NASA-funded consortium to support science education in Washington, Oregon and Montana

February 17, 2016

NASA-funded consortium to support science education in Washington, Oregon and Montana

A new program based at the 榴莲视频 will bring together educational institutions, K-12 teachers and informal education organizations to inspire, teach and recruit the next generation of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The new Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pipeline, or NESSP, has begun a $10 million,聽five-year cooperative agreement with NASA that broadens existing programs and launches new efforts throughout Washington, Oregon and Montana, with a particular focus on underserved and underrepresented communities. “The goal is…

February 12, 2016

Rare beluga data show whales dive to maximize meals

Belugas observed among West Greenland sea ice.

As the Arctic continues to change due to rising temperatures, melting sea ice and human interest in developing oil and shipping routes, it’s important to understand belugas’ baseline behavior, argue the authors of a new paper.

February 11, 2016

Bellingham Bay buoy an opportunity to observe marine waters for Northwest Indian College, world

Preparing to launch the new buoy, named Se鈥檒haem, in Bellingham Bay.

The Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction, through its education partner the 榴莲视频, is deploying an oceanographic observing buoy in Bellingham Bay this week that will allow Northwest Indian College students both hands-on experience with the technology as well as the ability to study the data from their computers, through the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems, NANOOS.

February 2, 2016

UW awarded private, public grants to develop earthquake early warning tool

The UW is among West Coast universities awarded new funding to further develop ShakeAlert, an earthquake early warning system for the region.

Risk of lead poisoning from urban gardening is low, new study finds

Kids get creative with kale in Tacoma, Washington.

A 榴莲视频 study looked at potential risks associated with growing vegetables in urban gardens and determined that the benefits of locally produced vegetables in cities outweigh any risks from gardening in contaminated soils.

February 1, 2016

UW seismologist speaking at White House earthquake preparedness summit

UW seismologist John Vidale will participate in a White House summit focusing on national earthquake preparedness.

January 29, 2016

Moon’s tidal forces affect amount of rainfall on Earth

Satellite data show that the moon’s gravity puts a slight damper on rainfall on Earth.

January 26, 2016

Mathematical model explains huge recurring rainstorms in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans

A new model explains the fundamental features of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which some scientists predict will be the “next El Nino.”

January 20, 2016

UW-designed climate change games honored this week in Washington, D.C.

Two 榴莲视频 teams claimed top prizes in a national competition to design a game about climate adaptation.

What’s the name of that tree? New interactive plant map for arboretum

First-time visitors and regulars to Washington Park Arboretum can now learn the names and origins of plants as well as save favorites while strolling through the grounds.

January 13, 2016

Fewer than 1 in 25 Seattleites can really eat locally

A new 榴莲视频 study finds that urban crops in Seattle could only feed between 1 and 4 percent of the city’s population, even if all viable backyard and public green spaces were converted to growing produce.

Scientists solve long-standing ecological riddle

Researchers have found clear evidence that communities rich in species are substantially healthier and more productive than those depleted of species, once complicating factors are removed.

January 11, 2016

Northwest winter weather: El Ni帽o, coastal effects, no more ‘blob’

What some have called the “Godzilla El Ni帽o” is now lumbering ashore, right on schedule. El Ni帽o tends to influence North American weather after the first of January, and indeed, we’re seeing warm temperatures in Alaska and much-needed rain in California. 榴莲视频 researchers are tracking what the season will deliver to the Pacific Northwest region. For Washington, El Ni帽o typically brings warm, and often dry, winter weather. That may seem surprising, since the state just experienced a very…

West Coast study emphasizes challenges faced by marine organisms exposed to global change

Along the West Coast, ocean acidification and hypoxia combine with other factors, such as rising ocean temperatures, to create serious challenges for marine life, a new study finds.

January 6, 2016

UW climate scientists to give free talks at Mt. Baker Ski Area

poster with mountains and speakers' photos

UW scientists will give free talks on climate change for three consecutive Saturdays at Mt. Baker Ski Area.

