News Archive

October 7, 2014 — Accessing two previously untapped streams of satellite data, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and their colleagues have created a new map of the world’s seafloor, creating a much more vivid picture of the structures that make up the deepest, least-explored parts of the ocean. Thousands of previously uncharted mountains rising from the seafloor and new clues about the formation of the continents have emerged through the new map, which is twice as accurate as the previous version produced nearly 20 years ago.

October 2, 2014 — As climate instability increases across the planet, limiting global surface air temperature increase above pre-industrial levels to an average of 2° C (3.6° F) has become a popular metric for success in the public eye.

September 12, 2014 — Gismos, gadgets, widgets ... Ingenuity in developing precise and efficient tools is an important key to unlocking the mysteries of the ocean. Observing the oceans in real time is crucial to understanding and protecting the planet. Private support can make a significant difference in the speed with which new oceanographic technologies are developed and put into use.

September 9, 2014 — Racetrack Playa is home to an enduring Death Valley mystery. Littered across the surface of this dry lake, also called a “playa,” are hundreds of rocks – some weighing as much as 320 kilograms (700 pounds) – that seem to have been dragged across the ground, leaving synchronized trails that can stretch for hundreds of meters.

September 8, 2014 — In one year, India’s ozone pollution damaged millions of tons of the country’s major crops, causing losses of more than a billion dollars and destroying enough food to feed tens of millions of people living below the poverty line.

September 4, 2014 — A seismologist who uses seismic waves to create images of the earth’s interior has been selected to receive the 2014 Robert L. and Bettie P. Cody Award in Ocean Sciences from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Douglas Wiens, a professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, will present the Cody Award public lecture on Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. in the Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment (Scripps Seaside Forum), 8610 Kennel Way in La Jolla, Calif.

August 21, 2014 — James Freeman Gilbert, a renowned professor emeritus of geophysics in the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, died in Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 15, 2014, from injuries related to an auto accident. He was 83 years old.

August 21, 2014 — The severe drought gripping the western United States in recent years is changing the landscape well beyond localized effects of water restrictions and browning lawns. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have now discovered that the growing, broad-scale loss of water is causing the entire western U.S. to rise up like an uncoiled spring.

August 12, 2014 — The University of California, San Diego has been ranked the 17th “Coolest School” by Sierra magazine for displaying a deep and thorough commitment to protecting the environment, addressing climate issues and encouraging environmental responsibility. The eighth annual “Coolest Schools” list was published today by Sierra magazine, a publication of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest environmental group in the U.S.

August 11, 2014 — Benefunder, a San Diego-based philanthropic research funding platform for higher education institutions, and the University of California, San Diego, recognized as one of the top 15 research universities worldwide, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to embark on a two-year pilot program. The long-term goal of the partnership between UC San Diego and Benefunder is to allow junior and senior faculty in diverse disciplines to create funding relationships with private supporters from across the country, and generate one-time and recurring donations to fund their work and vision.