University of Arizona in the News

Pushed by climate change and forces across the Pacific Ocean, spring arrived weeks early in the South and is now reaching up the East Coast into the Mid-Atlantic. "It definitely is an anomalously early and warm spring in the Northeast this year," said University of Arizona professor of natural resources and the environment Theresa Crimmins. "I had been hesitant to not overstate things, but it really does look pretty notable."

University Distinguished Outreach Professor of Environmental Science Karletta Chief discusses the worsening water situation on the Colorado River and the role of Indigenous groups in reaching a consensus on reducing the demands of all stakeholders to ensure the system's viability.

The University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography will host the North American premiere of The Linda McCartney Retrospective from Feb. 25 to Aug. 5. This exhibition, including nearly 200 pieces, celebrates McCartney's 30-year career, as well as her connection to Tucson.

Over the past century, the Earth's average temperature has swiftly increased by about 1.8°F. However, Ellie Broadman, a researcher in the University of Arizona Tree Ring Laboratory, writes that before the Industrial Revolution turned up the heat in the 19th Century, the worldwide climate had been experiencing a general, and gradual, cooling trend over the previous 6,500 years.

University of Arizona Regents Professor of Astronomy Marcia Rieke – the principal investigator for James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera – discusses how science journey began with gazing at the northern Michigan sky, her career in astronomy and the how helping discover cosmic novelties.

As the Colorado River crisis worsens, an unregulated housing development in Phoenix – Rio Verde Foothills – faces a tough reckoning. In early January, the City of Scottsdale told the residents of 500-700 homes that lack private water wells – around 1,000 people in all – it would no longer deliver water to them and they must either drill new wells themselves or buy water from another city. "This isn’t hyperbole," said Jeffrey Silvertooth, a soil agronomist with the University of Arizona Department of Environmental Science who works as an extension agent with state farmers.

Amid a historic drought, states dependent on the drought-stricken Colorado River may consider desalination to meet their demand for water. However, desalination plants come with a high price tag, require enormous amounts of energy, and pose problems for the environment. In December, Arizona's water finance board advanced a proposal for a $5.5 billion desalination plant in Mexico's Sea of Cortez that would pump water 200 miles north in a pipeline through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to customers statewide.

Colin Denny, a research assistant in the University of Arizona College of Education who grew up on the Navajo Nation, performed a sign language interpretation of the song "America the Beautiful" during the Super Bowl pregame show.

Narrative therapy – writing stories to make sense of traumatic, or just problematic, experiences –  wasn't created to help people cope with the end of romantic relationships but journaling or similar writing exercises can prove useful in those situations. "A very important part of adapting to a breakup is to make some meaning from the experience,” said University of Arizona professor of psychology David Sbarra, who researches social relationships and health.

The University of Arizona has been ranked the nation's top producer of Fulbright Scholars, setting a new university record for the number of faculty and researchers to receive Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards.