wilkes-news | College of Science

Trailblazing with Earth & Environmental Science

June 5, 2025

The program fuses principles from atmospheric science, geology, and ecology to address key questions about the environment — including freshwater availability, the effects of extreme weather, and ecosystem resilience, among other topics. Students in the program join a faculty research stream — studying in a campus lab or out in the field — to acquire valuable experience.

Utah is known worldwide for its geological attributes and abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities. From the Wasatch Mountains to Zion National Park, the state serves as a natural classroom for EES students to study a variety of research topics, including snowfall dynamics, watershed health, aerosol chemistry and much more.

EES students study together in small cohorts, supported by faculty mentors, to develop practical skills for fruitful careers like environmental consulting, resource management, policy, among others. Students can also supplement their studies with a Sustainability Certificate.

Among the first graduating EES students are Ryker Ray and Tucker Hastings.

Ryker Ray

Ryker Ray

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience these past two years in the EES major,” says Ray, reflecting on his experience. “A brand-new major can be a little rough around the edges at times, but overall my classes were interesting and challenging."

One of the biggest draws for Ray to study EES was its interdisciplinary focus, reflected in the variety of his research work in the Science Research Initiative. He initially investigated the links between air quality and wildfires in atmospheric scientist Gannet Hallar’s Aerosol Research Lab. Later, he transitioned to biologist Austin Green’s Wildlife-Human Interaction Lab to engage in fieldwork and ecological data analysis. It was there that Ray developed a particular interest in studying carnivores.

"I am evaluating how certain extreme climate variables, which mirror future climate change conditions, are affecting the spatial and temporal behavior of small to large carnivores," says Ray. He focused on developing a framework for wildlife and land management, with the hope of influencing policy.

"We still lack an understanding of the degree to which our urban development affects the behaviors and populations of carnivores across the world," he adds.

Through his research, Ray benefited from a strong mentorship bond with Green. "I have never had such a compassionate and helpful mentor. Austin has always made time for me and the other students in the lab, even when working across two different organizations and caring for a new baby," says Ray.

Beyond the classroom, Ray, who hails from Park City, Utah, co-founded and served as Vice President of the Utah Students for Conservation Club, inspired by his studies and a reforestation internship in Costa Rica. Additionally, he contributed writing and photography to the environment-focused Wasatch Magazine.

Looking ahead, Ray hopes to work in fire ecology. "I want to begin repairing and building a bridge to work with the many Native American tribes and nations who have been using fire to maintain the health of the Western U.S." He hopes to pursue this ambition by founding his own company dedicated to public education and environmental awareness on the issue.

Tucker Hastings

Tucker Hastings

Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, William "Tucker" Hastings graduated with a double major in EES and Spanish, along with a minor in atmospheric sciences. As a member of the inaugural EES cohort, he valued the program’s interdisciplinary collaboration. "I enjoyed being able to connect with professors and students in the three different disciplines,” says Hastings. “The major’s emphasis on holistic perspectives and practical experience were also highlights." His EES studies were a particular highlight of his undergraduate career, and he eagerly engaged in research, labs and cross-disciplinary connections.

Hastings’ research focused on Utah's landscapes, stemming from his childhood adventures exploring the state’s wild places. His interest was sparked by a pivotal Science Research Initiative field trip to Costa Rica, where he met with biologists and conservationists. This led to his work in the Şekercioğlu Lab, assisting with trail camera image identification and conducting biodiversity surveys in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

For this project, he collaborated with the Aparecido Lab in the School of Biological Sciences to study the impact of invasive species. He compared areas invaded by Russian olive trees to non-invaded sites to build a model of biogeographic trends. Hastings highlighted a significant knowledge gap: "Despite its long history in Utah, Russian olive has gone largely unstudied in the United States. The work of my lab [was] some of the first to investigate its impacts."

Following graduation, Hastings plans to continue his studies in ecology by pursuing a Ph.D., ideally in desert ecology. His core aspiration is "to use science to promote conservation, as well as community engagement in science and ecology."

by Ethan Hood

Students interested in the Earth & Environmental Science major at the University of Utah can learn more here.

Urgency and hope at 2025 Wilkes Climate Summit

May 22, 2025

Conor Walsh, assistant professor at the Columbia Business School, delivering his keynote address.

