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Sierra Garcia

Sierra Garcia

Sierra is an interdisciplinary science writer with expertise in ocean science, sustainability, and climate change communication theories. Her work has appeared in Grist and the Oxford Climate Review among other outlets. She is from California’s central coast.

Aerial view of Bangalore city in south India

Bangalore’s Green Belt Fifty Years On

Or, why the best laid plans of urban design sometimes go awry.
Antipathes dendrochristos

Meet the Christmas Tree Doppelgängers of the Sea

More than one marine species is named for the beloved evergreens.
Limnoria quadripunctata, male and female, ventral view.

How “Termites of the Sea” Have Shaped Maritime Technology

These small marine pests have been eating our ships for millennia, forcing us to keep building better boats throughout history.
An infinity symbol in water

Destroying “Forever Chemicals” For Good

But will it make a difference for cleaning up pollution?
The Chiang Mai crocodile newt

The Quiet eDNA Revolution Transforming Conservation

The aquatic monitoring tool has powerful potential.
A koala named Pete from Pappinbarra at The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on November 29, 2019 in Port Macquarie, Australia

Ecological Surprises From Fires Down Under

The recent Australian 2019-2020 bushfires were devastating for people and fauna. Long term, they may not hurt wildlife and ecosystems as much as expected.
View of an airliner throughout stormy clouds and just inside a calm weather.

Why Climate-Change Geoengineering Feels Wrong

The idea of altering the climate instead of tackling emissions in earnest inspires widespread angst. A philosopher considers why.
View of the Pacific Ocean in Point Mugu State Park, Ventura County, CA

How Drought Could Make Sea-Level Rise Worse

Take southern California, for instance.
Barechested workers erect a Nazi flag on a hill at Buckeberg in preparation for a Harvest Festival.

Why National Pride Could Make or Break Climate Action

Nationalism and environmentalism have a history of pairing in dark ways. What does this mean for international climate negotiations?
Elysia clarki

Solar-Powered Sea Slugs and Survival in Future Seas

These Florida mollusks make off with chloroplasts from algae and cleverly photosynthesize them for their own nutrition.
Pollution Rising from Factories in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Descubriendo pistas sobre la contaminación local con magnetismo

Un análisis químico de una área puede determinar cuánta contaminación hay en el aire. Pero hay un método mucho menos costoso que podría ayudar a las comunidades más pobres.
Pollution Rising from Factories in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Magnetism Can Reveal Levels of Local Air Pollution

A chemical analysis of an area can find out how much pollution is in the air. But there's a much less expensive method that could help poorer communities.
Palau, Micronesia

Scientists Find Clues to the Mysteries of an Ocean Reef

Beyond the tropical waters of the island nation of Palau lies the Ngaraard Pinnacle, a much rarer kind of reef than its colorful coral cousin.
Photograph: Barbed Wire Fence in Jail.

Source: Getty

Climate Change and the Criminal Justice System

Climate change will affect prison infrastructure, the kinds of crimes committed, and defense arguments made in court, according to one legal scholar.
Whole Foods organic products

How the “Organic” Label Leaves Small Farmers Out

The USDA's requirements for organic labeling make it easier for large agri-business than the smaller farmers you'd think of as "organic."
Euhadra snails mating

The Surprisingly Egalitarian Love Lives of Garden Snails

Mating snails stab each other with barbs to increase chances of paternity.
tree with a growing cacao beans on the branches

Will Chocolate Survive Climate Change? Actually, Maybe

The forecast has been bad for domesticated cacao. But some environments in Peru might hold the key to the future of the world's sweet tooth.
Black-Tip Reef Sharks in shallow water lagoon, Fakarava, Tahiti

Sharks Are Hiding from Scientists in Plain Sight—Almost

Marine biologists need to count sharks to save them, but the common practice of using video cameras to record populations could be improved.
Construction method from the Severn Barrage from the English coast to the Welsh coast

Tidal Power: A Forgotten Renewable Resource?

For well over a century, engineers have proposed harnessing the ocean's tides for energy. But the idea hasn't seemed to register in many places.
Coloured SEM of eye of sand fly (Ceratopogonidae)

Dude, There Are Sand Flies That Consume Cannabis

Could these blood-sucking pests actually have the munchies?
Copepod

The Little Plankton That Could

Arguably the world's most abundant animal, calanoid copepods can leap like whoa Nelly. And check out their enigmatic embryos!
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deepwater_Horizon_offshore_drilling_unit_on_fire_2010.jpg

Where Did the Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Spill Go?

The public's focus eventually turned away from the 2010 disaster. Scientists, however, are still learning the scale of the devastation.
Ship sunset cruise on the Antarctic peninsula

Antarctica Is Warming. Are Invasive Species on the Way?

Algae, crustaceans, and other types of organisms can hitchhike into new ecosystems under the hulls of ships.
Finistère by Rhona Haszard, 1926

What Happens When Rising Seas Shift Maritime Borders?

Some countries argue that they should keep their ocean territories, even if the land they're based on is submerged.
A hydrogen pumping station for hydrogen-powered cars stands on June 10, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.

What Will Green Hydrogen Mean for International Relations?

Storing and transporting excess renewable energy as hydrogen could reshape global energy politics.