News

Sunrise shot of the Tucson area from the roof of the Thomas W. Keating Bioresearch Building (BIO5 Institute)

Celebrated for its vast natural beauty, wild rivers, iconic landscapes, and old-growth forests, the western United States is also central to some of our nation’s most critical environmental issues, including drought, wildfire, urban sprawl, and natural and cultural resource management. Learn how our research provides solutions to environmental challenges for the Desert Southwest, and beyond.

View By Theme

Jaden raising her hands in front of a large rock formation

Jaden Iniguez Shows Us You Don't Have to Have Everything Figured Out to Know What You're Passionate About

The drought continues, and research shows the time between storms is growing

Arizona is facing water shortages with a decades long drought showing no signs of letting up. And if you thought monsoon storms are becoming less frequent, University of Arizona research backs that up too.

A Threatened Toad’s Hallucinogenic Secretions Are in High Demand

The latest trendy shortcut to spiritual awakening is fueled by one creature’s psychedelic stress sweats.

Small Number of Permian Oil and Gas Sites Are Releasing Large Amounts of Methane

A relatively tiny number of Permian oil and gas sites are responsible for a wildly disproportionate amount of methane pollution, a new study from Methane Source Finder found.

One forest fire killed off 10 percent of the world’s Giant Sequoias

 At least a tenth of the world’s mature giant sequoia trees were destroyed by a single California wildfire that tore through the southern Sierra Nevada last year.

UA, Diné College Receive $500K USDA Grant To Train Navajo Water Scientists

The University of Arizona and the Navajo Nation’s Diné College were awarded a $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for training and research on water scarcity and challenges on the reservation. 

More than 200 firefighters battle massive Phoenix blaze, the largest response in department history

Fire crews were still putting out embers and hot spots Sunday of a massive blaze at a recycling yard that authorities say drew the largest response in the Phoenix Fire Department’s history.

The Basin Between Texas and New Mexico Leaks Heaps of Methane, NASA Finds

The study says fixing 123 methane leaks in Texas could reduce U.S.' methane emissions by 5.5%.

Cleaning up methane pollution from Permian super emitters is ‘low hanging fruit’ for the climate, study finds

Experts shine a spotlight on the worst offenders in the Permian basin. The technological fixes are obvious, they say, but state regulators are so far unwilling to act.

Hoover Dam, a symbol of the modern West, faces an epic water shortage

The effects of drought and climate change are seen at Hoover Dam, which will soon hold the smallest amount of water since it was filled in the 1930s.

One year later, researchers chart damage, recovery from Bighorn Fire`

It began with a lightning strike on a parched mountainside above Oro Valley one year ago Saturday.

Leaks account for half of major methane sources at largest US oilfield — study

Malfunctioning equipment accounts for about half of the biggest sources of potent greenhouse gas methane emissions at the United States' largest oilfield, a study led by NASA showed on Wednesday.