Kat Kerlin

1 day ago | ucdavis.edu | Kat Kerlin

A new economic analysis by UC professors shows the high cost of inaction on California’s perpetual water supply challenges. It estimates that the state could lose enough water each year to supply up to 9 million households — with economic losses totaling between $3.4 and $14.5 billion per year, depending on the severity of the scenario.

4 days ago | ucdavis.edu | Kat Kerlin

Scientists Outline Key Considerations for Floatovoltaics and Waterbirds News From a small California winery to a large-scale energy project in China, floating photovoltaics — or “floatovoltaics”— are gaining in popularity. Commonly installed over artificial water bodies, from irrigation ponds and reservoirs to wastewater treatment plants, floating solar projects can maximize space for producing clean energy while sparing natural lands.

1 week ago | scitechdaily.com | Kat Kerlin

Sandwiched between a lodgepole pine on the left and a foxtail pine on the right is the first Jeffrey pine tree UC Davis Professor Hugh Safford observed in September 2024 on a hike on the south slope of Mount Kaweah. Lodgepole and foxtail pine are commonly found above timberline, but the Jeffrey stood out as “not belonging there.” Credit: Hugh Safford, UC DavisThe highest recorded elevations of Jeffrey pines provide new evidence of a warming climate in the High Sierra.

4 weeks ago | phys.org | Kat Kerlin |UC Davis

UC Davis Professor Hugh Safford was hiking for pleasure in California's High Sierra when he stumbled upon a new elevation record for the Jeffrey pine, which may now be the state's highest-altitude tree. His serendipitous finding is published in the journal Madroño.

1 month ago | universityofcalifornia.edu | Kat Kerlin

A UC Davis study, published in the journal Ecosphere, is the first to document Putah Creek-origin salmon. Chinook salmon have been observed at the creek since 2014, but prior studies had shown them to be strays from hatcheries. This study now confirms that some salmon returning to Putah Creek in the fall to spawn are actually born there. This should not be news.