AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin was quoted in an August 2nd Vox article about the unusual hurricane season this year. With global ocean temperatures at record levels, more hurricanes were expected but a strong El Nino in the Pacific is tamping down hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, as El Ninos tend to do. “There is a relationship between sea surface temperature warming and potential intensity of tropical cyclones, but also there’s a number of other factors at play,” says Jane. “It doesn’t really work to just say, ‘Because temperatures are increasing, we’re going to see more storms or stronger storms.’” And the global climate is shifting into uncharted territory, so researchers must continue to adapt in order to anticipate these storms. Read the article
News
Here's the latest news from AirUCI — our events, our people, our science.
2023
A new study published by AirUCI faculty Steve Davis the problem of and its effect on the environment. While eliminating food waste should reduce adverse environmental effects of food production, the study found a “rebound effect” whereby efficiency improvements cause price decreases so consumption increases. They suggest that this outcome could offset up to 71 percent of the benefits of cutting down on food loss and waste. “There is a tension between the two objectives of eliminating food waste and increasing food security,” Steve says. “Improving supply chain efficiency and thereby lowering food costs could help make food more affordable in less-advantaged countries. But, especially in those places, we may need to adjust our expectations about the environmental benefits of avoiding waste and loss.” Read the article
In a July 27th article in the Financial Times, AirUCI faculty Jack Brouwer is quoted on the difficulties that drivers of hydrogen-powered cars are having in finding fuel stations. He also talks about the issue of sustainable energy credits, saying the reason the cost of hydrogen has surged is that state subsidies are being gobbled up by big businesses jumping into sustainable energy, such as biodiesel. These businesses “took all of the credits” that had been going to companies making and distributing hydrogen, Jack said. California’s legislature and governor know about this problem in hydrogen subsidies but for now it hasn’t been fixed. Read the article (subscription may be required but is easy)
AirUCI faculty Michael Fortun has published a new book entitled "Genomics with Care: Minding the Double Binds of Science". The book examines affective, cognitive forces that have shaped the field of genomics with a particular emphasis on the study of care in science. Congratulations, Mike! Read the review
A first-of-its-kind study led by AirUCI faculty Jun Wu suggests pregnant women exposed to a higher level of air pollution may have a higher risk of spontaneous premature rupture of membranes (SPROM), a critical obstetrical problem that can significantly increase maternal and fetal mortality. “Ozone appears to be more harmful among the air pollutants that we studied so it warrants further targeted research in different locations to explore this association,” says Jun. Read the article
AirUCI faculty Jane Baldwin was quoted in a July 25th Washington Post article describing the problems posed by having over 300 heat indexes, each measuring extreme heat by different standards. Over a summer when worldwide heat records are surpassed almost daily, having no single heat index complicates communication to the world's populations.. “The problem is we’ve hardly ever reached these levels of temperature and humidity in the historical record,” says Jane, “yet we see people dying in that very regularly.” She recommends using the heat index to gauge the heat stress you might encounter over the course of an average day. However, since other factors such as sunlight and humidity affect heat, she says it's best to defer to a local index when possible, such as the one New York City utilizes. Read the article
A first-of-its-kind study led by AirUCI faculty Jun Wu suggests pregnant women exposed to a higher level of air pollution may have a higher risk of spontaneous premature rupture of membranes (SPROM), a critical obstetrical problem that can significantly increase maternal and fetal mortality. “Ozone appears to be more harmful among the air pollutants that we studied so it warrants further targeted research in different locations to explore this association,” says Jun. Read the article
In an NBC News article on extreme heat and wildfire smoke, AirUCI faculty Jun Wu is quoted on how this combination raises the risk of early death in vulnerable populations. "The body has a limited capacity to handle stress, and while extreme heat and air pollution impact the human body in different ways, the existence of one appears to worsen the impact of the other," said Jun. "Though older adults and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk for dire health outcomes related to extreme heat and air pollution, no one is immune," she says. Read the article
Najit Saliba, former grad student under Barbara Finlayson-Pitts and member of the Lebanese Parliament, was interviewed on the July 4, 2023 edition of the PBS News Hour in a segment on the state of Lebanon. Najat, a longtime Professor of Chemistry at American University of Beirut, was elected to office in May 2022 as an opposition candidate and has been working toward government reform. She was asked about the problems the country is facing, the inability of the government to move forward and provide basic services, and her efforts to change the situation. View the segment and read the transcript
AirUCI faculty Jun Wu is quoted in a July 3rd Washington Post article about fireworks and air quality. Much of the pollution from fireworks comes from those ignited in people’s backyards or on streets, not necessarily from grand public displays, says Jun. In a 2021 study, Jun and her colleagues found that California communities with policies restricting street-level fireworks saw noticeably less pollution compared to those that didn’t. Her research also suggests that the variable policies mean fireworks pollution doesn’t affect communities equally. In a study published this year, Jun found that communities with higher proportions of Hispanic residents were exposed to greater particulate pollution than other communities. “I think people need to be aware that there’s a cost associated with firework burning, not just money, but also the health-related costs and the cost to the environment,” said Jun. Read the article
