UCSD ranks first in U.S. in environmental science

UC San Diego ranks first nationally and fourth worldwide in earth and environmental research, according to the influential journal Nature.

The rankings are based on the collective contributions of the university’s faculty in major scientific journals.

UC San Diego is home to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which has long been a leader in such areas as climate change, marine biology and the dynamics of the world’s oceans.

In a statement, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said, “This ranking validates our recent strategic planning efforts that identify understanding and protecting the planet as one of four key research themes for (the campus).

Nature lists the top 10 institutions worldwide as: Chinese Academy of Sciences, the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, UC San Diego, NASA, NOAA, Caltech, University of Washington, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.