Environment
August 5, 2021
Drier, warmer night air is making some Western wildfires more active at night
![firefighter silhouetted against flames at night](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/01224453/IdahoWildlandFirefighters_2008_BLMIdaho_Flickr-150x150.jpg)
Firefighters have reported that Western wildfires are starting earlier in the morning and dying down later at night, hampering their ability to recover and regroup before the next day’s flareup. A study by University of Washington and U.S. Forest Service scientists shows why: The drying power of nighttime air over much of the Western U.S. has increased dramatically in the past 40 years.
August 2, 2021
New report: State of the science on western wildfires, forests and climate change
![wildfire in washington's methow valley](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/02104717/Cedar-Creek-Washington-2021-150x150.jpg)
Seeing the urgent need for change, a team of scientists from leading research universities, conservation organizations and government laboratories across the West has produced a synthesis of the scientific literature that clearly lays out the established science and strength of evidence on climate change, wildfire and forest management for seasonally dry forests. The goal is to give land managers and others across the West access to a unified resource that summarizes the best-available science so they can make decisions about how to manage their landscapes.
July 30, 2021
Video: A visit to Mt. Baker’s Easton Glacier
![Two students are on a rocky with hiking poles and a glacier in the background.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/07/30121713/IMG_0871.MOV.00_00_06_20.Still002-150x150.png)
This week, a few members of our UW News team joined glaciologists from the UW Department of Earth & Space Sciences on a trip to Mt. Baker. Students that came along got to chat with their professor on the hike up, and we learned about how the recent heat wave impacted the snow melt on the ice.
July 28, 2021
Video: scientist tests soil for hidden contaminants in community gardens
![A garden plot at Renew Church garden in Lynnwood.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/07/19180434/footage.00_57_36_29.Still001-copy-150x150.jpg)
Soil, particularly in urban areas, can hold contaminants that are unhealthy for people who handle it or eat things grown in the ground. Chemicals left behind by vehicles, air pollution and heavy industry can show up in the ground and in plants. Melanie Malone, assistant professor in UW Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences investigates these contaminants and their prevalence in shared garden spaces.
July 27, 2021
Possible future for Western wildfires: Decade-long burst, followed by gradual decline
![cubes of forest landscape up in flames](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/07/27093831/WideviewBigFireSimulation-150x150.png)
A model of the eastern California forests of the Sierra Nevada looks at the longer-term future of wildfires under future climate change scenarios. Results show an initial roughly decade-long burst of wildfire activity, followed by recurring fires of decreasing area — a pattern that could apply to other hot, dry forests in the West.
July 20, 2021
New 3D images of shark intestines show they function like Nikola Tesla’s valve
![three dogfish sharks](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/07/20163617/CED6AD98-B9AE-4816-A966-508D0349D58A_1_201_a-150x150.jpeg)
For more than a century, researchers have relied on flat sketches of sharks’ digestive systems to discern how they function — and how what they eat and excrete impacts other species in the ocean. Now, researchers have produced a series of high-resolution, 3D scans of intestines from nearly three dozen shark species that will advance the understanding of how sharks eat and digest their food.
July 16, 2021
20 UW researchers elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021
![](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/07/16150934/20200515_May-Campus-1112-Edit-Edit_web-150x150.jpg)
Twenty scientists and engineers at the University of Washington are among the 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021, according to a July 15 announcement. New members were chosen for “their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the Academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.”
July 8, 2021
Remotely-piloted sailboats monitor ‘cold pools’ in tropical environments
![red sailboat on blue ocean](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/07/08111434/SD_M3_close-150x150.jpeg)
A UW-led study uses data from remotely-piloted sailboats to better understand cold air pools — pockets of cooler air that form when rain evaporates below tropical storm clouds. These fleeting weather phenomena are thought to influence tropical weather patterns.
June 29, 2021
Air pollution from wildfires impacts ability to observe birds
![yellow warbler up close](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/06/25145319/Yellow-Warbler-150x150.jpg)
Researchers from the University of Washington 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.
June 17, 2021
Researchers discover yessotoxins, produced by certain phytoplankton, to be a culprit behind summer mass shellfish mortality events in Washington
![dying clams on the beach](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/06/17141715/WSG_gaping-clams-Hood-Canal_2019_2021-150x150.jpg)
Back in the summers of 2018 and 2019, the shellfish industry in Washington state was rocked by mass mortalities of its crops. Now, researchers think they have figured out why: high concentrations of yessotoxinss, which are produced by blooms of certain phytoplankton. The researchers’ findings were published last month in the open-access journal Harmful Algae.
