Amir AghaKouchak
Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Amir AghaKouchak studies how climate change and variability influence extreme events (flood/drought/heatwaves) and compound hazards.
Climate ExtremesClimatologyClimate ChangeFloodDrought
David Feldman
Professor of Urban Planning & Public Policy and Political Science, Director of Water UCI
David Feldman specializes in water resources management and policy, global climate change policy, ethics and environmental decisions.
DroughtSustainable DevelopmentEthics and Environmental DecisionsWater Resources ManagementGlobal climate change policy
James Randerson
Chancellor's Professor Earth System Science
James Randerson studies the global carbon cycle using remote sensing and in-situ measurements and different types of models.
Climate-Carbon Cycle FeedbacksForestsWildfiresClimatePlants
Eric Rignot
Distinguished Professor and Chair, Earth System Science
Dr. Rignot works to understand the interactions of glaciers and climate and what effects they will have on global sea levels.
Ice Sheet Dynamics and Mass BalanceClimate ChangeGlaciologyRadar
Brett Sanders
Chancellor’s Professor
Brett Sanders seeks to advance knowledge and models of environmental dynamics interactions.
Environmental ModelingRemote SensingFlood RiskSea Level RiseClimate
Isabella Velicogna
Professor, Earth System Science, Physical Sciences Associate Dean Graduate Studies, Equity and Inclusion
Isabella Velicogna is a Professor of Earth System Sciences and a Faculty Part time at NASA/Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Physical ClimateSea Level RiseGRACE SatelliteClimate Change
UCI Climate & Earth Science Experts
UCI ranks among the world's top 10 institutions in atmospheric sciences and top 20 in geosciences. Connect with faculty who are ready to speak to the stories that matter.
When climate is in the headlines, UCI's researchers are already on the ground. From wildfire smoke and sea level rise to ice sheet dynamics and drought, UCI faculty bring decades of field and laboratory research to some of the most pressing environmental questions of our time.
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UCI faculty in the media — available for your story too.
Amir AghaKouchak, UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of engineering and others write, “Iran’s water crisis cannot be explained by climate variability alone. Instead, it stems from a set of interlinked governance and economic mechanisms embedded in state-defined priorities. These priorities not only divert scarce public resources from measures that could stabilize Iran’s water balance, but also shape water use and management patterns, reinforcing unsustainable outcomes.”
David Feldman, a UC Irvine professor specializing in water resource management and policy …. credited the Orange County Water District with taking a proactive approach to groundwater management, including the use of recycled wastewater for drinking. “That’s really why this issue has come to the forefront,” Feldman said. “Because regulators and water providers are trying to be as vigilant as possible to protect the public’s health and well-being.”
“The grounding line is where continental ice meets the ocean, and measuring the movement of grounding lines with satellite-based synthetic aperture radar has been our gold standard for documenting ice sheet stability,” said Eric Rignot, lead author and University of California, Irvine (UC) distinguished professor and Donald Bren professor of Earth system science, in a news release.