New heat mapping tool points to hidden risks across San Diego, creates roadmaps to counter rising temperatures
A new countywide heat mapping tool is helping identify which San Diego neighborhoods face the greatest health risks from extreme temperatures by combining weather, land surface, health and socioeconomic data. Developed through the Shade SD initiative, the interactive Heat Risk Explorer highlights vulnerable communities and aims to guide investments in cooling strategies such as tree planting, shade structures and heat-resilient infrastructure. Researchers say the publicly available tool can help governments prioritize resources as climate change drives hotter conditions.
Ocean ecosystems need our help. A new collaboration puts coral reefs center stage, optimizes their recovery
A new collaboration between Samsung, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Seatrees is helping scientists restore endangered coral reefs using smartphone technology. Researchers developed “Ocean Mode,” a camera feature that improves underwater imaging, allowing detailed 3D reef mapping at a lower cost. The project has already mapped 86 reefs and supported the planting of more than 21,000 coral fragments. Scientists say the technology could also expand citizen science efforts and help communities monitor fragile marine ecosystems.
UCSD, San Diego State part of widespread attack on Canvas education platform
Hackers linked to the cybercriminal group ShinyHunters disrupted the Canvas learning platform Thursday, locking students at University of California San Diego and San Diego State University out of coursework and finals materials. A ransom message threatened to leak data from thousands of schools if payment was not made by May 12. Universities nationwide reported outages as Canvas owner Instructure placed the platform into maintenance mode while investigating the breach. Officials warned students to avoid suspicious links and phishing attempts.