University of Arizona in the News

Climate change is making it harder for people to adjust to summer's heat by upending what we would typically expect as seasons change. Summers are getting longer and more intense, encroaching on winter and extending long into the fall. Lowering a community's collective heat risk now requires far more investment in heat preparedness much earlier in the year that before. "We barely have enough resources to deal with what's occurring right now," said University of Arizona professor of urban planning Ladd Keith.

Continuing coverage: Federal officials on Tuesday released a draft plan with options for emergency measures to prop up Colorado River reservoirs, including one that for the first time envisions cuts that would be shared by all users across the watershed regardless of their established rights to water. University of Arizona Regents Professor Emeritus of Law Robert Glennon said he that while he had not had time to review the draft on Tuesday and couldn’t comment on whether it might trigger a lawsuit, the option of apportioning cuts by percentage is a necessary game-changer.

An article provides resources for aspiring journalists and working professionals who are ready to improve climate change literacy for themselves and their audiences. The University of Arizona offers a science and environmental journalism program designed to train reporters to communicate effectively about science-related issues including climate change.

After months of fruitless negotiations between the states that depend on the shrinking Colorado River, the Biden administration on Tuesday proposed to put aside legal precedent and save what's left of the river by evenly cutting water allotments, reducing the water delivered to California, Arizona and Nevada by as much as one-quarter. "They're showing that they will tell the states what to do," said Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center.

Grief experts are now dealing with bereaved people who create digital versions of their loved ones. University of Arizona associate professor of psychology Mary-Frances O'Connor is interviewed.

Multiple new studies reveal a rate of sea level rise that is unprecedented in at least 120 years along the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern U.S. coast, including one led by University of Arizona professor of geosciences Jianjun Yin. Yin's research calculated the rate of sea level rise since 2010 at over 10 millimeters – or one centimeter – per year in the region, or nearly 5 inches in total through 2022. That is more than double the global average rate of about 4.5 millimeters per year since 2010, based on satellite observations of sea level.

Alex Jaeger is president of the University of Arizona's chapter of the Flying Samaritans, an organization for undergraduate students that takes monthly road trips to Agua Prieta, Sonora, to provide free medical and dental care. Each month, the group of students and health practitioners, including physicians and dentists, hosts a one-day health clinic for residents of Agua Prieta.

Jordan Geist and Delaney Schnell, both athletes at the University of Arizona, recently won national championships in shot put and platform diving, respectively.

Veterinary telemedicine could help more pet owners access much-needed care and put anxious animals at ease, but experts say challenges remain. For veterinary medicine, COVID-19 "served as a catalyst for change that was necessary," said Dr. Christina Tran, a veterinarian at the University of Arizona who is on the board of directors of the Veterinary Virtual Care Association and is a paid adviser to a veterinary telehealth company.

A newly released image of Uranus taken by the James Webb Space Telescope shows off 11 of the ice giant's 13 known rings and some of the bright features in its atmosphere. Taken with the University of Arizona-developed NIRCam, the image also features many of Uranus' 27 known moons. More imaging and additional studies of the planet are currently in the works by multiple space agencies.