Anderegg’s message resonated with his audience of scientists, policymakers, business leaders and others gathered at the third annual Wilkes Climate Summit, hosted by the Wilkes Center on May 15 at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House on the U’s campus.

This year’s theme—innovation, science and solutions—was manifest in the day’s keynote addresses, panel breakout sessions, and presentations from the seven finalists vying for the $250K Wilkes Climate Launch Prize.

“When [the Wilkes Center] was set up a number of years ago, the dream was to bring immediate innovation to the problem of climate,” said U President Taylor Randall, speaking of Clay and Marie Wilkes whose $20 million donation launched the Wilkes Center in 2022. “[They] fundamentally believed in science and science’s ability to create scalable change and create scalable solutions…When I see individuals [here] dealing with this problem, I leave with nothing but hope and optimism.”

The Wilkes Center’s mission is to accelerate climate solutions through research, education and innovation, goals especially important during these tumultuous times.

“Many of the cuts to science and research that those of us around the country are worried about will hinder America’s prosperity, economic growth, competitiveness and global leadership,” Anderegg said in his opening remarks. “We need science and innovation more than ever.”

Anderegg outlined the four core questions guiding everything the center does, which capture the spirit of discussions happening throughout the summit:

How can we accelerate solutions to yield a global, downward trend in greenhouse gas emissions?
How can we get the best science into the hands of decision- and policymakers?
How can we train the next generation of leaders?
How can we foster innovation to develop, deploy and scale these climate solutions?

“The scientific understanding is really crystal clear; the 2020s are a pivotal decade for climate action,” Anderegg said. “We have a rapidly closing window to avoid the impacts of dangerous climate change and chart a sustainable and prosperous future for everyone here in Utah, around the U.S. and around the world.”

Clean energy transition and the global rise of solar power

The summit kicked off with a morning keynote by Conor Walsh, assistant professor at the Columbia Business School studying the economics of the energy transition. You can read the four highlights from his talks, reports on the seven Wilkes Prize finalist presentations as well as other expansive coverage in the remainder of this article by Lisa Potter in @ The U.

Unravelling Nature’s Marine Cloud Brightening

May 22, 2025

Gerald "Jay" Mace

Recent research conducted by Dr Gerald Mace from the University of Utah and colleagues reveals how air masses passing over the Antarctic continent naturally boost cloud brightness through a complex chain of chemical and physical processes. This natural phenomenon may hold important clues for improving climate models and predicting future climate change.

Nature’s Cloud Factory

The Southern Ocean is one of the most remote and pristine regions on Earth, making it an ideal natural laboratory for studying how clouds formed before human industrial activity began altering Earth’s atmosphere. This vast expanse of water encircling Antarctica experiences some of the planet’s strongest winds and stormiest conditions, yet it’s the region’s clouds that have captured scientists’ attention.

These clouds play a crucial role in Earth’s climate by reflecting sunlight back to space, but climate models have struggled to accurately simulate their properties. Understanding the mismatch between models and observations has become increasingly urgent as scientists work to improve predictions of future climate change.

Dr Gerald Mace and an international team of researchers have been investigating an intriguing pattern: clouds near Antarctica’s coast tend to be brighter and more reflective than those further north over the open ocean. This brightness comes from having more numerous but smaller water droplets packed into the clouds – a property that makes them more effective at reflecting sunlight.

Following the Air’s Journey

To understand what creates these especially bright clouds, Dr Mace and his colleagues tracked air masses as they moved across the Antarctic continent and over the Southern Ocean. They combined multiple types of observations, including data from satellites, research ships, and atmospheric measurements, to build a comprehensive picture of how the clouds evolve.

The team’s analysis revealed that air masses which had recently spent time over the Antarctic ice sheets produced clouds with particularly high numbers of droplets. This effect was especially pronounced when the air had travelled over Antarctica’s high-altitude ice domes, where temperatures are extremely cold and the sun’s rays are intense during the summer months.

These conditions, the researchers surmised, create an ideal environment for forming new particles that can later serve as seeds for cloud droplets. When this particle-rich air descends from the Antarctic plateau and moves out over the ocean, it produces clouds with markedly different properties from those formed in air masses that haven’t passed over the continent.

