In the News

8/26/11:
News is now posted on our News Blog.

UW 'innovation zones:' Boon for biz - and trees?
Larry Lange/The Seattle P-I, posted August 26, 2011
Are "innovation zones" around the University of Washington places where trees lost to expansion could be replaced? Gordon Bradley, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Ocean acidification science, societal needs meld in new training program
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted August 25, 2011
Students already knowledgeable about the science behind ocean acidification and warming will learn more about the challenges those ocean changes pose for tribes, shellfish growers and other sectors of society – as well as helping seek solutions ­– under a just-announced National Science Foundation grant of $3 million.

Undersea cable laid for 'transformative' ocean observatory
Tom Banse/KUOW, posted August 24, 2011
This spring, there was a big volcanic eruption in the Pacific Northwest. All this week, a University of Washington research ship is streaming live video via satellite of the aftermath of that eruption.

Sequim Bay algae that turned toxic stumps scientists
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted August 23, 2011
The arrival of a new strain of biotoxin in Northwest waters comes with more questions than answers and is likely to complicate the lives of shellfish gatherers and health officials. Rita Horner, research scientist in oceanography, is quoted.

Why a quake in Virginia isn't as rare as it sounds
Liz Halloren/NPR, posted August 23, 2011
The earthquake that rattled the East Coast on Tuesday afternoon was, indeed, rare, geologists say, but only because of its size. John Vidale, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Summer has lasted 19 hours so far
Scott Sistek/KOMO News, posted August 22, 2011
The weekend added some serious time to Scott Sistek's "summer clock" -- the number of minutes Seattle has had over 80 degrees, as measured by the University of Washington.

Team claims it has found oldest fossils
Nicholas Wade/The New York Times, posted August 21, 2011
A team of geologists has discovered fossilized, single-cell organisms that are 3.4 billion years old and that the scientists say are the oldest known fossils on earth. Roger Buick, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Model shows polar ice caps can recover from warmer climate-induced melting
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted August 17, 2011
A growing body of recent research indicates that, in Earth’s warming climate, there is no “tipping point,” or threshold warm temperature, beyond which polar sea ice cannot recover if temperatures come back down.  Faculty and graduate students in Atmospheric Sciences are featured.

Green gardening philosophy evolving into new frontiers
Nara Schoenberg/Chicago Tribune, posted August 17, 2011
Green gardening isn't just about compost bins and rain barrels anymore. Sarah Hayden Reichard, director of the UW Botanic Gardens, is quoted.

The Sierra Club ranks 'coolest' schools
Geoff Glockler/Businessweek, posted August 17, 2011
The most eco-conscientious colleges line the West Coast, according to Sierra magazine's fifth-annual ranking of the nation's "coolest" schools. The top school overall was the University of Washington.

Trout fishing in a climate-changed America
Felicity Barringer/The New York Times, posted August 16, 2011
In a recent study, scientists estimated how several factors -- not just warming temperatures -- will impact the life cycles of four varieties of western trout. UW experts were among the authors of the study.

Fishing ban brings species back to Mexico park. But can it rebuild a fishery?
Pete Spotts/The Christian Science Monitor, posted August 15, 2011
The ban on fishing in a Mexican national marine park has led to a rebound in the fish population. Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Report: In 70 years western trout habitat could be cut in half
Rocky Barker/Idaho Statesman, posted August 15, 2011
Warming temperatures could cut in half suitable trout habitat in the West over the next 70 years. The latest alarming report comes from a team of 11 scientists, including members of the UW Climate Impacts Group.

New radar station looking off Washington coast
The Seattle Times, posted August 10, 2011
Some of the first images have come in from a new Doppler radar station on the Washington coast. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Scientists first ever to predict undersea volcano eruption
King 5 News, posted August 9, 2011
Scientists have for the first time ever successfully forecast an eruption of an undersea volcano. Scientists from Oregon State University, the University of Washington and Columbia University were responsible for discovering the new eruption.

Warmer weather is part of the 'new normal'
Amy Rolph/The Seattle P-I, posted August 8, 2011
As of last month, the official definition of 'normal' weather got a little hotter. Karin Bumbaco, a research scientist in the College of the Environment, is quoted.

