A new study shows much of the Arctic tundra biome became greener during recent decades, likely due to rising summer air temperatures stimulating plant growth. Ecoinformatics researchers from SICCS teamed with field ecologists at eight institutions around the world to investigate how, where, and why tundra greenness changed since the 1980s. Drawing on Landsat satellite observations from 1985 to 2016, they found tundra greenness increased at 38% of sampling sites across… Read more
The five-year partnership between NAU and the Phoenix-based Salt River Project funds research focusing on applied research activities related to SRP’s core businesses of power and water. Graduate and undergraduate students join NAU researchers in these projects. Read More.
With funding through the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative, Northern Arizona University researchers are partnering with the University of Hawai’i to investigate biological, socioeconomic factors driving early childhood caries. Read more.
Ben Ruddell and Richard Rushforth, with collaborators throughout the country, looked at how much water conservation can readily and affordably be achieved in each region and industry by studying what conservation measures were already working and considering how much water is being used. Read More.
In a study published Aug. 5 in Nature, an interdisciplinary, international team of researchers including SICCS faculty, Marc Tollis, , in partnership with Māori tribe Ngātiwai, sequenced, assembled and analyzed the complete genome of the Sphenodon punctatus, or the tuatara, a rare reptile whose ancestors once roamed the earth with dinosaurs. It hasn’t changed much in the 150 million to 250 million years since then. Read More.
Dr. Kevin Gurney and Pawlok Dass, have been exploring the relationship between new data on daily traffic and the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States. The analysis shows that prior to the end of March, U.S. traffic activity—a useful proxy for a return to pre-COVID economic activity—declined rapidly as the number of COVID-19 cases increased. However, since that time, traffic activity and COVID-19 cases have been exhibiting strong regional patterns, with states such as California and Texas… Read more