Groundwater provides nearly 40% of water used in California in normal years and up to 60% in drought years like this one. The state needs to prevent overdraft, when groundwater is repeatedly pumped at a faster rate than it can be replaced.
John Wilson is working to improve the well-being of Angelenos through two USC Dornsife Public Exchange projects — one involving urban trees, the other ensuring people have enough to eat.
In the wake of the pipeline rupture off the coast of Southern California, the director of the USC Wrigley Institute discusses the dangers of transporting oil through miles of pipes.
A network of Southern California radar stations, including six maintained by the institute, provide information critical to the cleanup.
USC Viterbi artificial intelligence experts are helping firefighters strategize how best to plan controlled burns and manage unexpected blazes.
Students scuba dive, snorkel and collect samples from the sea to solve problems such as how kelp’s circadian rhythm works and where sea cucumbers thrive best.
The devices installed by USC’s William Berelson will help create a detailed map of greenhouse gases and other noxious emissions in various Los Angeles neighborhoods.
To create a comprehensive inventory of marine species in Santa Catalina Island’s Blue Cavern Point nature preserve, USC scholars dived into kelp forests and came face-to-face with a great white shark.
The rapid filling of a giant dam at the source of the world’s longest river could reduce the water supplies going to Egypt and increase tensions with Ethiopia, a new USC study finds.
“Storytime with a Scientist” is just one of many university initiatives that teach local students about the wonders of the scientific world.
Cameron Audras has discovered how to mix his passion for conservation and his skill with the viola, interests that will culminate with degrees in environmental sciences and music.
Philip Fine has parlayed his prowess at monitoring air quality and interpreting hard science for diverse stakeholders into influencing rules and regulations at the highest levels.
University scientists, working with the city of Los Angeles, have developed a plan to grow an urban forest in communities vulnerable to heat waves and air pollution.
Scientists at the USC Wrigley Institute are collaborating with students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts to convey scientific research through creative outlets like video games, animation and screenplays.
Policymakers and scientists are pushing for — and in some cases, enacting — steps like lessening our reliance on fossil fuels and redesigning cities, but the question remains: Will it be enough?
Jose Miguel Ruiz inspires sustainable renewal through onions, celery and Swiss chard — and it’s happening one empty lot at a time.
The universal accounting method measures how carbon-based matter accumulates in the ocean and can also model past conditions to predict what may be in store for the warming Earth.
A consortium of experts and students will help determine which communities would benefit the most from more trees. It’s part of a widening environmental partnership between the city and the university.
Tropical storms have caused about $3 billion in damage in Australia over 50 years — a figure that would have been 10 times larger if not for coastal wetlands, a USC researcher and colleague found.
After sustainability-minded students replaced turf with native species, a university partnership flowered. Now, more water-sipping indigenous plants are getting started at test plots around campus.
The new director of USC’s environmental research institute wants to leverage all of USC Dornsife’s unique strengths to help ensure a more livable future.
Though marine life may benefit from the influx of iron, USC scientists reinforce that the pollution from burning coal will have an adverse effect on human health.
The pandemic didn’t stop the Trojans in Julie Hopper’s ecology class from catching and studying insects from yards and fields all around the world.
USC experts explain why the worst wildfires in California’s history are just a preview of climate change’s eventual impact on our everyday lives.