Crew dislodges acoustic device from ocean
Lily Bixler/Half Moon Bay Review, posted August 3, 2011
On Monday, a University of Washington vessel called the Thompson settled 60 miles off the coast of Half Moon Bay to bring up a series of inactive underwater microphones from the ocean's depths.

Did you think it was a cold spring? Now you have proof
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted August 1, 2011
If you’re one of those lamenting the colder-than-usual spring and summer in Washington, you’ve got some supporting evidence. A University of Washington researcher has found that, at least by one measure, it was the coldest spring on record for the state.

"Titanic" explorer searches for civilizations' traces
CBS News, posted July 29, 2011
Oceanographer Robert Ballard, best known for discovering the Titanic wreck, has new plans to plumb the depths of the seas. Paul Johnson, professor of oceanography, is quoted.

Demon fish: Exploring the human relationship with sharks
Steve Scher/KUOW, posted July 25, 2011
Weekday asks, "What is it about a shark that is so compelling and so fearsome?" Vincent Gallucci, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Red seaweed turning 'green' for Manchester entrepreneur
Amy Phan/The Kitsap Sun, posted July 24, 2011
Diane Boratyn, a Seattle-based entrepreneur, harvests seaweed, called Turkish towel because of its appearance and texture, for her line of jells, moisturizers, serums and bar soaps. Washington Sea Grant awarded Boratyn with a $193,000 grant in 2001 to continue developing the seaweed farming system.

Economic benefits, ecological questions stall geoduck industry's growth
John Stang/The Kitsap Sun, posted July 23, 2011
Growth in Puget Sound's commercial geoduck harvesting has stalled because major legal and scientific gaps have to be filled. UW research is featured.

The cable has landed: Ocean science history in the making
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted July 22, 2011
Submarine cables for the nation’s first regional cabled ocean observatory made landfall last week on the Oregon coast. UW's involvement with the Ocean Observatories Initiative is featured.

Fish bones to the rescue
Felicity Barringer/The New York Times, posted July 22, 2011
The New York Times follows up its previous story on using fish bones as a solution to soil contaminated with lead. Sally Brown, director of the soils lab, is quoted.

Banking on new wetlands when old ones vanish
KUOW, posted July 22, 2011
The Wash. Department of Ecology estimates half the state's wetlands have been lost since European settlers first arrived and has declared mitigation banking a potential solution to this trend. Kern Ewing, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Rainier's trees could hold keys to saving whitebark pines
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted July 21, 2011
Whitebark pine trees are dying across, and researchers are hoping to stall the decline by reproducing and replanting stronger trees. Gregory Ettl, associate professor of forest resources, is quoted.

To nullify lead, add a bunch of fish bones
Felicity Barringer/The New York Times, posted July 20, 2011
Alaskan pollock is moving into a new realm as part of the solution to one of the nation's longest-running toxic waste problems -- lead contamination. Sally Brown, director of the soils lab, is quoted.

Seeing trends, coalition works to help a river adapt
Leslie Kaufman/The New York Times, posted July 20, 2011
For 10,000 years the Nisqually Indians have relied on chinook salmon for their very existence, but soon those roles are expected to reverse. Amy Snover, a director of the Climate Impacts Group, is quoted.

Heatless in Seattle, and the rest of the Northwest
MSNBC, posted July 20, 2011
It's summer across the U.S., you say? Well not quite -- the Pacific Northwest has seen more clouds and rain than sun, or heat for that matter. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Cutting trees to cool the planet?
John Roach/MSNBC, posted July 19, 2011
In a twist, a new University of Washington study suggests that regularly logging forests can quadruple the amount of carbon dioxide soaked up from the atmosphere.

What trees tell us on the trail
Lynda V. Mapes/The Seattle Times, posted July 18, 2011
So there you are, hiking along the trail, and suddenly, there's an odd sight: a whole colony of trees with pistol-grip shaped trunks. David Montgomery, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Seattle: Home of the 78 minute summer
Scott Sistek/KOMO News, posted July 18, 2011
Does it seem like you can measure the amount of summer weather we've had this year with a stopwatch? Turns out, you probably can. The UW's Atmospheric Sciences Department provides an answer.