The Chemistry Behind the Clouds

The process begins in the biologically productive waters near Antarctica’s coast, where tiny marine organisms flourish during the summer months. These organisms release a chemical called dimethyl sulphide (DMS) into the air – a process that has been occurring in Earth’s oceans for millions of years. When this DMS-rich air rises and passes over Antarctica’s ice sheets, it undergoes a remarkable transformation.

Research at Australia’s CSIRO research organisation has examined the complex chemistry involved in this process. This work shows that over the ice sheets, where there are very few existing particles in the air and intense sunlight during summer, chemical reactions convert the DMS into sulfuric acid vapour. This vapour can then form completely new particles through a process called nucleation, which eventually become the seeds for cloud droplets.

This natural particle formation process proves particularly efficient because the air over Antarctica’s ice sheets is exceptionally clean – any existing particles have usually been removed by precipitation before the air reaches the continent. The newly formed particles, therefore, have little competition as they grow large enough to serve as cloud condensation nuclei, the essential seeds around which cloud droplets form.

Read the entire story in Scientia here.

Utah’s Energy Future

May 21, 2025

The panel represented a diverse cross-section of Utah's energy landscape, featuring leaders from a national laboratory, academic research, non-profit advocacy and private industry. What emerged was a picture of a state uniquely positioned to lead in the clean energy transition, with abundant natural resources and a collaborative approach to energy development.

What also became evident during the discussion, moderated by Wilkes Center Director William Anderegg, is that the U continues to be a key player in moving publicly funded research directly and often quickly to market, scaling new technologies for the benefit of all Utahns. “One Utah” and “The University for Utah” are not just aspirational mantras but actual products and services currently materializing in communities across the state. Large-scale energy production and grid expansion and resilience are no exception.

Utah's ‘Energy Royal Flush’

Teresa Foxley

"Utah was dealt the energy royal flush," said Teresa Foxley, Chief of Staff for rPlus Energies, referencing an op-ed her company published recently about Utah's diverse energy resources. Beyond traditional fossil fuels, Utah boasts exceptional renewable resources including solar, wind and geothermal, positioning the state for leadership in the energy transition.

Foxley's company, a Salt Lake City-based renewable energy developer, exemplifies this potential. rPlus Energies is currently constructing the Green River Energy Center in Emery County, a massive 400-megawatt solar project paired with 400 megawatts of battery storage. When completed in 2026, it will be "the second largest project of its type in the country," she said and represents a $1.1 billion investment in rural Utah.

The company is also developing pump storage hydro projects, a technology that pairs well with both renewable and nuclear energy by storing energy when abundant and releasing it during peak demand periods.

World-Leading Geothermal Research

Joe Moore

Joe Moore, a research professor at the U, highlighted the state's leadership in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). He directs the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), a Department of Energy-funded project in Milford, Utah.

"FORGE is the only facility of its kind in the world, and so people around the world are certainly looking at us," Moore stated. "We are leading the world in enhanced geothermal development already."

Unlike traditional geothermal systems that rely on naturally occurring hot springs, EGS creates geothermal reservoirs by fracturing hot rock deep underground. The FORGE project has made significant advances in reducing drilling costs and developing new stimulation techniques that have attracted interest from major energy companies.

Moore emphasized geothermal's enormous potential: "Tapping even 2% of the energy between two and six miles would give us more than 2000 times the yearly US energy needs. Keep in mind, this is clean. This is benign, very low environmental impact, very low induced seismic risks."

Nuclear's Role in a Clean Energy Future

Laura Nelson

Laura Nelson, Idaho National Laboratory's (INL) regional engagement lead in Utah, discussed how nuclear energy can contribute to a reliable, clean energy future. Often considered "the nation's nuclear energy lab," INL, located in Idaho Falls, has been at the forefront of nuclear energy research for 75 years.

"We have a vision to change the world's energy future," Nelson said, describing INL's mission to create "a resilient and sustainable energy future for everyone... that's affordable, reliable, resilient and accessible."

Nelson highlighted the growing interest in advanced nuclear reactors in Utah and throughout the West. Unlike the large nuclear plants built in the 1970s, she explained, these newer designs include small modular reactors (SMRs) and micro-reactors that offer flexibility for various applications, from providing consistent power for AI data centers to supporting military operations in remote locations.

"We need power that's available when other resources may not be available, that we can call on 24/7, that can be there to meet our energy needs when maybe other resources aren't available, or if we have failures on the system," Nelson explained, emphasizing the importance of "firm power" in an increasingly renewable-heavy grid.

