Grove fell short of great expectations but has proven valuable in Earth system science studies

UC Irvine’s redwoods sit like forlorn Christmas trees near the campus power plant and the Crawford Hall parking lot. They’re miniatures of Northern California’s ancient giants, a dwarf grove with drooping branches. But they’re still standing.

Decreasing outdoor water use is a necessary measure in southern California, where water shortages are exacerbated by climate change, population growth and consequent ecological issues. In the urbanized, semi-arid Los Angeles Metropolitan area, large yet uncertain amount of irrigation water is lost to evaporation and plant transpiration. Therefore, it is important to understand the water use of urban plants, and find the most water-wise species and management practices.

Irvine Ranch and UC Irvine researchers are undergoing a project that examines the ranch's native plant communities and its potentially threatening, non-native plant species.

The research project is the first launched that's part of a five-year, $1-million grant awarded to UCI in November by the Irvine Co. and its chairman, Donald Bren. The researchers will scientifically investigate the ranch's environmental challenges and come up with solutions.

The storms that showered Orange County in late 2010 have provided a healthy start to an innovative UC Irvine pilot project on how local and imported plants affect each other – and how to help restore the more delicate native plants.

After December’s heavy rains, rolling hills and open-space areas are now a vibrant green. Blossoms of various hues will follow throughout spring.

Over the last two centuries, people have mined and burned fossil fuels, cleared forests, and developed agriculture and industry. The consequence: rapid atmospheric pollution that is driving climate change.

Diane Pataki, Earth system science and ecology & evolutionary biology associate professor at UC Irvine, discusses climate change, misconceptions about it and what can be done locally to mitigate its impact.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The original version of this story, posted Jan. 19, has been updated here to reflect the correction of a spreadsheet error in the scientific paper regarding carbon dioxide emissions during lawn maintenance.

Dispelling the notion that urban “green” spaces help counteract greenhouse gas emissions, new research has found – in Southern California at least – that total emissions might be lower if lawns did not exist.

People are inundated with advice on how to reduce their carbon footprints. With many ideas, some of them contradictory, it’s easy to become overwhelmed.

Which measures are scientifically sound and most effective? How much leverage do people really have to reduce global warming and adapt to its effects?

Diane Pataki, associate professor of Earth system science, will address these questions during a breakfast lecture 7:30-9 a.m. Tuesday, May 18, at the Student Center. Here, she discusses her research and previews her talk.