June 16, 2021
UW Ocean Voices program, seeking equity in ocean science, gets key approval from United Nations
![Ocean Voices, a program of the University of Washington-based Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center to advance equity in ocean, science has been named among the first group of actions taken in a United Nations-sponsored, decade-long program of ocean science for sustainable development. "The human relationship with oceans under modern market systems is unsustainable, unstable and inequitable," writes Yoshitaka Ota, director of the center.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/06/15125829/Ota_Yoshitaka_resized-200x200-150x150.jpg)
Ocean Voices, a program of the UW Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center to advance equity in ocean science, has been named among the first group of actions taken in a United Nations-sponsored, decade-long program of ocean science for sustainable development.
June 11, 2021
Edge of Pine Island Glacier’s ice shelf is ripping apart, causing key Antarctic glacier to gain speed
![ridged ice and airplane wing](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/06/11103227/PineIslandGlacier-3-150x150.jpg)
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.
June 10, 2021
Cause, scope determined for deadly winter debris flow in Uttarakhand, India
![A destroyed hydroelectric plant in the mountains](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/06/09142936/tapovanHEP_closeup_31March2021E2_IRashid_medresolution-150x150.jpg)
On Feb. 7, 2021, a wall of debris and water barreled down river valleys in India, destroyed two hydropower facilities and left more than 200 people dead or missing. A self-organized coalition of 53 scientists from 14 countries, including researchers from the University of Washington, worked nonstop following the disaster to investigate the cause, scope and impacts.
June 9, 2021
Endangered blue whales recorded off southwest coast of India
![diver in water](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/06/09150704/deployment3-150x150.jpg)
Endangered blue whales are present and singing off the southwest coast of India. The results provide insight into a poorly studied population and suggest conservation measures should include this region.
June 3, 2021
South Pole and East Antarctica warmer than previously thought during last ice age, two studies show
![closeup of ice in metal barrel](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/12/02132003/SouthPoleIceCore_TJFudge-150x150.jpg)
University of Washington glaciologists are co-authors on two papers that analyzed Antarctic ice cores to understand the continent’s air temperatures during the most recent glacial period. The results help understand how the region behaves during a major climate transition.
May 5, 2021
Ice core data show why, despite lower sulfur emissions in U.S. and Western Europe, air pollution is dropping more slowly
![graphic of Earth with chemical pathways](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/05/05151039/SulfurDioxideImage-150x150.png)
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.
May 3, 2021
Earthquake early warnings launch in Washington, completing West Coast-wide ShakeAlert system
![hand holding phone with alert](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/04/30141645/ShakeAlert_sample_alert-150x150.jpg)
The U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Washington-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.
Genetically engineered grass cleanses soil of toxic pollutants left by military explosives, new research shows
![Grasses growing in tubes in the foreground. Two people stand behind them. Another person standing to the right.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/12/05085343/pothos_web006-150x150.jpg)
A team, which includes researchers from the University of Washington, demonstrated that over the course of three years, a genetically engineered switchgrass could break down an explosive chemical in plots of soil at a military range.
April 27, 2021
Thousands of baby sea stars born at UW lab are sign of hope for endangered species
![adult sea stars eating mussels](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/04/27105610/Adult-feeding-1-150x150.jpg)
Scientists at the University of Washington, 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.
April 20, 2021
Using engineering methods to track the imperceptible movements of stony corals
![A coral reef with orange fish swimming around](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/04/19152848/Indonesia_CreditMichaelWebster-150x150.jpeg)
A new study led by UW researchers borrowed image-analysis methods from engineering to spot the minute movements of a stony coral.
April 13, 2021
Deep earthquakes within the Juan de Fuca plate produce few aftershocks
![cracked pavement on highway](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/04/13105416/Hwy302_after_the_Nisqually_earthquake-150x150.jpg)
In the Cascadia subduction zone, medium- and large-sized “intraslab” 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 University of Washington and the U.S. Geological Survey.
March 31, 2021
Thicker-leaved tropical plants may flourish under climate change, which could be good news for climate
![tropical forest](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/03/31134451/TropicalForest_ScottAbleman_Flickr-150x150.jpg)
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.
March 29, 2021
UW’s Joshua Lawler named fellow of Ecological Society of America
![Joshua Lawler](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/03/29151823/Josh-Lawler1-528x528-150x150.jpeg)
Joshua Lawler, a University of Washington 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.
March 25, 2021
Video: Tasty options as researchers tap a new forestry product
![Maple syrup is being poured on a round waffle on a white plate.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/03/24111845/edit-5.00_00_10_18.Still001-150x150.png)
Scientists from the University of Washington 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’s future.