Loss of predators in the food chain can alter the ecosystem
Elizabeth Weise/USA Today, posted July 14, 2011
Take away the predators at the top of the food chain -- the lions, tigers, wolves and cougars -- and entire ecosystems start to change. Aaron Wirsing, assistant professor of forest resources, is quoted.

County fights back against foreign invader
Marqise Allen/The Daily News, posted July 14, 2011
Cowlitz County weed control officials have won some small victories in their now five-year war against Japanese knotweed, but they haven?t turned the tide. Sarah Reichard, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Overfished?
Steve Scher/KUOW, posted July 14, 2011
Many fisheries scientists believe that overfishing will cause the imminent collapse of fish stocks throughout the world's oceans. Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is not so sure.

Wood products part of winning carbon-emissions equation, researchers say
Sandra Hines/UW Week, posted July 13, 2011
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to grow, so forests have long been proposed as a way to offset climate change. But rather than just letting the forest sit there for a hundred or more years, the amount of carbon dioxide taken out of the atmosphere could be quadrupled in 100 years by harvesting regularly and using the wood in place of steel and concrete that devour fossil fuels, producing carbon dioxide, during manufacturing. Bruce Lippke, professor emeritus in forest resources, is lead author of the study.

Sarah Reichard becomes director of UW Botanic Gardens
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted July 6, 2011
A forest resources professor who’s an expert on invasive species and rare plants became director of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens July 1.

Crows don't get mad, they get even -- and bring friends, and never forget
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted July 1, 2011
Seattle Times columnist Craig Welch writes about the research of John Marzluff, professor of forest research.

Huge rock avalanches rumble down Mount Rainier
Sandi Doughton/The Seattle Times, posted June 28, 2011
Some of the biggest rock avalanches in years have been roaring off Mount Rainier the past several days, kicking up billowing clouds of dust and propelling rivers of muddy debris nearly two miles down the volcano's flanks. UW Seismology Lab is noted and Earth and Space Sciences graduate student Max Stevens is quoted.

Hitchcockian crows gossip about mean humans
Stephanie Pappas/MSNBC, posted June 28, 2011
The common crow knows when you're out to get him -- and he's likely to teach his friends and family to watch out for you, a new University of Washington study headed by John Marzluff, professor of forest resources, finds.

Ocean measurements by UW will be part of just-launched satellite mission
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted June 21, 2011
With the launch earlier this month of NASA’s satellite Aquarius, more than half a dozen University of Washington researchers are involved in projects to calibrate data from space with actual measurements of ocean salinity.

The Greendays Gardening Panel on slugs and snails
Steve Scher/KUOW, posted June 21, 2011
David George Gordon, Washington Sea Grant writer and the author of "The Secret World of Slugs and Snails," is a featured panelist.

Clues to Washington's summer weather ... or not
Charla Bear/KPLU, posted June 20, 2011
The La Nina weather pattern does not carry over into summer weather, making predictions difficult. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide buildup unlikely to spark abrupt climate change
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted June 19, 2011
David Battisti and Cecilia Bitz are co-authors of a recent study, published in Nature Geoscience.

Latest invasive weed not following usual script
Tom Banse/KUOW, posted June 15, 2011
Should Japanese eelgrass be declared a noxious weed so that herbicide can be used against it? Shellfish growers think so, but scientific opinion is mixed. Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, research scientist in forest resources, is quoted.

Magnitude 3.0 earthquake rattles Seattle-area Tuesday night
The Seattle Times, posted June 15, 2011
An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.0 struck Shoreline Tuesday evening, and the shaking was felt as far away as North Bend. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

UW scientists take earthquake science closer to prediction
Mary Jean Spadafora/Crosscut, posted June 14, 2011
The advances for which University of Washington scientists have played key roles could make it easier to predict a devastating subduction earthquake long feared in the state.

UW Botanic Gardens grows its own
Valerie Easton/The Seattle Times, posted June 11, 2011
Sarah Reichard, author and plant conservationist, is the new Orin and Althea Soest director at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. 

