Kat Kerlin

First Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Northern Elephant Seals Confirmed in California Seven weaned elephant seal pups in California’s Año Nuevo State Park tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Service...

"This is exceptionally rapid detection of an outbreak in free-ranging marine mammals."- Christine Johnson, @ucdavis.bsky.social. With partners @ucsantacruz.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...

Bird Flu Strikes California Elephant Seals for the First Time Thirty seals, primarily weaned pups, have died since late last week, scientists said.

A lethal form of bird flu, which has already killed tens of thousands of elephant seals in the Southern Hemisphere, is now spreading in a colony of elephant seals in California, scientists said on Wednesday.

Coincidentally, Lisa, I’m writing about reefs, so I’m sure you do understand!

Sometimes…writing…feels…like…walking…in…mud.

Sometimes…writing…feels…like…walking…in…mud. You feel me?

Frog Love Songs and the Sounds of Climate Change A good love song tells female frogs when the time is right for mating, finds a UC Davis study showing male frogs change their tune as the weather warms.

After a slow start in early spring, male frogs pick up the pace of their love songs as the weather warms. Lady frogs not only find "hotter" songs more attractive, it signals the temperature is right for laying their eggs, finds new @ucdavis.bsky.social study. ❤️🎵 www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

Tell Me Something Good … About Salmon For every bad thing happening in the world, there are good people trying to make things right. Sometimes they even win. That’s why I’m starting a new monthly series on this blog called “Tell Me Someth...

For every bad thing happening in the world—and, wow, is it bad—there are good people trying to make things right. Sometimes they even win. #TellMeSomethingGood series 💡 @ucdavis.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

H5N1 Causes Die-off of Antarctic Skuas, a Seabird More than 50 skua deaths in Antarctica from H5N1 mark the first confirmed die-off of wildlife from bird flu on the continent, reports study from UC Davis and Erasmus MC.

Scientists confirm H5N1 as cause of death for more than 50 skuas, a seabird, that died in Antarctica in 2023-24. It marks first confirmed die-off of wildlife from bird flu on the continent, New study from @ucdavis.bsky.social @erasmusmc.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...

Well this is terrible. Sad news about Washington Post and much of its climate desk. 💔

Some Corals Can Stand the Heat — Could They Help Those That Can’t? UC Davis researchers are studying why some corals can stand heat and heal from bleaching. The answers could help protect coral reefs from climate change.

Why can some corals take the heat and others die from it? A @ucdavis.bsky.social feature story dives in to research looking at ways to help coral reefs adapt. @dranyabrown.bsky.social @rachaelabay.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

Expedition to Antarctica: UC Davis Tracks Melting Glaciers UC Davis scientists are in Antarctica to deploy Gull, an autonomous underwater vehicle known as a glider, that will help us understand how fast one of the world’s biggest and most important glaciers —...

Our scientists are in Antarctica with an international team and the @nytimes.com. Our underwater robot is helping us learn how fast Thwaites and other glaciers are melting -- and how fast we need to be ready for it. @ucdavis.bsky.social @ucdavistahoe.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

Peter Moyle and grandchild sample for aquatic insects near the Pedrick Road Bridge, July 2020. (Courtesy Petrea Moyle Marchand)

I love this on so many levels: As a daughter, mom, nature lover, Peter Moyle fan, Putah Creek fan, and CA water lover. "Three Generations of Stewardship" by Petrea Moyle Marchand. @ucdavis.bsky.social @ucdaviswater.bsky.social californiawaterblog.com/2026/01/11/t...

An ancient bristlecone pine tree in eastern Nevada's Great Basin National Park. Gnarled bark twists toward sky with branches like someone raising hands and arm to the sky. A jumble of boulders are a tits base. Shrubs and gree trees in background. Photo by Kat Kerlin

Channeling some bristlecone pine energy for 2026. Extreme, harsh, and cold conditions? "Bring it," they say, but with grace and dignity.

We're getting back into the swing of things and we have some elements of science communication that we hope are "in" and "out" this year.

#ScienceForChange #CommunicationSkills #StrategicMessaging #ScienceCommunication #SciComm #ScienceEngage

Students in the UC Davis Bioinnovation Lab share a laugh. (Photo by Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)

We must not stop talking about joy in science. ... Excerpt: "We are drawn to this work by... a desire to do good, to learn more, to make a living, to explore uncharted waters, to make the world a better place, to advance technology, to teach, to help people." www.aaas.org/news/we-must...

Ah, figured it out! Thank you for your Climate Katherine’s starter pack @katharinehayhoe.com! It’s a great list and very effective! 😊

Red and golden leaves on ground

I suddenly have a bunch of new followers for some reason 🤔, so just wanted to say hello to all the nice new scientists and artists and concerned citizens who found me. 👋 Here’s a photo of some leaves on my front porch.

