College of the Environment
July 11, 2019
Super salty, subzero Arctic water provides peek at possible life on other planets
A UW team has discovered thriving communities of bacteria in Alaskan “cryopegs,” trapped layers of sediment with water so salty that it remains liquid at below-freezing temperatures. The setting may be similar to environments on Mars, Saturn’s moon Titan, or other bodies farther from the sun.
July 9, 2019
UW professors to receive 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Six University of Washington professors are to receive a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, according to an announcement July 2 from the White House. The award, also known as the PECASE, is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early-career scientists and engineers “who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.”
Coral reefs shifting away from equator, new study finds
Coral reefs are retreating from equatorial waters and establishing new reefs in more temperate regions, according to new research by the University of Washington and other institutions.
July 1, 2019
Study shows that management and evolution give hope to coral reefs facing the effects of climate change
A new study released July 1 in Nature Climate Change gives hope for coral reefs. Launched by the nonprofit Coral Reef Alliance, with lead and senior authors at the University of Washington, the study is one of the first to demonstrate that management that takes evolution and adaptation into account can help rescue coral reefs from the effects of climate change.
June 20, 2019
Video: Surprising discoveries in coral reefs found in low-light waters
Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño, an assistant professor in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, spent up to eight hours at a time in the cramped quarters of a submersible watercraft, studying the largest known coral reef in the mesophotic zone, located in the Hawaiian Archipelago.
June 19, 2019
Deep submersible dives shed light on rarely explored coral reefs
Just beyond where conventional scuba divers can go is an area of the ocean that still is largely unexplored. In waters this deep — about 100 to at least 500 feet below the surface — little to no light breaks through. Researchers must rely on submersible watercraft or sophisticated diving equipment to be able…
June 18, 2019
First book published on fishes of the Salish Sea
The first book documenting all of the known species of fishes that live in the Salish Sea is now available.
June 10, 2019
Mysterious holes in Antarctic sea ice explained by years of robotic data
Why did a giant hole appear in the sea ice off Antarctica in 2016 and 2017, after decades of more typical sea ice cover? Years of Southern Ocean data have explained the phenomenon, helping oceanographers to better predict these features and study their role in global ocean cycles.
June 4, 2019
Early lives of Alaska sockeye salmon accelerating with climate change
An ample buffet of freshwater food, brought on by climate change, is altering the life history of one of the world’s most important salmon species.
May 30, 2019
Seismologists seek space on volunteers’ floors and lawns to study Seattle seismic risks
A series of seismic experiments will take place this summer in the Seattle area. The researchers are looking for volunteer sites throughout the region.
May 29, 2019
Young herring ‘go with the older fish’ a key finding in Ocean Modeling Forum’s efforts
A collaborative group led by the University of Washington has released a set of research papers, fact sheets and modeling tools to help agencies incorporate traditional knowledge and human dimensions into Pacific herring management.
May 23, 2019
Tiny fishes fuel life on coral reefs
In a paper published May 23 in Science, a team of international researchers from Simon Fraser University, University of Washington and other institutions reveals that the iconic abundance of fishes on reefs is fueled by an unlikely source: tiny, bottom-dwelling reef fishes.
Hot spots in rivers that nurture young salmon ‘flicker on and off’ in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region
Chemical signatures imprinted on tiny stones that form inside the ears of fish show that two of Alaska’s most productive salmon populations, and the fisheries they support, depend on the entire watershed.
May 8, 2019
One-third of the world’s longest rivers remain free-flowing, new analysis finds
Just over one-third of the world’s 246 longest rivers remain free-flowing, according to a new study published May 8 in Nature. Dams and reservoirs are drastically reducing the diverse benefits that healthy rivers provide to people and nature across the globe.
May 1, 2019
Arsenic-breathing life discovered in the tropical Pacific Ocean
In oxygen-poor parts of the ocean, some microorganisms survive by breathing arsenic. This holdover from the ancient Earth was not thought to still exist in the open ocean.
Atmospheric scientist Chris Bretherton elected to National Academy of Sciences
Chris Bretherton, a professor of atmospheric sciences and of applied mathematics, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
April 30, 2019
Explore and dive to the depths of Puget Sound May 4 with UW’s aquatic science open house
Families, students and children are invited to get their hands wet on Saturday with “Our Watery World,” the University of Washington’s second annual aquatic science open house.
April 15, 2019
Historic logging site shows first human-caused bedrock erosion along an entire river
Over many years, a University of Washington team has shown how logging on the Teanaway River in central Washington caused dramatic changes to the river channel.
April 12, 2019
For 17 years, UW program has provided an interdisciplinary nexus for climate research and education
Over 17 years, the program has evolved into a campuswide, interdisciplinary, student-driven program on climate change research, communication and action. A recent publication looks at the program history and current mission.
April 4, 2019
April ‘Weather Madness’: UW wins top team, individual prizes in national forecasting contest, now enters tournament round
A University of Washington team placed first in a national weather forecasting contest that began in September. A UW graduate student also developed a model that for the first time beat out all human competitors.
April 1, 2019
UW students spearhead efforts to predict peak bloom for cherry trees
A team of UW students hopes to make it possible to accurately predict peak bloom timing for the iconic Quad cherry trees.
March 29, 2019
North Dakota site shows wreckage from same object that killed the dinosaurs
A new excavation site in North Dakota shows evidence from the day a giant meteor struck Earth, marking the beginning of the end for the dinosaurs and 75 percent of animal life.
March 26, 2019
Air quality agencies can breathe easier about current emissions regulations
A University of Washington-led study provides a fuller picture of the relationship between nitrogen oxides — the tailpipe-generated particles at the center of the Volkswagen scandal, also known as NOx, — and PM2.5, the microscopic particles that can lodge in lungs.
New tool maps a key food source for grizzly bears: huckleberries
Researchers have developed a new approach to map huckleberry distribution across Glacier National Park that uses publicly available satellite imagery. Tracking where huckleberry plants live now — and where they may move under climate change — can help biologists predict where grizzly bears will also be found.
March 21, 2019
Hundreds of bubble streams link biology, seismology off Washington’s coast
The first survey of methane vent sites off Washington’s coast finds 1,778 bubble columns, with most located along a north-south band that is in line with a geologic fault.
March 12, 2019
Eight postdoctoral researchers at the University of Washington receive awards from the Washington Research Foundation
Eight researchers at the University of Washington have been named 2019 Washington Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellows.
March 4, 2019
Mystery of green icebergs may soon be solved
Research by UW’s Stephen Warren suggests that some icebergs are green because they contain frozen, iron-rich seawater from certain regions of East Antarctica.
February 27, 2019
Return of the wolves: How deer escape tactics help save their lives
As gray wolves return to eastern Washington, a new study finds that one species of deer is changing its behavior to spend more time away from roads, at higher elevations and in rockier landscapes.
February 20, 2019
New study: How to save a seabird
A new study outlines more than a decade of success in reducing seabird bycatch in Alaska’s longline fisheries, and where there’s still room for improvement
February 12, 2019
Assessing riverside corridors — the ‘escape routes’ for animals under climate change — in the Northwest
A study led by the University of Washington pinpoints which riverside routes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana will be the most important for animals trying to navigate a changing climate.
February 11, 2019
Many Arctic lakes give off less carbon than expected
New research by the University of Washington and U.S. Geological Survey suggests many lakes pose little threat to global carbon levels, at least for now.
February 8, 2019
Video: Washington’s state climatologist comments on Puget Sound snowstorms
Nick Bond, Washington’s state climatologist, comments on the unusual weather in Western Washington.
‘Underwater forecast’ predicts temperature, acidity and more in Puget Sound
A new University of Washington computer model can predict underwater conditions in Puget Sound and off the coast of Washington three days into the future.
January 30, 2019
UW-based group launches national challenge to recreate first moon landing — with drones and Lego robots
A UW-based group is launching a national student challenge to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo moon landing.
January 23, 2019
One year into the mission, autonomous ocean robots set a record in survey of Antarctic ice shelf
A team of ocean robots developed at the UW is the first group of self-guided ocean instruments to travel under an ice sheet and come back to report long-term observations.
January 16, 2019
For 35 years, the Pacific Ocean has largely spared West’s mountain snow from effects of global warming
A new study has found that since the early 1980s, a pattern of ocean temperatures and atmospheric circulation has offset most of the impact of warming on the West’s mountain snowpack.
UW opens Othello Commons in Southeast Seattle
The University of Washington today opened the doors to Othello-UW Commons, a new multifunctional partnership space in the heart of Southeast Seattle’s Othello neighborhood.
January 14, 2019
UW, partners reach milestone in program using robots to monitor world’s oceans
The UW is part of an international program that has revolutionized ocean measurements. This fall, the program made its 2 millionth measurement, reporting temperature and salinity in the top mile of the world’s oceans.
December 14, 2018
UW glaciologist gets first look at NASA’s new measurements of ice sheet elevation
UW glaciologist Ben Smith shared a first look at the NASA ICESat-2 satellite’s view of Greenland and Antarctic glaciers at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
December 10, 2018
Ancient whale named for UW paleontologist Elizabeth Nesbitt
A new species of whale discovered in 33-million-year-old Oregon rock has been named for Elizabeth Nesbitt, a curator at the Burke Museum and faculty member in the UW’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
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