Study of 800-year old tree rings backs global warming
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted June 9, 2011
Studying tree ring data, scientists have found that snowpack reductions in the late 20th and early 21st centuries were unlike any other period dating to at least the year 1200. Their findings are published in Science, in a paper co-authored by CoEnv Dean Lisa Graumlich and Climate Impacts Group scientist Jeremy Littell.

Scientists find recent snowpack declines in the West nearly unprecedented
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted June 9, 2011
The snowpack decline of the last 50 years in the Rocky Mountains is highly unusual in context of the past 800 years, according to findings being published June 10 in Science. The paper was co-authored by College of the Environment Dean Lisa Graumlich.

Is tidal energy affecting sea life?
Gary Chittim/KING-5 News, posted June 8, 2011
Revolutionary efforts to harness the power of Puget Sound tides took a big step forward today. John Horne, associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is interviewed.

Admiralty Inlet ocean life studied to accomodate potential undersea turbine generator
Charlie Bermant/Peninsula Daily News, posted June 8, 2011
Four submerged data collection devices were retrieved in Admiralty Inlet off the shore of Whidbey Island on Wednesday as UW scientists prepare to monitor ocean life around turbine electrical generators.

Beating sunburn -- when you can't move into the shade
Lynda Mapes/The Seattle Times, posted June 3, 2011
Notice that luminous, shiny coating on many new leaves as spring finally spurs new growth this year? It's a wax layer the plant manufactures to protect tender new growth from UV radiation, notes Soo-Hyung Kim, assistant professor of forest resources

GPS network may give us jump on trouble underfoot
Sandi Doughton/The Seattle Times, posted May 29, 2011
Scientists now can track the minuscule motions of shifting plates as they happen, thanks to an expanded network of GPS sensors that covers the region. John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the UW, is quoted.

New Doppler dome will help forecast local storms
Susan Gilmore/The Seattle Times, posted May 27, 2011
Meteorologists will be better able to forecast storms on the Washington coast with help from a new coastal Doppler radar dome that has been erected in Grays Harbor County near Copalis Beach. Cliff Mass, UW professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Nightlighting Zooplankton (video)
Waters teem with life at the all-night buffet as forest resources graduate student Dave Hays takes us "nightlighting" at UW's Friday Harbor Laboratories.  Hays just completed a science film workshop under a College of the Environment fellowship.

Seismologists tried for manslaughter over quake
Jeanna Bryer/MSNBC, posted May 26, 2011
Italian seismologists are being tried for the manslaughter of the people who died in the 2009 earthquake because they didn't issue a public quake prediction. Professor John Vidale, a seismologist, is quoted.

How do we prevent flood damage here?
Steve Scher/KUOW, posted May 26, 2011
KUOW has a panel discussion on making flood infrastructure more ecologically friendly. Panelists include Susan Bolton, professor of forest resources.

Washington Sea Grant helps UW grads get high-level marine or aquatic policy experience
Lauren Kuehne/UW Today, posted May 25, 2011
When three UW graduates headed to Washington, D.C., as National Sea Grant Knauss Fellows, they represented nearly 10 percent of the 2011-2012 fellows chosen for the prestigious program, which places students in federal agencies for a high-level policy experience. 

Boosters see Northwest future in aviation biofuel
The Daily News, posted May 25, 2011
Boosters of aviation biofuel say the Northwest could lead the way in developing the industry that would produce it. Renata Bura, a UW assistant professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Scientists find odd twist in slow 'earthquakes': tremor running backwards
Vince Stricherz/UW News and Information, posted May 22, 2011
Earthquake scientists trying to unravel the mysteries of an unfelt, weeks-long seismic phenomenon called episodic tremor and slip have discovered a strange twist. The tremor can suddenly reverse direction and travel back through areas of the fault that it had ruptured in preceding days, and do so 20 to 40 times faster than the original fault rupture.

Could an earthquake really end the world Saturday?
Doyle Rice/USA Today, posted May 20, 2011
Earthquake expert John Vidale of the University of Washington says we'll be fine: "No earthquake would end civilization."

National forest rules face controversial overhaul
Kim Murphy/The Los Angeles Times, posted May 16, 2011
What would be the first major overhaul since the Reagan administration of rules for planning the nation's 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands is entering the homestretch. James Karr, professor emeritus of fisheries, is quoted.