Clean Energy Economics and Climate Action

Logan Mitchell

Logan Mitchell, a climate scientist and energy analyst with Utah Clean Energy, brought the climate perspective to the discussion. As a nonprofit organization that has worked for 25 years to accelerate climate solutions in Utah, Utah Clean Energy focuses on decarbonizing buildings, transportation and the electricity sector.

Mitchell highlighted how economics is now driving the clean energy transition: "Clean energy is the most cost-effective form of energy production. It's just more efficient . . . right now. This is the economics, and the efficiency of it is really overtaking other motivations."

He also emphasized how renewable energy is bringing economic benefits to rural communities through tax revenue: "This pays for the local community center, the pharmacies and the pharmacists and the hospitals in those communities and is giving a lifeline to those communities."

Collaboration as Utah's Strength

A common theme throughout the discussion in front of an appreciative late-afternoon crowd was Utah's collaborative approach to energy development. The panelists agreed that Utah's pragmatism and willingness to work across different energy resources has positioned the state as a leader in energy innovation.

As Mitchell noted, "We all need to get there together. We can't leave behind the communities that powered us in the past. We all need to get there together."

When asked about Utah's electricity mix in 2035, the panelists offered varied predictions but generally agreed that the state would see more renewable energy, storage solutions and potentially nuclear power in its future. Mitchell suggested the grid could ultimately reach about 70% wind and solar with 30% “dispatchable” resources like geothermal, nuclear and hydropower

For Utah to overcome barriers to scaling these technologies, the panelists identified several challenges: misconceptions about renewable energy reliability, regulatory hurdles and permitting timelines, technological limitations and costs. Even so, they remained optimistic about Utah's potential to lead in clean energy development through continued innovation and collaboration.

Higher Education’s Impact Happening Now

As Utah’s flagship RI university, the U is a critical player in the future of energy production in the Beehive State. Beyond hosting the 2025 Wilkes Climate Summit which annually convenes leading policymakers, and nationally-recognized scientists, foundations, and innovators to discuss the most promising and cutting-edge solutions for climate change, the U demonstrates repeatedly how academics and research translate directly and often quickly to public benefits.

As Nelson summarized: "Utah is a special place, and I appreciate that we often come together collaboratively when we disagree upon solutions, and our energy system is a critical part of that, because it's so important to our quality of life, to our economies."

By David Pace

Opinion: Water Wasting? U Decide.

April 21, 2025

Nathan Murthy

But the Great Salt Lake is a wide and shallow inland sea, fatally susceptible to evaporation.

In the time the lake levels dropped, the surface area decreased from 3,300 to 950 square miles, a reduction of 2,350 square miles.

The area lost is larger than the land area of the entire state of Delaware. Water diverted for human use from the Bear, Jordan and Weber Rivers is largely to blame.

The Great Salt Lake is at risk of disappearing in our lifetime.

The inland sea is highly productive, supporting billion-dollar industries like salt, brine shrimp and magnesium. Its wetlands host 10-12 million migratory birds, including American white pelicans, snowy plovers and eared grebes.

Additionally, lake effect snow contributes to the Wasatch Front’s relatively high precipitation levels, enabling Utah’s world-famous skiing and distinctive snow quality. Without the lake, the Salt Lake Valley risks becoming as dry and dusty as the West Desert.

The immense challenge of sustaining Great Salt Lake for current and future generations requires all of us to act. Conserving water in every capacity is vital, especially among the biggest water users who must lead by example.

I examined our campus water usage.

Public universities aren’t federally required to disclose their water usage. However, Savannah Jordaan and Alta Fairbourne, members of ASUU, asked the landscaping department for this information.

In 2024, the U used roughly 227 million gallons to irrigate campus landscaping and 808 million gallons in total — costing nearly $10 million. The good news is, since 2020, water usage has decreased by 14%.

However, we still consume over 800 million gallons annually.

Although $10 million seems expensive, it’s relatively cheap for the quantity.

Utah’s water conservancy districts manage water supply via dams and pipelines, funded largely by property taxes. This subsidizes water costs for all users, particularly tax-exempt institutions like the U. Consequently, the university benefits from taxpayer-funded water infrastructure but lacks significant financial incentives to reduce their own consumption.

