IoES in the News

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Daniel Swain for Click2Houston — Houston’s weather whiplash, from drought to deluge!

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses weather whiplash for Click2Houston, sharing how a warmer world is contributing to more weather extremes, with Houston being ground zero. Swain, focused on the…

A prominent climate scientist says we are going to have to get used to weather whiplash. (KPRC)

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Daniel Swain for San Francisco Chronicle — The planet experienced an astonishing change last year. But California was an outlier

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses California’s recent climate swings, or hydro climate whiplash, in a new San Francisco Chronicle article, sharing insights to the state’s current warm winter in juxtaposition…

A couple are silhouetted under a cloudy peak as they hike at San Francisco’s Twin Peaks in March. Temperatures were below normal in California in 2023, thanks to an especially cold and wet winter. Lea Suzuki. The Chronicle 2023

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Daniel Swain for Yahoo News — Scientists issue ‘weather whiplash’ warning after observing dismal conditions: ‘Increasingly wide swings between drought and flood’

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses California’ recent weather conditions and ‘hydroclimate whiplash’ in a recent Yahoo News article. “In some places there is literally no measurable snow on the…

Rocks and mountain and sky

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Daniel Swain for ABC7 News — This winter looking warmer than average – and that means less snowpack

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses California’s warmest December in more than 60 years for ABC7. “We would have to be 10-15% colder and have it last a month or…

Daniel Swain discusses California's warmest December in 60 years for ABC7 News

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Daniel Swain for New York Times — December Was One of the Warmest on Record in California

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses California’s warmest December since 1958 in a recent New York Times article. Temperatures were, on average, 4.2 degrees higher than normal. “In some places in…

A surfer near Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach on Monday.Credit...Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register, via Associated Press

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Daniel Swain for South Dakota Search Light—Climate changing: Research shows times for ‘prescribed burns’ in the West shifting

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the changing landscape of prescribed burns in a new South Dakota Search Light article, highlighting how the timing and frequency of these controlled fires are evolving.

A prescribed burn on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest on Oct - in Montana Photo by Hayden Blackford

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Daniel Swain for The Hill — Wintry weather disrupts California’s dry spell 

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses a series of storms hitting California, bringing much-needed precipitation but raising uncertainty about compensating for weeks of dry weather for The Hill. Swain anticipates…

Cars driving on the freeway in the rain AP Photo Marcio Jose Sanchez

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Daniel Swain for LAist — California Could See A Snow Drought This Year. What Will It Mean For The State’s Water Supply?

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the record low snow levels gripping California, the Sierra Nevadas and the Western United States for LAist. Swain said California could experience snow drought,…

Right, Sean de Guzman and Anthony Burdock with the CA Department of Water Resources, measure snowpack during the first media snow survey of the 2024 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. ( Xavier Mascareñas / California Department of Water Resources )

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Daniel Swain for LA Times — ‘Snow drought’ grips California and western United States, despite recent storms

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses alarmingly low levels of snow throughout California and the Sierra Nevadas in a new LA Times story. “In some cases there is literally no…

Despite a recent spate of storms that hit California, the Sierra Nevada is suffering a severe, early season ‘snow drought,’ experts say. Here, storm clouds dwarf downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 21, 2023. Credit Genaro Molina. Los Angeles Times

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Daniel Swain for Washington Post — Massive waves slam California, with more expected Saturday

In a new Washington Post article, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses massive waves that slammed California’s coast in late December 2023, exploring how rising sea levels and El Niño…

Large waves crash in to Duncan's Landing north of Carmet, Ca., Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 due to a Pacific storm pummeling Northern California. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP)

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Daniel Swain for Pasadena Star-News — Rose Parade 2024: Ready your umbrellas, there’s a chance of rain

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the likelihood of rain during the Rose Bowl Parade for Pasadena Star News. “The main reason it hasn’t rained that often on the parade…

Los Angeles Unified School District Honor Band is wrapped in plastic during the 117th Annual Rose Parade on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, in Pasadena, Calif. It rained on the Rose Parade for the first time in more than a half century. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

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Daniel Blumstein for Phys.org—Antibiotic-resistant bacteria offer lessons in behavior modifications

UCLA biologists use insights from antibiotic-resistant bacteria to guide human behavior changes for climate action. Study author and evolutionary biologist Daniel Blumstein discusses the research for Phys.org. “To tackle the…

UCLA researchers used knowledge of biological resistance to build a framework for modifying behavior that contributes to climate change credit Khamkéo Vilaysing - Unsplash

Daniel Blumstein for Techexplorist —Antibiotic-resistant bacteria offer lessons in behavior modifications

UCLA biologists use insights from antibiotic-resistant bacteria to guide human behavior changes for climate action. Study author and evolutionary biologist Daniel Blumstein discusses the research for TechExplorist. “To tackle the…

UCLA researchers used knowledge of biological resistance to build a framework for modifying behavior that contributes to climate change credit Khamkéo Vilaysing - Unsplash

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Daniel Swain for the Associated Press — Pacific storm that unleashed coastal flooding pushes across Southern California into Arizona 

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the recent Pacific storm for the Associated Press, sharing insights into its impact on Southern California and Arizona. The storm, which brought lightning and…

Pacific storm that unleashed coastal flooding pushes across Southern California into Arizona© Provided by The Canadian Press

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Daniel Swain for Washington Post — Pacific storm that unleashed coastal flooding pushes across Southern California into Arizona

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses recent Pacific storm that pushed eastward through desert areas into Arizona after flooding communities northwest of Los Angeles for the Washington Post. “In Oxnard, particularly, overnight…

A man walks past a submerged vehicle on a flooded street- Thursday- Dec - - in Santa Barbara- Calif Jae C Hong : AP

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Daniel Swain for LA Times — Is El Niño’s reputation as a legendary rainmaker overblown?

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain highlights El Niño’s acknowledges El Niño’s significance in forecasting while highlighting its unpredictability for LA Times. “El Niño is never going to be a slam…

Waves crash into a seawall at Mondo’s Beach in Ventura County in January 2016 during an El Niño storm. (LA Times)

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Connect with us on social media for key sustainability updates and to stay in the know about UCLA’s ongoing environmental research. Instagram @UCLAIoES Twitter/X @UCLAIoES Facebook @UCLAIoES Bluesky @UCLAIoES Threads…

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Liz Koslov for Bloomberg — Who Will Manage the US Climate Retreat?

As climate change intensifies, communities like Oyster, Virginia, grapple with the complexities of relocation amid rising sea levels and frequent extreme weather events. Many wonder whether relocation—or managed retreat—is a sustainable response…

A home on Staten Island’s Oakwood Beach is demolished in 2014.Photographer: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

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Deepak Rajagopal for The Hindu Business Line: The benefits and challenges of transitioning away from oil

Electric transportation, despite its high upfront cost, tax revenues foregone and jobs lost, seems to be the best option. The issue here is to make policy to meet multiple goals

Deepak-Rajagopal

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Daniel Swain for Nature — Daily briefing: How to stave off climate tipping points with self-perpetuating solutions

UCLA climate expert Daniel Swain discusses science communications and climate change for Nature Journal. “Climate scientists are ready & waiting to meet the communication & engagement challenges that the coming…

Brown sediment marks rapidly melting ice on the Greenland ice sheet.Credit: Martin Zwick/Reda&Co/Universal Images Group via Getty

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Daniel Swain for National Geographic — What’s the big deal about Earth getting 2°C hotter?

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses California’s winter precipitation levels for National Geographic “If we could wave a magic wand and [eliminate] carbon emissions tomorrow, we probably could keep [the increase] under 1.5°C…

earth

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Alex Hall for KCRW podcast — COP28 goes local: LA scientists are racing to reverse climate effects

UCLA professor Alex Hall discusses COP28 and its impact on Southern California’s climate for new KCRW podcast. “We’re seeing already impacts on water resources… intensity of wildfires… increases in heat extremes.”

The Woolsey Fire is seen from Hollywood Hills, California, 2018. Photo by Shutterstock.

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Daniel Swain for LA Times — December in California kicks off with 80-degree heat for L.A., rain for the Bay Area

UCLA climate expert Daniel Swain discusses California’s winter precipitation levels for the Los Angeles Times. “From late December through about March, I would expect the odds to be tilted greatly…

A young person rides their bike at Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Jon Christensen for ABC7 — Report: Dodger Stadium gondolas would remove thousands of cars on game day

UCLA adjunct assistant professor Jon Christensen discusses the proposed Dodger Stadium gondolas for ABC7. “It would really destroy the value of that park.” Expanding and electrifying the existing bus service…

Dodger Stadium gondolas

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Morgan Tingley and Olivia Sanderfoot for Scientific American —Wildfire Brought Wolves Back to Southern California after 150 Years

Gray wolves make a historic return to Southern California after 150 years, claiming scorched territories. UCLA ecologists Morgan Tingley and Olivia Sanderfoot discuss the ecological impacts and challenges for Scientific American.

A Gray Wolf looking straight in the camera.A gray wolf in the Yellowstone area of Wyoming. The same species has recently appeared in Southern California for the first time in about 150 years. Credit: Design 14/Alamy Stock Photo