Lessons from the Caldor Fire’s Christmas Valley ‘Miracle’ The Lake Tahoe communities of Christmas Valley and Meyers were spared during 2021's Caldor Fire. A UC Davis study reveals which pre-fire fuel treatments worked best to bring about the Christmas Valley...

Some called it the "Christmas Valley miracle" when that Tahoe community and Meyers were spared during 2021's Caldor Fire. A @ucdavis.bsky.social study reveals which pre-fire treatments worked best to ⬇️ the fire damage. Also: Unburned fuel piles are a big problem. www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

Ps. These fish are not “reintroduced.” They are finding their way home because restored habitat is rolling out a welcome mat.

I 'll have a special rapid-response livestream for 8:30am PT today to discuss dire implications of this proposal to dismantle NCAR. Due to extreme fire weather in Boulder today (and associated pre-emptive power outages/NCAR closure), I am going live ASAP. www.youtube.com/live/FTKW68R...

Record Returns: 2,100 Salmon Spawned in Putah Creek A record-breaking 2,100 Chinook salmon returned to spawn in restored Putah Creek this fall. UC Davis fish biologists and partners are tracking and monitoring the run.

Our local Putah Creek boasts record returns for Chinook salmon! At least 2,100 this fall. This little creek, brown and muddy as it is, is such a bright spot for our region and state. @wfcbucdavis.bsky.social @ucdaviswater.bsky.social @ucdavis.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

Federal Funding Protects California’s Future When Tommy Ma and Tiffany Pan adopted a 3-month-old Ragdoll kitten named Lychee in 2022, they expected joy, not heartbreak.“Lychee was a dream come true,” Pan said. “Growing up, I’d never been allowed...

Federal Funding Protects California’s Future #FromLabstoLives www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...

2025 Arctic Report Card Released Bright orange rivers, a greening tundra, the “Atlantification” of the Arctic and record-breaking temperatures on both land and sea are among the emerging concerns highlighted in the 2025 Arctic Report...

'We are no longer just documenting warming — we are witnessing an entire marine ecosystem transform within a single generation.' NOAA and partners, including @ucdavis, release 2025 Arctic Report Card. www.ucdavis.edu/climate/blog...

I’m reminded today how federal scientists are literally risking their jobs just to get the truth out there about our changing environment and its consequences for all of us. It shouldn’t be brave work, but it is. I’m very grateful to them.

Map showing current temperatures in California (from PivotalWeather.com). It depicts balmy and even record warmth in the mountains and hills, as well as SoCal, with temperatures into the 70s and 80s in these areas, but very chilly temperatures in the Central Valley remaining in the low 40s under a dense fog layer.

Central California is currently experiencing one of the most remarkable temperature inversions I've ever seen in this part of the world. The Central Valley remains miserably damp & chilly under dense fog layer, but it's balmily warm & sunny just 2,000ft up nearby mountain slopes!

The EPA is wiping mention of human-caused climate change from its website Some pages have been tweaked to emphasize ‘natural forces’; others have been deleted entirely.

“This is, I think, one of the more dramatic scrubbings we’ve seen so far in the climate space,” said Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social, a climate scientist @ucanr.edu, reports @shannonosaka.bsky.social wapo.st/4pXFvDw

Federal Budget Cut Halts Solar Heat Technology Project A project to capture solar heat for industrial use — with potential spinoffs in other energy areas, including nuclear power — has been canceled by the U.S. Department of Energy on the cusp of its fina...

A $4.6M project to capture solar heat for industrial use was on the cusp of its final phase. Then it was canceled by the US Dept of Energy. @ucdavis.bsky.social @ucdavisnews.bsky.social #FromLabstoLives www.ucdavis.edu/news/federal...

Rising Heat Leads to Minimal Losses for California Processing Tomatoes California’s $1 billion processing tomato industry is highly efficient and likely will be able to withstand higher temperatures from climate change, as well as traffic.

California's tomato growers have a highly efficient system to get tomatoes from field to cannery. In a bit of good news, UC Davis researchers find the tomato chain likely isn't vulnerable to climate change. www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/ri...

Students relax on the Quad lawn with trees in the background. White text reading "#1 Greenest Campus in North America for 10th Year" and "According to UI GreenMetric World University Rankings" against a blue sky.

UC Davis is the “greenest” campus in North America and seventh most sustainable campus in the world, according to the 2025 UI GreenMetric World University Rankings: ucdav.is/4poPbqS

UC Davis now in space: Satellite built by students was successfully launched Nov. 28! @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social

Extracting Rare Earth Elements from U.S. Wastewaters A new federally funded research project at the University of California, Davis, endeavors to extract valuable components for magnets, lasers and other modern technologies from an unlikely source: acid...

A new federally funded research project led by @ucdavis.bsky.social will help develop technologies that recover previously discarded critical minerals from U.S. wastewaters. Learn more. @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social @ucdaviscaes.bsky.social @ucdlands.bsky.social
www.ucdavis.edu/news/extract...