A significant portion of the U’s water use goes to irrigating lawns and other landscaping features. Lawns require constant watering, especially during Utah’s scorching summers when temperatures can exceed 100°F.

Evaporation further exacerbates water demand, leaving grass thirsty for more precious watershed water.

America’s obsession with lawns stems from European heritage.

Lawns were brought to North America to mimic the estates of British royalty, symbolizing wealth and prestige. Eastern U.S. college campuses often feature lush green lawns sustained by abundant rainfall.

But the U isn’t in England or the East Coast — it’s in a desert.

At Arizona State University, their landscaping features drought-tolerant trees and succulents, mimicking the surrounding desert and providing ecological functionality. The U must adopt a similar approach.

The short answer to this problem is collaboration between students, landscaping and administration.

Read the full op-ed by Nathan Murthy originally posted in The Chronicle here.

Sustainability Associate Director for the Associated Students of the U, Murthy is an earth and environmental Ssience major in the College of Science and works in the Şekercioğlu lab in the School of Biological Sciences. He is also a Wilkes Scholar through the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy, also in the College of Science.

The West’s latest air quality threats

April 14, 2025

Kevin Perry

Both are associated with climate change, which is making the West drier and warmer. Neither can be controlled through traditional emission-reduction programs that have helped reduce smog all over the West, especially in Los Angeles.

The symposium’s keynote speaker Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, executive director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, explored the need for greater equity in how we protect children from air pollution. The other featured speaker, UCLA law professor Ann Carlson, discussed the progress Los Angeles has made in recent decades to rein in emissions responsible for its once-notorious air pollution and what lessons it offers for other cities struggling with bad air.

Reducing vehicle and industrial emissions alleviates particulate and ozone pollution, but such measures make little difference for smoke and dust.

A new Dust Bowl?

Salt Lake City is affected by countless dust sources—gravel quarries, the long-dried Sevier Lake, roads and lands disturbed by cattle grazing and off-roading. But the most troubling could be the shrinking Great Salt Lake, yet the state of Utah has yet to deploy the monitoring equipment to know for sure, said Kevin Perry, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. His tireless sampling forays by bike have earned him the moniker of Dr. Dust.

Derek Mallia

According to Perry’s research, there are four major “hotspots” on the 750 square miles of exposed playa where winds can lift dust into the air and potentially push it into populated areas and nearby mountains, Perry said on a panel devoted to the dust issue. These spots occur where the lakebed crusts have been disturbed, exposing the underlying sediments to the influence of the wind.

Hotspots closest to residential areas are in Farmington Bay, as well as in Bear River Bay, where most of the dust sources are located at elevations above 4,202 feet, nearly 10 feet above where the lake level stands, Perry said. The Farmington Bay spots tend to be at lower elevations.

“You can cover up a significant quantity of these dust hotspots at a lake elevation of 4,200 feet and get 70% coverage at 4,202,” he said. The lake’s ever-fluctuating level is currently at 4,193, a good 5 feet below what officials say is needed to restore Great Salt Lake’s ecological health.

“All of these dust hotspots that I’ve measured are currently exposed. They’re too wet to blow right now, but that’ll change as we move into the drier season,” Perry said. “Even if you bring that lake up to 4,198 feet, that will only cover up about 40% of the dust hotspots.”

Wind events, especially in spring, drive a big share of the Wasatch Front’s dust problem, pushing particulate pollution from the lake and other sources into the cities of Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties and into the mountains where it settles onto the snowpack. Research shows this dust contains elevated levels of cadmium, arsenic, lead and other hazardous metals, depending on its source.

“Before a cold front hits our valley, we have really strong winds from the south that scream 25 mph or more for up to 18 hours. As that front passes, the winds change and move from the west to the northwest and stay strong for a few hours. So if you look at the data from the airport at Salt Lake International Airport, when we have these strong wind events that create these big dust storms, 75% of the time the dust is moving north to communities of Layton and Syracuse and Ogden.”

Perry and his colleagues, including Derek Mallia, are eager to quantify the impact of lake playa dust on Wasatch Front cities, but there is currently not sufficient data being collected along the lake’s populated eastern shore, he said.

Read the full article by Brian Maffly in @ The U.

