate adaptation.

UCSB seeks community input as the university plans for sea-level rise
Elephant bones lay scattered around a bare patch on the African savanna with mountains in the background.
Photo Credit
Courtney Reed
An elephant transforms the spot where it dies, with a legacy that lasts long after the body is gone and the bones are scattered.

Elephants continue to shape the savanna even after death
A tractor sprays fertilizer or pesticides on a green field.
Photo Credit
MaYcaL via iStock
Synthetic fertilizer has increased the amount of nitrogen compounds in the biosphere, compounds that must be converted by microbes back into nitrogen gas.

A rare atomic fingerprint reveals how ecosystems clean nitrogen pollution
Leander Anderegg sits on the stairs to the left of Kelly Caylor and David Valentine.
Leander Anderegg, Kelly Caylor, and David Valentine have all been recognized by the American Geophysical Union for their work.

Three UCSB researchers recognized for contributions to the earth sciences
A truck unloads waste on a landfill as a landfill compactor moves material nearby.
Photo Credit
Djedzura via iStock
Despite the known problems with plastic, society produces more of it every year. Scientists hope that mandatory measurement and reporting can help us address the issue.

Want a solution to plastic pollution? Scientists urge UN to require global reporting