Arizona Environment

New University of Arizona postdoctoral researcher Ufuoma Ovienmhada is using geospatial technology to uncover the climate risks facing U.S. prisons — one of society’s most overlooked populations. Her work bridges engineering, environmental justice, and policy change to drive real-world impact.

Ufuoma Ovienmhada, an MIT-trained engineer and environmental justice advocate, was recently named the Endowed Postdoctoral Research Associate in Climate Change and Human Resiliency.

Read more about her research through the link in our bio!🔗

From harvest failures to wildfires, the jet stream has shaped Europe's climate — and history — for centuries.

Learn how University of Arizona Professor Valerie Trouet and her team used tree rings to unlock 700 years of extreme weather patterns and their impact on society. 🌲✨

Click the link in bio to read more! 📖

When the summer jet stream over Europe deviates north or south from its usual path, it can bring weather extremes that exacerbate epidemics, ruin crop harvests, and feed wildfires, a new study by University of Arizona researchers found.

“The jet stream has caused these extreme conditions for 700 years in the past without greenhouse gases,” Ellie Broadman, a co-author of the study, told Grist. “To me, that’s a little scary, to think about the compound effects of simply adding more heat to the atmosphere and imagining how those extremes might get more extreme in the future.”

Read more about the findings in the following Grist article: https://grist.org/science/jet-stream-study-climate-change-wildfires-plagues/

The shifting jet stream has magnified wildfires and plagues. What’s next? New research shows that the patterns of Earth’s high winds have led to serious problems on the ground.

A new study of Earth's ancient history reveals a much warmer past than previously understood, correlating closely to periods of high carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

The findings suggest that over the long term, temperatures could rise more than expected given the large quantities of CO2 that humans are currently emitting.

“When carbon dioxide and temperatures change rapidly, that’s when everything on the planet just can’t keep pace,” Emily Judd, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral researcher with the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, told The New York Times.

“The environment is changing at a rate that’s too fast for organisms to keep up with. And that’s when we experience mass extinctions,” Judd said.

The pace of local extinctions is on the rise in the Sonoran Desert sky islands. Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology John Wiens discusses with Arizona Public Media how climate change is impacting these species and what it takes for them to survive.

Updating an endangered species count in the Sky Islands The pace of local extinctions is on the rise in the sky islands of the Sonoran Desert.