A Climate Moon Shot Beneath Our Feet

March 3, 2025

Joseph Moore

In such a landscape, you remember that the planet’s hard exterior, where we spend our entire lives, is so thin that we call it a crust. Its superheated interior, meanwhile, burns with an estimated forty-four trillion watts of power. Milford was once a lead-, silver-, and gold-mining town, but when I visited the area on a sunny spring morning a scientist named Joseph Moore [research professor in civil and environmental engineering and adjunct professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah] was prospecting for something else: heat.

Heat mined from underground is called geothermal — “earth heat,” in ancient Greek — and can be used to produce steam, spin a turbine, and generate electricity. Until recently, humans have tended to harvest small quantities in the rare places where it surfaces, such as hot springs. Moore’s mission, as a geologist at the University of Utah and the project leader of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), is to “develop the roadmap that is needed to build geothermal reservoirs anywhere in the world.” This road is long, and much of the map remains blank. The biggest problem is drilling miles through hot rock, safely. If scientists can do that, however, next-generation geothermal power could supply clean energy for eons.

During my trip, Moore’s corps of consultants and roughnecks were drilling the fifth borehole of their experimental project. Their rig, armed with a diamond drill bit, towered like a rocket over the rural landscape; miles of solar panels and wind turbines receded into the distance. The hole, which would eventually be L-shaped, was five thousand feet deep, and the team had another five thousand to go, horizontally. But, before they could drill any farther, they needed to install a hundred-and-fifty-ton steel tube in the hole, using special heat-resistant cement to glue it into place. The tube was like a massive straw that was meant to transport hot water and steam from an artificial underground reservoir—without contaminating local groundwater or triggering earthquakes.

At 6:15P.M.on May 3rd, cement had started flowing into the hole. Four hours later, part of the cement folded in on itself. The next morning, the cement supply ran out; the men had miscalculated how much they needed. This brought the three-hundred-million-dollar operation to a maddening halt. Moore, in bluejeans and a FORGE-branded hard hat, called his supplier. The nearest batch of suitable cement was five hundred miles away, in Bakersfield, California. The truck would not arrive until after dark.

Right now, geothermal energy meets less than one per cent of humanity’s electricity and heating needs—a puny, almost irrelevant portion. Fossil fuels power about eighty per cent of human activity, pumping out carbon dioxide and short-circuiting our climate to catastrophic effect. Converts argue that geothermal checks three key boxes: it is carbon-free, available everywhere, and effectively unlimited. Crucially, it is also baseload, which means that, unlike solar panels or wind, it provides a constant flow of energy. Companies and governments have taken notice. “Over the last two years, I have watched this exponential spin-up of activity in geothermal,” Tony Pink, a drilling expert in Houston, told me, in 2023.

But there is a glaring risk of moon shots: often, they miss. “There’s basically zero chance that you’re going to develop a moon-shot technology and have it be commercial in five years, on a large-scale, worldwide,” Mark Jacobson, a Stanford engineering professor and the author of “No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air,” told me. That’s how long humanity has to lower emissions before climatic devastation, according to his calculations. “There’s a very decent chance you can do that with wind and solar,” he said. Perhaps, when resources and time are finite, trying and failing — or simply taking too long — could be worse than not trying at all.

Read the rest of the story by Brent Crane published in The New Yorkerhere. (Requires setting up an account for limited, trial access.)

Joseph Moore, featured in the story above, was recently honored by the Utah State Legislature for his lifetime of service and dedication to advancing geothermal energy. Read more here.

An emissions tale of two cities: SLC & LA

February 28, 2025

Utah and Southern California differ sharply in their approaches to this problem, with the latter implementing more stringent regulations and fuel standards aimed at reducing emissions from motor vehicles. New research from the University of Utah, in collaboration with University of California scientists, shows California’s earlier adoption of stricter rules may have helped lower concentrations of one pollutant—carbon monoxide, or CO—on LA freeways.

We wanted to see empirically how emission characteristics have changed in these two cities over time,” said co-author John Lin, a Utah professor of atmospheric sciences. The research was initiated by Francesca Hopkins, a professor of climate change and sustainability at UC Riverside, and conducted with colleagues at UC Irvine.

The study relied on measurements taken by mobile labs that drove up and down LA and Salt Lake freeways for a few weeks in the summers of 2013 and 2019, with follow-up data gathering in Los Angeles over the next two summers to observe the effect of the COVID pandemic.