December 22, 2015

Dating historic activity at Oso site shows recurring major landslides

The large, fast-moving mudslide that buried much of Oso, Washington in March 2014 was the deadliest landslide in U.S. history. Since then it’s been revealed that this area has experienced major slides before, but it’s not known how long ago they occurred. 榴莲视频 geologists analyzed woody debris buried in earlier slides and used radiocarbon dating to map the history of activity at the site. The findings, published online Dec. 22 in the journal Geology, show that a massive…

December 18, 2015

Oxygen provided breath of life that allowed animals to evolve

It took 100 million years for oxygen levels in the oceans and atmosphere to increase to the level that allowed the explosion of animal life on Earth about 600 million years ago, according to a study co-authored by two 榴莲视频 scientists and led by the University College London.

December 16, 2015

Composting food waste remains your best option, says UW study

A new 榴莲视频 study confirms that composting food scraps is better than throwing them away, and also calculates the environmental benefits associated with keeping these organic materials out of landfills.

December 9, 2015

Iceland volcano’s eruption shows how sulfur particles influence clouds

The long, slow 2014 eruption of Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano offers a testbed to show how sulfur emissions, from volcanoes or humans, act to brighten clouds and reflect more sunlight.

December 3, 2015

Citizen-science climate project adds logs from historic Arctic whaling ships

A citizen science project that asks volunteers to transcribe historic ships’ logbooks to uncover data about past Arctic climate has added logbooks from hundreds of whaling ships. The hunters’ handwritten logs will provide new clues about the history of Arctic climate and sea ice.

December 2, 2015

Vessel speed biggest factor in noise affecting killer whales

Digital acoustic recording tags temporarily attached to killer whales measured vessel noise reaching the whales.

The speed of vessels operating near endangered killer whales in Washington is the most influential factor 鈥� more so than vessel size 鈥� in how much noise from the boats reaches the whales, according to a new study published today in the online journal PLOS ONE.

November 23, 2015

AAAS names four UW researchers as fellows

Four 榴莲视频 researchers are among 347 new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for 2015.

November 17, 2015

New report outlines Puget Sound region’s future under climate change

A new report by the 榴莲视频 synthesizes all the relevant research about the future of the Puget Sound region to paint a picture of what to expect in the coming decades, and how to prepare.

November 16, 2015

Microbes that are key indicators of Puget Sound’s health in decline

Paleontologists with the 榴莲视频’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture find that tiny organisms called foraminifera have a big story to tell about the health of Puget Sound. Two recent studies about the health of Bellingham Bay and inlets in the Bremerton area found the diversity and number of foraminifera 鈥� single-celled marine organisms that live on the sea floor 鈥� deteriorated significantly. The decline of these microscopic organisms is consistent with the deterioration of snails and other larger marine animals, even though analysis showed a reduction of chemical pollutants in Bellingham Bay and Bremerton over the same period of time.

November 12, 2015

Oceans — and ocean activism — deserve broader role in climate change discussions

When President Barack Obama visited the shrinking Exit Glacier in September, he pointed to a very obvious sign of our warming planet literally at his feet. Less visible, but perhaps more indelible, signs of changing climate lie in the oceans. A 榴莲视频 researcher argues in the journal Science that people — including world leaders who will gather later this month in Paris for global climate change negotiations — should pay more attention to how climate change’s impacts on…

From garden to gut: New book from UW’s David Montgomery explores an unfolding scientific revolution

A new book by 榴莲视频 geologist David Montgomery weaves history, science and personal challenges into an exploration of humanity’s tangled relationship with microbes, perhaps the least loved and most misunderstood creatures on Earth 鈥� and in you. “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health” comes out Nov. 16 from W.W. Norton & Co. Montgomery, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences, co-wrote the book with his wife, Anne Bikl茅, a biologist and…

November 11, 2015

UW, NASA measure rain and snowfall to gauge new precipitation satellite

With high-tech weather radars, weather balloons, ground instruments and NASA’s DC-8 flying laboratory, scientists will be watching rain and snow storms on Washington’s famously wet Olympic Peninsula.

October 28, 2015

Alaskan trout choose early retirement over risky ocean-going career

A new study in Ecology shows that Alaskan Dolly Varden trout, once they reach about 12 inches in length, can retire permanently from going to sea. They rely on digestive organs that can massively expand and contract and a unique relationship with sockeye salmon.

