Researchers from the 91爆料 provide a first look at the probability of observing common birds as air pollution worsens during wildfire seasons. They found that smoke affected the ability to detect more than a third of the bird species studied in Washington state over a four-year period. Sometimes smoke made it harder to observe birds, while other species were actually easier to detect when smoke was present.
91爆料 Provost Mark A. Richards has announced interim deans for both the College of the Environment and University Libraries.
Satellite images show that from 2017 to 2020, Pine Island Glacier’s ice shelf lost about one-fifth of its area, mostly in three dramatic breaks. This caused the glacier to speed up by 12%, hastening its downward motion and boosting its contribution to rising seas.
91爆料 glaciologists are co-authors on two papers that analyzed Antarctic ice cores to understand the continent鈥檚 air temperatures during the most recent glacial period. The results help understand how the region behaves during a major climate transition.
Maya Tolstoy has been named the Maggie Walker Dean of the College of the Environment, 91爆料 Provost Mark Richards announced today. Tolstoy鈥檚 appointment as dean, set to begin Jan. 1, 2022, is subject to approval by the 91爆料 Board of Regents.
Ice core data from Greenland shows why air pollution is dropping more slowly than sulfur emissions reductions. As cloud droplets become less acidic, the chemical reaction that turns sulfur dioxide into sulfate aerosol gets more efficient. The new results can improve the models that project air quality and climate change.
The U.S. Geological Survey, the 91爆料-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and state emergency managers on Tuesday, May 4, will activate the system that sends earthquake early warnings throughout Washington state. This completes the rollout of ShakeAlert, an automated system that gives people living in Washington, Oregon and California advance warning of incoming earthquakes.
Leveraging the tectonic laboratory of the Cascadia subduction zone, the 91爆料 today announced a new effort to best understand how to study and live with the threats of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanos, landslides and other seismic hazards. Dubbed the GeoHazards Initiative, the interdisciplinary work aims to develop and promote the adoption of early detection systems both on land and at sea to help prevent the loss of human life and property.
Scientists at the 91爆料, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, are raising sunflower sea stars in captivity, with the goal of learning more about this species and exploring eventual reintroduction to the wild, if determined to be advisable.
Four 91爆料 faculty members have been inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
In the Cascadia subduction zone, medium- and large-sized 鈥渋ntraslab鈥� earthquakes, in which the slip happens within the oceanic plate and below the continental plate, will likely produce only a few detectable aftershocks, according to a new study from the 91爆料 and the U.S. Geological Survey.
As carbon dioxide continues to rise, multiple changes in the leaves of tropical plants may help these ecosystems perform better under climate change than previous studies had suggested.
Joshua Lawler, a 91爆料 professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, has been named a 2021 fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Fellows are elected for life, and the honor recognizes scientists who advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, nonprofits and the broader society.
Scientists from the 91爆料 are testing the viability of making maple syrup in the Pacific Northwest. Long associated with Canada or Vermont, this sweet forest product that has graced many a breakfast table may be part of this region鈥檚 future.
Lightning strikes in the Arctic tripled from 2010 to 2020, a finding 91爆料 researchers attribute to rising temperatures due to human-caused climate change. The results, researchers say, suggest Arctic residents in northern Russia, Canada, Europe and Alaska need to prepare for the danger of more frequent lightning strikes.
Thanks to 20 years of observations from thousands of citizen scientists, 91爆料 researchers have discovered distinct patterns in the mass strandings of by-the-wind sailor jellies. Specifically, large strandings happened simultaneously from the northwest tip of Washington south to the Mendocino coast in California, and in years when winters were warmer than usual.
The future of an equitable and sustainable global ocean, or 鈥淏lue Economy,鈥� depends on more than natural or technological resources. A new study finds that socioeconomic and governance conditions such as national stability, corruption and human rights greatly affect different regions鈥� ability to achieve a Blue Economy 鈥� one that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically viable.
A new method to rate tornado warnings shows that nighttime tornadoes in the U.S. have a lower probability of detection and a higher false-alarm rate than other events. Summertime tornadoes, occurring in June, July or August, also are more likely to evade warning.
The Arctic Ocean鈥檚 Beaufort Sea has increased its freshwater content by 40% over the past two decades. When conditions change this freshwater will travel to the Labrador Sea off Canada, rather than through the wider marine passageways that connect to seas in Northern Europe. This has implications for local marine environments and global ocean circulation.
To understand how Puget Sound has changed, we first must understand how it used to be. But unlike most major estuaries in the U.S., long-term monitoring of Puget Sound fish populations did not exist until 1990. Now researchers have discovered an unconventional method to help fill in gaps in the data: old vessel logbooks.
