Science & Environment

Research

The Latest

Study Illuminates Previously Unknown Ocean Mercury Pathway

A new study from researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography finds that a poorly understood, highly toxic form of mercury, called dimethylmercury, may be a significant source of monomethylmercury off the California coast. Monomethylmercury is the form known to accumulate in seafood and sicken people. The findings, published June 7 in Environmental Science and Technology, are an essential step toward mapping the sources of monomethylmercury in the oceans.

Using Oceanography To Understand Fronts and Cyclones on Jupiter

New research led by Lia Siegelman, a physical oceanographer at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, shows that the roiling storms at the planet Jupiter’s polar regions are powered by processes known to physicists studying Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. The geophysical commonalities spanning the 452 million miles between the two planets could even help facilitate an improved understanding of those processes on Earth.

Cloud system in Jupiter's northern hemisphere imaged by Juno spacecraft. Photo: NASA

During Year of Extremes, Carbon Dioxide Levels Surge Faster than Ever

Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever — accelerating on a steep rise to levels far above any experienced during human existence, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego announced today.

Chasing Down a Cellular ‘Short Circuit’

A group of researchers at University of California San Diego has identified the cause of a “short-circuit” in cellular pathways, a discovery that sheds new light on the genesis of a number of human diseases and could lead to development of a wide array of new drugs.

The Unexpected Connection Between Brewing Coffee and Understanding Turbulence

Using unconventional statistical mechanics to understand fluid dynamics, UC San Diego Professor of Physics Nigel Goldenfeld helped solve a 150 year old physics problem of how turbulent fluids move through a pipe.

hot water poured over coffee grounds in a filter

NSF-Funded Program Advances Geosciences Opportunities for Community College Students

For the second year, a group of community college students has been immersed into cutting-edge research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego through the Scripps Geosciences Educational Opportunities (Scripps-GEO) program.