March 22, 2021
Warming temperatures tripled Arctic lightning strikes over the past decade
![Lightning strike](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/11/04145143/lightning-TILE-150x150.jpg)
Lightning strikes in the Arctic tripled from 2010 to 2020, a finding University of Washington 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.
March 18, 2021
‘By-the-wind sailor’ jellies wash ashore in massive numbers after warmer winters
![jellies washed on shore.](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/03/17192826/BD756995-48AE-4D00-95CC-C9C85CE700A5_1_201_a-150x150.jpeg)
Thanks to 20 years of observations from thousands of citizen scientists, University of Washington 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.
March 17, 2021
How five global regions could achieve a successful, equitable ‘Blue Economy’
![three colored world maps](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/03/17130004/Figure-3-768x434-150x150.png)
The future of an equitable and sustainable global ocean, or “Blue Economy,” 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’ ability to achieve a Blue Economy — one that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically viable.
‘Forgetting Nature’: Peter Kahn offers warning in short documentary film
![](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/03/16090218/Forgetting-Nature_Peter-Kahn_USE1-150x150.jpg)
The message of “Forgetting Nature,” a new documentary film featuring Peter Kahn, is short but powerful: We humans are losing our connection to the natural world, at our great peril.
March 2, 2021
Rating tornado warnings charts a path to improve forecasts
![funnel cloud on dark background](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/03/02102211/Kansas_tornado_2016_Lane_Pearman-150x150.jpg)
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.
February 24, 2021
Record-high Arctic freshwater will flow through Canadian waters, affecting marine environment and Atlantic ocean currents
![Colored map of the North Atlantic and Arctic](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/02/24100224/Zhang_BeaufortGyreViz_lg-150x150.png)
The Arctic Ocean’s 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.
February 23, 2021
Logging change in Puget Sound: Researchers use UW vessel logbooks to reconstruct historical groundfish populations
![historical photo of the research vessel Commando](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/02/23110330/TheCommando-150x150.jpg)
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.
February 17, 2021
Q&A: ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system arriving in Pacific Northwest
![scientists in orange suits with mountains in distance](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/02/17162740/PNSN-photo-on-Mt.-St.-Helens-150x150.jpg)
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.
February 10, 2021
Online tool displays Pacific Northwest mountain snow depth
![colored lines sloping upward to Feb. 1](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/02/10133921/Seasonal-View_Feb1_2021-150x150.png)
How’s the snow on Northwest mountains this year? Overall a little deeper than normal, but it depends where you look. A new collaboration between the University of Washington, 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.
February 9, 2021
Limiting warming to 2 C requires emissions reductions 80% above Paris Agreement targets
![](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/02/08110438/matteo-catanese-Wh8lh2QZ-Zs-unsplash-150x150.jpg)
Even if all countries meet their Paris Agreement goals for reducing emissions, Earth has only a 5% chance of staying below 2 C warming this century, a previous study showed. But reductions about 80% more ambitious, or an average of 1.8% drop in emissions per year rather than 1% per year, would be enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.
February 4, 2021
Global warming found to be culprit for flood risk in Peruvian Andes, other glacial lakes
![rooftops in front of glacier](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/02/03110807/Huascaran_Huandoy_Chopicalqui_seen_from_Huaraz_Wikimedia-150x150.jpg)
Human-caused warming is responsible for increasing the risk of a glacial outburst flood from Peru’s 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.
February 1, 2021
Marine organisms use previously undiscovered receptors to detect, respond to light
![magnified cells of various shapes arranged in a mosaic](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/01/31115331/8981509345_b8266b5afc_o-150x150.jpg)
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 “light switches” could also aid in the field of optogenetics, in which a cell’s function can be controlled with light exposure.
January 27, 2021
In Brazil, many smaller dams disrupt fish more than large hydropower projects
![small dam in Brazil](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/01/27111302/Victor_Baptista_Adami8_25MW-150x150.jpg)
A new University of Washington 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.
January 25, 2021
Emeritus professor Robert Edmonds pens history of forestry science at the UW
![](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/01/19132614/SavingForestEcosystems_RobertEdmonds_cover-150x150.jpg)
A talk with Robert Edmonds, professor emeritus in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, who has written a new history of UW forestry research and education called “Saving Forest Ecosystems: A Century Plus of Research and Education at the University of Washington.”
January 11, 2021
More management measures lead to healthier fish populations
![](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/01/11074920/Kodiak-Harbor-Chris-Anderson-150x150.jpg)
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.
December 23, 2020
Bait and switch: Mislabeled salmon, shrimp have biggest environmental toll
![pink piece of salmon](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/12/23090453/salmon-3139390_1920-150x150.jpg)
A study co-authored by UW’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.
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