Tags: climate change

photo of people constructing new shoreline reef, day

Oyster shore strengthens Sapelo Island

Nik Heynen, Distinguished Research Professor of geography in the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and friends hit upon an ingenious idea to tackle waste in an Athens industry and arrest the effects of sea level rise on a Georgia barrier island. Tyler Leslie and Hunt Revell had worked at the popular downtown Athens seafood restaurant, Seabear. Working at an oyster bar, Leslie and Revell were aware of the high volume…
photo of sea, clouds, sky and marsh, with boat day

Georgia Coastal Ecosystems research program renewed for fourth cycle

A long-term ecological research project run by the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems research program has been renewed by a $7.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant supports research on how ecological disturbances affect marsh health and resilience, comprehensive efforts dedicated to understanding a diversity of habitats and how they respond to changing conditions:…
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UGA doctoral student wins atmospheric sciences award

University of Georgia doctoral candidate Ashley Cornish received the 27th annual Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences from the Desert Research Institute. An award ceremony commemorating her achievement was held at the DRI campus in Reno on Oct. 7, 2025. The Peter B. Wagner Memorial Award for Women in Atmospheric Sciences is an annual competition recognizing the published works of women pursuing a…
photo of flooded street, day

UGA, Duke collaborate with insurers to rethink climate resilience

Funded by a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, a new partnership between the University of Georgia, Duke University and leaders from the insurance and climate data industries will launch the Center for Innovation in Risk, Catastrophes, and Decisions (CIRCAD),  a new initiative focused on insurance innovation and large-scale climate risk mitigation research. CIRCAD will convene researchers, insurers,…
photo of shoreline mountain with clouds, sea and ship in foreground

International expedition tracks East Greenland Coastal Current

Nick Foukal, assistant professor in the UGA Department of Marine Sciences is co-leader of an international research project focused on oceanography and current measurements in the East Greenland Coastal Current. The team’s observations aboard the Research Vessel Thorunn Thordardottir from August 29 through September 12 aim to help determine how the East Greenland Coastal Current may influence the stability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning…
photo of swamp, day, with trees, water, sky

Ancient bald cypress trees archive climate secrets, future clues

A new research study led by UGA anthropology alumna Katherine Napora (Ph.D. '21) reveals how dramatic shifts in climate can have long-lasting effects on even the toughest, most iconic trees – and offers a glimpse into the powerful forces that shape our natural world. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and the UGA Museum of Natural History studied bald cypress trees from a buried subfossil deposit at the mouth of the Altamaha River near…
photo of morning light rays through trees, foilage

Higher CO2 levels leading plants to contribute to warmer temperatures

One of the elevated dangers of global climate change is discoveries outside the boundaries of expected changes – whether temperature, sea level and other predicted results of higher atmospheric carbon concentrations. UGA scientists now have added plants to net contributors to rising global temperatures. The scientists detail the findings in a study published in the Nature journal Climate and Atmospheric Science documenting the impact of…
photo of sunrise over marsh

New study documents declining health of coastal marshes

Scientists from Colorado State University, Georgia Southern, the University of Georgia and the University of Texas at Austin developed a model to provide an early warning and opportunity to protect an ecosystem that serves as the first line of defense against coastal flooding. By using satellite observations, the model identified vulnerable marshes along Georgia’s coast by locating declining root production – a harbinger of marsh failure. The…
photo of flowers, rocks, day

Even common plants threatened by climate change, new study shows

New research from a team led by University of Georgia scientists from the Franklin College and the Odum School of Ecology reveals that even common plant species with a broad geographic distribution are at risk of decline based on climate change, potentially contributing to a loss in biodiversity.  Published in Science , the study integrates ecological and evolutionary approaches to model past, present and projected climatic tolerances…
photo of arch, building in background, day

Four Franklin College faculty members named AAAS Fellows

In honor of their extraordinary achievements leading to scientific advancement, Five University of Georgia faculty – four from the Franklin College – have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, bringing the university’s total membership in the exclusive group to 50. Franklin's new Fellows are Thomas Mote, Robert Schmitz, Michael Terns and Zheng-Hua Ye. Melissa Mitchum of the College of Agricultural and…
photo of scientific device suspended about sea, mountains and sky in background

Noted and Quoted, January 2025

Across the New Year, Franklin faculty remained constantly engaged in research, scholarship and media outreach around the globe.  A few of the many stories that framed the calendar change over the previous month: 2024 likely the warmest year on record — why it matters to you – Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences  Marshall Shepherd writing at Forbes The Semester at Skidaway study program shines –…
graphic with video still, text, flood and bare tree

PBS series Weathered features UGA's Shepherd

A new PBS production WEATHERED: EARTH’S EXTREMES, a six-part docu-series debuts in October on YouTube, and PBS stations (check local listings). In 30-minute episodes, audiences follow host and science communicator Maiya May as she delves into the impacts of climate change and meets with the people inside communities on the frontline of extreme weather events. Throughout the series, Maiya May introduces audiences to scientists and community…
photo of equipment and people on board a ship, sea in background, day

Where the ocean meets the air

A National Science Foundation collaborative project between researchers from the University of Delaware and the University of Georgia to better understand how nutrients, pollutants and organic matter are exchanged between the air and the sea recently conducted a research cruise in the North Atlantic Ocean. The cruise aboard UD’s Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp to study the sea surface microlayer was designed to better understanding the role it…
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Noted and Quoted, Summer 2024

As campus winds into fall semester, Franklin College faculty have been working all summer – sharing, expertise, informed opinion and new research findings in media around the world. From cosmic rays to hurricanes to workaholism, a sample of the stories we saw this summer: John Knox, professor geography and associate director of the atmospheric sciences program, comments on how Project 2025 would impact the National Weather Service – AJC Dawdling…
photo of gloved hands with tube in lab with plant stem

Getting to the roots of climate solutions

As responses to climate change move toward adaptive solutions, plant genetics research faculty at the University of Georgia are seeking plant-based solutions. Some of these colleagues – from across campus, within and beyond the Franklin College – conduct studies at the cellular level, while others investigate plants as whole organisms. Still others are exploring how epigenetics shape entire ecosystems. And while a number of UGA geneticists…
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