UCSB Environmental Studies Program

10/15/2026

A good article explaining El Nino and its impactd from one of our own researchers here at UCSB.
"So far, 2026 appears to be a superlative year......The threshold for El Niño is when surface temperatures in the tropical pacific are 0.5º Celsius higher than average for that time of year. Instruments show that the ocean surface is already 4º C higher at the equator. “And the subsurface temperatures are even higher,” Stevenson said. “It's 10º Celsius warmer than normal along the equator.”
Warmer water breeds more intense storms, like Hurricane Polo south of Baja California. This leads to bigger swells and higher surf, important factors in coastal flooding and erosion.
Water also expands as it heats up, adding around 6 inches to the height of the ocean’s surface. This bulge of warm water travels eastward from the equatorial Pacific until reaching the west coasts of North and South America......."

This year’s El Niño already breaking records. Experts at UC Santa Barbara offer their perspective on what they cycle is, what to expect and how to prepare.

09/11/2026

Although Jack Johnson was not a ES major at UCSB, he always embodied everything our students, staff, and faculty were and are trying to do. He always has been able to make everyone want to do more, especially for the environment. Plus, he has hired a number of ES grades to work in his nonprofit: The Johnson Ohana Foundation. This is a great article, written by another Gaucho, about Jack's roots at UCSB, IV, and how he has made a difference over 25 plus years for so many of us.

I just wrote probably my...

09/10/2026

Six UCSB junior faculty members selected to receive 2026 NSF CAREER awards, one of NSF’s most prestigious awards, given in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. Environmental Scientist Grace Wu in Environmental Studies is one of them, selected for her work on renewable energy systems to boost the resilience of agriculture. Her profile is the last one in the article.

Six UCSB junior faculty members selected to receive 2026 NSF CAREER awards

09/03/2026

ES Professor Iris Holzer in the news!
A UC Santa Barbara soil scientist helps update international accounting guidelines for carbon capture, utilization, and removal.
https://www.edhat.com/news/ucsb-iris-holzer-lead-ipcc-carbon-capture-storage-report/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUGeVpwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMW9jYnd0dkM0YzNIdlpKY1dzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeFS0PoECI0S3OS3CeEbm2iasTAyxbC41io5qz2lD9FLjLaXKOzlVoQR7uU3Y_aem_zK0LJttroFclB1OBVzTrGw

UCSB soil scientist Iris Holzer has been named a lead author for the IPCC methodology report updating global carbon capture, storage, and removal guidelines.

08/13/2026

Congratulations to Senior ES Lecturer Linda Krop on this well deserved award!

If Linda Krop were a baseball player, her batting average would be on par with Shohei Ohtani. ⁠
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Krop is not a baseball player — but when she swings, she rarely misses. Working for the Environmental Defense Center since 1989 — and as chief counsel since 1999 — her specialty is in ensuring the biggest polluters don’t make a mess — and clean it up when they do. ⁠
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She fought oil and gas companies along the Central Coast for years even before joining the region’s mitochondria of environmental defenders, seeking to speak for the coastal resources and critters that cannot speak for themselves. In her time, she has led efforts to ban offshore fracking, end federal oil leases, and preserve beloved outdoor areas, such as the Carpinteria Bluffs. ⁠
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It was well-deserved, then, when Congressmember Salud Carbajal gave Krop a proverbial kiss on the cheek on Wednesday during an intimate gathering in the Environmental Defense Center’s backyard in Santa Barbara. He presented Krop with his Woman of the Year award, celebrating her unmatched stamina in the courtroom. ⁠

Read more: https://www.independent.com/2026/08/06/linda-krop-receives-her-flowers-for-guarding-the-central-coast/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Environment&utm_content=Krop-Award&utm_gen=utmdc
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📸: Courtesy

04/24/2026

“Rethinking rivers: Their greatest services may be the ones we overlook” is an article featuring ES Professor Rafael Schmitt talking about his work considering the value of fisheries, sediment and culture shifts economic calculations for development along rivers!
Read the UCSB Current Article here!