Heat Waves

For fast access to experts, TEXT or call the 24-hour-experts hotline at 951-312-3049, or email news@ucr.edu 

Robert Allen, assistant professor of climatology. Allen uses climate models in his research and can talk to reporters about how such models can improve our understanding of climate change. “Several observational studies have shown the frequency of occurrence of extreme warm temperatures has increased,” he says. rjallen@ucr.edu

Cameron Barrows: Research ecologist at the UCR Center for Conservation Biology. Relationship of warmer, wetter conditions to the spread of disease-carrying mosquitos, spreading malaria, Zika, dengue, West Nile diseases, and ticks carrying Lyme disease. cbarrows@ucr.edu

Francesca Hopkins: Assistant professor of climate change and sustainability. Greenhouse gas emissions; terrestrial carbon cycle; isotope biogeochemistry. New paper out soon on how climate change and increasing heat will specifically affect the Coachella Valley. francesca.hopkins@ucr.edu

Milt McGiffen, cooperative extension vegetable crops specialist and plant physiologist. McGiffen researches sustainable agriculture and can comment on the impact of the heat waves on crops and crop production. “As I understand it, the climate change predictions are that if you are currently dry and hot, you become drier and hotter; if you are wet and cold, you become more so – so places where the climate is near the extreme may be pushed over the edge.” milt@ucr.edu

Richard Minnich, professor of earth sciences. Minnich, a fire ecologist, can explain how climate change influences wildfires. “This is the third consecutive year when the Pacific Ocean just off the west coast is unusually cold this summer, encouraging heat in the middle of the country,” he says. richard.minnich@ucr.edu

Hamidreza Nazaripouya, Assistant Professional Researcher Winston Chung Global Energy Center, Assistant Adjunct Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering. Power Systems and smart grid, power electronics, control and optimization. hamidreza.nazaripouya@ucr.edu 

Miroslav Penchev, Assistant Project Scientist at CE-CERT. He can talk about how microgrids can buffer us against blackouts. miroslav.penchev@ucr.edu 

Andy Ridgwell: Professor of geology. Biochemical modeling; climate; researches climate change in the past; geological climate records; global carbon cycling; ocean nutrient cycles; evolution and extinction; climate and carbon cycle models (and modeling). andrew.ridgwell@ucr.edu

Emma Simmons, M.D., associate dean of student affairs, School of Medicine. Dr. Simmons can answer health-related questions pertinent to the heat wave and discuss simple measures people can take to mitigate the effects of the heat wave. emma.simmons@ucr.edu

Sadrul Ula, Managing Director of Winston Chung Global Energy Center, a new research center at the UC Riverside Bourns College of Engineering. He is also an Assistant Researcher at CE-CERT and part of the Southern California Research Initiative for Solar Energy (SC-RISE). Dr. Ula is working on research, development and outreach aspects of electrical energy storage, power transmission and distribution, smart grids, solar photo-voltaic (PV), solar thermal, concentrated PV (CPV) and concentrated solar (CSP), as well as wind energy. sadrul.ula@ucr.edu

Nanpeng Yu, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering. Before joining UCR, Dr. Yu was a senior power system planner and project manager at Southern California Edison from January 2011 to July 2014. He can speak about power utilities in SoCal. nanpeng.yu@ucr.edu