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Earth Science

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

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a closeup of a centimeter-long crustacean on beach sand
Photo Credit
Courtesy Image
Megalorchestia corniculata, one of six major species of sand hoppers in California

Tiny beach-dwelling crustaceans are big-time sand movers, shaping the California coast
a hand cradles a lit lightbulb against a sunset sky
Photo Credit
iStock

Six UCSB junior faculty members selected for 2026 NSF CAREER awards
sand dunes against an ocean background

California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes, first-ever comprehensive assessment reveals
Whitecaps stir up on the ocean surface under dark clouds
Photo Credit
Oporkka via iStock
Climate dynamics can be quite nuanced, with far off winds influencing tropical oceans.

Distant winds can drive massive tropical warming deep below the ocean surface
a patient intake form, a stethoscope and a red ribbon that symbolizes HIV

HIV patients are especially vulnerable to extreme weather events
Woman wearing a lab coat, glasses and blue gloves drips liquid into a test tube
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

UCSB among the world’s most influential research universities for science impact
Earth from space, centered on North America
Photo Credit
NASA

Moving beyond money to measure the true value of Earth science information
A pair of divers use bongo nets to collect marine snow in dark, blue water.
Photo Credit
J. Morin/ NOAA
Much of the organic carbon sinking into the deep ocean is carried by tiny organic particles known as marine snow.

A stormy ocean voyage yields insights on the global carbon cycle
A forest sits atop an eroding bluff.
Photo Credit
Maksim Safaniuk via iStock
Anna Trugman researches how plants respond to climate change, while Gen Li studies erosion and weathering — the natural processes that break down rocks and transport sediment.

Two UCSB professors recognized for contributions to the Earth sciences
A young man places a small orange box of electronics near a bush on the seashore with
Photo Credit
Elena Zhukova
There’s a cacophony of acoustic signals below the range of human hearing, many quite intense, that you can pick up with the right “ears.”

Scientists tune in to the surf’s hidden signals
A turbid river flows down from the mountains through a mixed woodland. Gravel, cobbles, and boulders line the river channel. Clouds obscure the very peaks of the mountains above the trees.
Photo Credit
Sergey Kuznetsov via iStock
Rivers wash mountains to the sea. How quickly they do this has major implications for natural hazards and fundamental Earth science.

Years after an earthquake, rivers still carry the mountains downstream
dead tree on salt island in the Dead Sea

Dead Sea’s salt giants offer rare glimpse into Earth’s geological past
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