October 21, 2015

Gear, not geoducks, impacts ecosystem if farming increases

The equipment used to farm geoducks, including PVC pipes and nets, might have a greater impact on the Puget Sound food web than the addition of the clams themselves. That’s one of the findings of the first major scientific study to examine the broad, long-term ecosystem effects of geoduck aquaculture in Puget Sound.

October 20, 2015

UW study: Will Puget Sound’s population spike under climate change?

A UW graduate student’s research paper is the first serious study of whether climate change is likely to cause human migration to the Puget Sound region.

October 7, 2015

Student collaboration leads to first results describing sick sea star immune response

A group of young marine-disease researchers from around the country has contributed key information about sea stars’ immune response when infected with a virus that is thought to cause a deadly wasting disease. It’s the first time researchers have tracked how genes behave when encountering this naturally occurring pathogen, which could help explain how sea stars attempt to fight the virus and why they develop lesions and appear to melt.

October 1, 2015

Simulating path of ‘magma mush’ inside an active volcano

The first simulation of the individual crystals in volcanic mush, a mix of liquid magma and solid crystals, shows the mixing to help understand pressure buildup deep inside a volcano.

September 30, 2015

Known fish species living in the Salish Sea increases in new report

An illustration of the longfin sculpin (Jordania zonope).

A new report published Tuesday documents all of the fishes that live in the Salish Sea. In total, 253 fish species have been recorded, and that’s about 14 percent more than in the last count.

September 17, 2015

Scientists: Let wildfires burn when prudent

In a commentary published Sept. 17 in Science, a team of scientists, including 榴莲视频 researchers Jerry Franklin and James Agee, describe unique opportunities and provide suggestions to reform forest fire management to reduce the impacts of inevitable wildfires in future years.

September 15, 2015

Young chum salmon may get biggest nutrition boost from Elliott Bay restored beaches

UW researchers sample for young salmon and invertebrates along a restored beach at Seacrest Park in Seattle's Elliott Bay.

榴莲视频 researchers have found the types of organisms in Seattle’s Elliott Bay change depending on the shoreline nearby, either armored or restored beaches. Young chum salmon adjusted their diets based on these changes.

September 4, 2015

September launch could give UW team rare measurements of ‘dusty plasmas’

Researchers from the 榴莲视频 are awaiting the launch an over 50-foot-long rocket from a launch site in Norway into the upper reaches of the atmosphere to observe and measure a puzzling phenomenon.

Poplar trees are best bet for biofuel in UW-led research project

Poplar materials, including bark, leaves and wood, are used to make cellulosic ethanol.

A five-year, $40 million study is laying the foundation for a Pacific Northwest industry that converts sustainably produced poplar feedstock into fuels and chemicals. The research, led by the 榴莲视频, will seed the world’s first wood-based cellulosic ethanol production facility.

Climate change could leave Pacific Northwest amphibians high and dry

A new model for snow-fed mountain wetlands projects that the extremely dry conditions seen this year could be commonplace by the 2070s, affecting mountain species.

August 26, 2015

Lab experiments question popular measure of ancient ocean temperatures

The study looked at Thaumarchaeota archaea, which are found throughout the world's oceans. These single-celled organisms have just one membrane sac that encloses their bodies. This organism, used in the study, was collected from a tropical-water tank at the Seattle Aquarium.

The membranes of sediment-entombed archaea are an increasingly popular way to determine ocean surface temperatures back to the age of the dinosaurs. But new results show that changing oxygen can affect the reading by as much as 21 degrees C.

August 25, 2015

Rare nautilus sighted for the first time in three decades

Nautilus pompilius swimming next to Allonautilus scrobiculatus off of Ndrova Island in Papua New Guinea.

In early August, biologist Peter Ward returned from the South Pacific with news that he encountered an old friend, one he hadn’t seen in over three decades. The 榴莲视频 professor had seen what he considers one of the world’s rarest animals, a remote encounter that may become even more infrequent if illegal fishing practices continue. The creature in question is Allonautilus scrobiculatus, a species of nautilus that Ward and a colleague had previously discovered off of Ndrova Island…