The study especially focused on the ratios of CO to CO₂ (carbon dioxide) observed by the mobile labs. These two gasses are co-emitted from fossil fuel combustion and their ratio is an indicator of the efficiency of that combustion since efficient internal combustion engines would convert more of the fuel to CO₂ instead of CO. The more CO emitted relative to CO₂, the less efficiently the fuel is being burned.

Finding Climate-Water solutions

February 13, 2025

Pearl Kling, international cooperation officer from Université Côte d’Azur, speaking with Dr. William Anderegg, director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy.

The event fulfilled a newly formed U partnership with Université Côte d’Azur in Nice, France. France’s Région Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur will host the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Salt Lake City, Utah, will host them in 2034.

The climate solutions hackathon challenges undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline to team-up and develop proposals in a slide deck within 24 hours.

This year, the teams worked from Friday Jan. 31st until Saturday morning, Feb 1st.

The teams of three to five had a day to propose a solution via a slide deck and short presentation promptly due the next morning. The challenge was to propose an innovative, data-driven solution in one of five categories:s surrounding the water resiliency theme.

Municipal Water Supply
Inland and Coastal Flooding
Agriculture
Drought
Water and Energy Infrastructure

Gathered in a bustling event hall in Crocker Science Center, the students engaged with expert faculty from both universities and drew inspiration from a video mentoring space of adept researchers. Mentors touched on important topics; for example, the U’s Marian Rice, associate director of Peak Water Sustainability Engine, spoke on topics such as partnering to protect watersheds and opportunities for green infrastructure. With approximately 88 students participating, 17 total slide decks were ultimately submitted.

On Saturday morning the teams reassembled to pitch their ideas to their peers at the Crocker Science Center, after which the group voted for the most impressive presentations. Two teams tied for this “People’s Choice Award.”

A panel of Wilkes Center staff and faculty, along with Professor Isabelle La Jeunesse from Université Côte d’Azur, deliberated over the weekend to officially select the top three proposals. Teams were evaluated according to four criteria:

Problem definition and analysis
Uniqueness and innovation
Idea feasibility
Implementation and scalability

“The ideas developed, particularly those of the finalists in this Hackathon, are realistic projects and thus potentially feasible,” said La Jeunesse. “It is therefore entirely possible that some of them will decide to get involved in developing their project, which would be fantastic given the great need in this field.”

GSL Strike Team Update

February 3, 2025

The Great Salt Lake Strike Team — a collaboration of technical experts from Utah’s research universities and state agencies – today released their 2025 data and insights summary. Their authoritative analysis makes eminently clear four critical points:

Benefits of the lake — Utah receives numerous economic, ecological and human health benefits from the lake. The costs of inaction to the economy, human health, and ecological conditions remain significant.
Making progress — The state of Utah continues to make meaningful progress, including water conservation, infrastructure investment (including measurement and monitoring), statutory and regulatory reforms, berm management, and other actions. The state’s multi-year, data-driven strategy to conserve, dedicate, and deliver water to the lake is on track.
Long-term endeavor — Stabilizing and raising lake levels; managing salinity; and protecting economic, human, and species health will require many years of stewardship leading up to the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and beyond. Success requires everyone in the Great Salt Lake Basin to participate in conserving, dedicating, and delivering water to the lake every year.
Utah’s plan — Later this month the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Office will release the 2034 Plan for a Healthy Great Salt Lake. The plan builds upon the Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan, released in January 2024, by identifying actions needed over the next ten years to preserve the benefits Great Salt Lake provides to Utah and the world. This plan is informed by data developed by the Strike Team.3

“All indications demonstrate that delivering more water to the lake is a far more cost-effective solution than managing the impacts of a lake at a perpetually low level,” said Brian Steed, co-chair of the Great Salt Lake Strike Team and Great Salt Lake Commissioner. “We can invest time and financial resources now or pay a lot more later. Fortunately, we have great data and a balanced and workable plan to succeed.”

Utah’s research universities – Utah State University and University of Utah — formed the Great Salt Lake Strike Team to provide a primary point of contact for policymakers as they address the economic, health, and ecological challenges created by the low elevation levels of the lake. Together with state agency professionals, the Strike Team brings together experts in public policy, hydrology, water management, climatology, dust, and economics to provide impartial, data-informed, and solution-oriented support for the Commissioner’s Office and other Utah decision-makers. The Strike Team does not advocate but rather functions in a technical, policy-advisory role as a service to the state.

