A whitebark pine growing on the rock overlooking Big Pine Creek in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.
Photo Credit
Joan Dudney
Whitebark pines growing in cold, high elevation regions grew more during droughts, which lengthened their growing season.

How a drought affects trees depends on what’s been holding them back

Read Article

What's Current in

Environment + Sustainability

A pumpjack nestled between trees and luxury homes.
Photo Credit
iStock
California currently has no setback restrictions, so oil production can occur in the middle of neighborhoods like Signal Hill, in Los Angeles.

Keeping California’s oil in the ground will improve health but affect jobs
In Focus placeholder

Doctoral candidate Amelia Ritger receives award for women researchers
Illustration of molecular chain overlaid on image of plastic bottles
Photo Credit
Jessie Ward O'Sullivan

A game-changing method of “upcycling” plastics helps clear the path toward a circular economy
Hillside daisy blankets hills in yellow, with splashes of pink, orange and blue.
Photo Credit
Joan Dudney
California’s wildflowers have painted parts of the state in a dazzling array of colors.

Tending to our superblooms requires developing plans for people to enjoy them
aerial view of wildfire marching across a forest landscape
Where fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, it can create space and opportunities for adaptations and new species

Naturally fire-prone ecosystems tend to have more species of birds and mammals, a new study reveals
Stressed pines on a hill in southwestern Colorado.
Photo Credit
A climate-stressed forest in southwestern Colorado near Wolf Creek Pass.
A climate-stressed forest in southwestern Colorado near Wolf Creek Pass.

US forests face an unclear future with climate change
A snorkeler with camera and note pad investigates a nearly bleached coral.
Photo Credit
Jeff Liang
Professor Deron Burkepile observes coral in the process of bleaching in the reefs around Moorea.

Stripped to the Bone: Research in Moorea shows the presence of coral skeletons influences reef recovery after bleaching
In Focus placeholder

Climate Forward: UC Santa Barbara receives $1 million to develop climate action capacity
In Focus placeholder

Records from Platform Holly provide a glimpse of how petroleum production affects natural gas seeps
In Focus placeholder

Diets rich in food from the ocean and freshwater sources can help address both nutritional and environmental challenges
In Focus placeholder

Due to their feed, chicken and farmed salmon have remarkably similar environmental footprints
A fishing boat drags nets through the waters of the Wadden Sea, off the coast of the Netherlands.
Photo Credit
Vincent vita Adobe Stock
A fishing boat drags nets through the waters of the Wadden Sea, off the coast of the Netherlands.

Gathering just the right amount of information is key to proper resource management
Subscribe to Environment + Sustainability