After years in development, an earthquake early warning system known as ShakeAlert is on the cusp of being released in Oregon and Washington. Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, answers questions about the coming rollout.
During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities聽to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the 91爆料, and the greater community, together online.聽 Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All 91爆料 faculty, staff, and students have access to聽Zoom Pro via 91爆料-IT.聽 Joff Hanauer Honors Lecture Series:聽U.S. Foreign Policy and American Policing February 23, 5:00 – 6:00 PM |聽Online Daniel Bessner, Associate Professor in the Jackson School of…
How鈥檚 the snow on Northwest mountains this year? Overall a little deeper than normal, but it depends where you look. A new collaboration between the 91爆料, the Northwest Avalanche Center lets you see how the current snow depth compares to past years for nine sites in Washington and two in Oregon.
Human-caused warming is responsible for increasing the risk of a glacial outburst flood from Peru鈥檚 Lake Palcacocha, threatening the city below. This study is the first to directly link climate change with the risk of flooding from glacial lakes, which are growing in number and size worldwide.
Single-celled organisms in the open ocean use a diverse array of genetic tools to detect sunlight, even in tiny amounts, and respond. The discovery of these new genetic 鈥渓ight switches鈥� could also aid in the field of optogenetics, in which a cell鈥檚 function can be controlled with light exposure.
A new 91爆料 paper quantifies the tradeoffs between hydroelectric generation capacity and the impacts on river connectivity for thousands of current and projected future dams across Brazil. The findings confirm that small hydropower plants are far more responsible for river fragmentation than their larger counterparts due to their prevalence and distribution.
Fish populations tend to do better in places where rigorous fisheries management practices are used, and the more measures employed, the better for fish populations and food production, according to a new paper published Jan. 11 in Nature Sustainability.
A study co-authored by 91爆料’s Sunny Jardine finds that farmed Atlantic salmon, often labeled and sold as Pacific salmon or rainbow trout, is the second-most-consumed mislabeled seafood product in the U.S. Although not the most frequently mislabeled seafood, salmon’s popularity means it has one of the biggest environmental impacts.
The pressing concerns of climate change have placed the long-term health of the world鈥檚 coral reefs in jeopardy. However, new research inspires hope as some corals managed to survive a recent and globally unprecedented heatwave.
The 91爆料 today announced a major gift that elevates the importance of climate change and secures the legacy of Seattle philanthropist Maggie Walker by creating a namesake deanship for the College of the Environment.
A model based solely on the past 40 years of weather events uses 7,000 times less computer power than today鈥檚 weather forecasting tools. An A.I.-powered model could someday provide more accurate forecasts for rain, snow and other weather events.
New research reveals significant changes to the circulation of the North Pacific and its impact on the initial migration of humans from Asia to North America. It provides a new picture of the circulation and climate of the North Pacific at the end of the last ice age, with implications for early human migration.
Antarctica鈥檚 next deep ice core, a 1.5-mile core reaching back to 130,000-year-old ice, will be carried out by a multi-institutional U.S. team led by 91爆料’s Eric Steig. The site hundreds of miles from today鈥檚 coastline could provide clues to the most recent collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
A new 91爆料 study provides the first look at how much noise pollution is impacting the Olympic Peninsula. The paper found that aircraft were audible across a large swath of the peninsula at least 20% of weekday hours, or for about one hour during a six-hour period. About 88% of all audible aircraft in the pre-pandemic study were military planes.
At the current rate of global warming, mass coral bleaching is expected to become more frequent and severe worldwide. An international consortium of scientists, including a coral researcher from the 91爆料, has created the first-ever common framework for increasing comparability of research findings on coral bleaching.
A research team led by the 91爆料 and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has shown that microbes taken from trees growing beside pristine mountain-fed streams in Western Washington could make phosphorus trapped in soils more accessible to agricultural crops. The findings were published in October in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science.
The global pandemic is hurting the seafood industry, and American fishmongers may flounder without more government aid, according to the largest study of COVID-19鈥檚 impacts on U.S. fisheries.
The American Geophysical Union announced that its members have elected Lisa Graumlich, dean of the 91爆料 College of the Environment, as the president-elect starting Jan. 1. After two years in this role Graumlich will begin a two-year term as president of the AGU board beginning in 2023.
Scientists from around the world, including the 91爆料, have established the Arctic Animal Movement Archive, an online repository for data documenting the movements of animals in the Arctic and Subarctic. With this archive, scientists can share their knowledge and collaborate to ask questions about how animals are responding to a changing climate.
A 91爆料 meteorologist joins a national board for atmospheric research, an English professor’s story is honored and a Jackson School faculty member helps with research for a PBS show.