“Low lake elevations created by rising temperatures and human water depletions continue to put at risk the benefits created by the lake,” said William Anderegg, Strike Team co-chair and Director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy at the University of Utah. “Our review of the data confirms that with steady and deliberate actions we can first stabilize and then raise lake elevation to levels that protect the benefits provided by the lake.”

The Strike Team’s report includes reporting on lake elevation, reservoir storage, salinity, streamflow, human water use, water rights and change applications, and mineral extraction. Importantly, the report identifies over 30 major milestones from 2024, including but not limited to the following:

Lake elevation — Increased inflows during 2024 were spread across both arms of the lake, resulting in a stable elevation for the south arm and larger gains for the north arm (2.8-foot rise). The lake remains well below the healthy range.
Ecosystem recovery/bring shrimp — Brine shrimp populations increased, with egg numbers up 50% from last year.
Invasive species — The state removed 15,600 acres of water-intensive phragmites, plus many more by other entities.
Funding – The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation directed $50 million toward Great Salt Lake preservation projects. Utah awarded $5.4 million to support 6,000 acres of Great Salt Lake wetlands and allocated $22 million for Great Salt Lake water infrastructure projects and $15 million to the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Office for planning and water leasing.
Water donations and releases — Jordan Valley Water Conservancy, Welby Jacob Water Users, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released approximately 10,000 acre-feet from Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake via the Jordan River. Compass Minerals agreed to forgo 200,000 acre-feet of future water use, and Morton Salt agreed to forgo 54,000 acre-feet of future water use. Both companies also agreed to cease all usage if the lake drops to 2022 levels. Water conservancy districts released stored water during the winter, including approximately 700,000 acre-feet of water that was released through the Jordan and Weber river systems.

The Strike Team acknowledges and appreciates the support of Gov. Spencer Cox and his Cabinet, Senate President Stuart Adams, Speaker Mike Schultz, the full Utah Legislature, Presidents Elizabeth Cantwell and Taylor Randall, and other colleagues and partners who support data-informed solutions for the lake. The leaders of the Strike Team affirmed in their opening letter that “actions to ensure a healthy Great Salt Lake are both necessary and possible.”

Recent average daily elevation of Great Salt Lake north and south arms (1903-2024)

Source: US Geological Survey Historical Elevation at Saltair Boat Harbor and Saline, UT.

The full report is now available online.

Trailblazing with Earth & Environmental Science

One of the newest majors available for undergraduate students at the University of Utah is Earth & Environmental Science (EES).

Ryker Ray

Tucker Hastings

Urgency and hope at 2025 Wilkes Climate Summit

Clean energy transition and the global rise of solar power

Unravelling Nature’s Marine Cloud Brightening

In the pristine waters of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, scientists have discovered fascinating patterns in cloud formation that could have major implications for understanding Earth’s climate.

Nature’s Cloud Factory

Following the Air’s Journey

The Chemistry Behind the Clouds

Utah's Energy Future

At a recent panel discussion at the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy’s annual Summit at the University of Utah, energy experts gathered to discuss the future of alternative energy in Utah.

Utah's ‘Energy Royal Flush’

World-Leading Geothermal Research

Nuclear's Role in a Clean Energy Future

Clean Energy Economics and Climate Action

Collaboration as Utah's Strength

Higher Education’s Impact Happening Now

Opinion: Water Wasting Landscapes? U Decide.

Since 1986, the Great Salt Lake has dropped 22 feet. Twenty-two feet is only the height of a two-story building, a streetlight or a young Saguaro cactus. It’s not that impressive.

the West’s latest air quality threats

A new Dust Bowl?

a Climate Moon Shot Beneath Our Feet

North Milford Valley, in western Utah, is home to dormant volcanoes, subterranean lava deposits, and smatterings of obsidian—black volcanic glass—that Paiute peoples once collected for arrowheads and jewelry. Scalding groundwater still bubbles to the surface in places.

An emissions tale of two cities: SLC vs. LA

They may both be Olympic host cities, but Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the major population hubs of their respective states, are many different places. However, they both experience poor air quality and share valley topography that traps pollutants during weather inversions.

Finding Climate-Water Solutions

making progress on Great Salt Lake

Low water levels at Great Salt Lake continue to threaten Utah’s economic, ecological and human health.