Octopus ballet
GrrlScientist/The Guardian, posted May 11, 2011
Thanks to the many advances in digital technology, we are given this rare glimpse of a mysterious benthopelagic sea animal: a "Dumbo" octopus. John Delaney and Deborah Kelley, professors of oceanography, led the expedition.

Research robots roam the Ross Sea
Dan Vergano/USA Today, posted May 7, 2011
Seaglider Robots are great for gathering data in Antartica's Ross Sea. The UW is one of the institutions analyzing the information on currents and temperature.

Seattle professor: U.S. considered using crows to get bin Laden
Vanessa Ho/The Seattle P-I, posted May 6, 2011
Much attention has been paid to the four-legged member of the team that killed Osama bin Laden. But UW professor John Marzluff says the military once considered using another animal to help find the world's most wanted terrorist: The common crow.

Say bye bye to La Nina, hello to storms
Amy Rolph/The Seattle P-I, posted May 5, 2011
What's next in Seattle's weather cycle? A neutral period of climate patterns through the end of the year. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Campus Society for Ecological Restoration helps 'recolonize' native plants
Nancy Wick/UW Today, posted May 4, 2011
For the last three years a group of students has been volunteering to make a small corner of campus more attractive. They’re a student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration, and their mission is to clear out invasive plants and replace them with native ones.

Studying the common raven in Maine
Steve Scher/KUOW, posted May 4, 2011
An interest in ravens led John and Colleen Marzluff to a frozen cabin in western Maine to conduct the first extensive study on the common raven's winter ecology.

Military asked UW to ramp up crow study for bin Laden search
Gary Chittim/King 5 News, posted May 4, 2011
Years before a specially trained team of Navy SEALs swooped in on Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan, another team was being assessed to possibly aid in the search for Public Enemy No. 1.

Coquille tribe to help feds on timber management
The Columbian, posted May 4, 2011
The Coquille Tribe will be collaborating with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to bring more sustainable forest management to some federal timberlands. The project will draw in part on the guidance of Jerry Franklin, professor of forest resources.

New radar will help the coastal weather 'blind spot'
Glenn Farley/King 5 News, posted May 3, 2011
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service are putting up a radar in Grays Harbor County. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Native plants of the Puget lowlands springing to life
Lynda V. Mapes/The Seattle Times, posted May 1, 2011
After a long, dreary start to spring, native plants are slowly unfurling. Sarah Reichard, professor of forest resources and director of the Botanic Garden, is quoted.

Questioning the dire state of world fish populations
Felicity Barringer/The New York Times, posted May 1, 2011
Two College professors, Trevor Branch and Ray Hilborn, have just published a study in collaboration with colleagues from Rutgers University and Dalhousie University arguing that the gloomiest predictions about the world's fisheries are exaggerated.

Purple martin condos arrive at CUH
Constance Sidles/UWBG Horticulturist, posted April 28, 2011
Recently, UW Botanic Gardens staff installed some new condominiums west of the greenhouses near the Center for Urban Horticulture. Oh, not for people, but for purple martins.

'Dog Days, Raven Nights': John and Colleen Marzluff chronicle the complicated world of ravens
Irene Wanner/The Seattle Times, posted April 28, 2011
John and Colleen Marzluff's new book, "Dog Days, Raven Nights," is an account of their four years spent trying to determine why ravens do what they do. John Marzluff is a professor of forest resources.

Essington wins Pew fellowship to evaluate trade-offs in fisheries
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted April 27, 2011
Timothy Essington, UW associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is one of four Pew fellows in marine conservation in the world this year.

Canopy crane falls victim to budget cuts
Katie Durbin/The Columbian, posted April 28, 2011
Budget cuts and a shortage of crane parts have forced the Forest Service and its partner, the University of Washington, to stop operating the gondola at the 25-story Wind River Canopy Crane on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Jerry Franklin, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Era of canopy crane ending; certain research and education activities remain
Sandra Hines and Sherri Richardson/UW Today, posted April 27, 2011
The 25-story construction crane used since 1995 to investigate such things as how Pacific Northwest forests absorb carbon dioxide, obtain sufficient water and resist attacks by pests and diseases is being pruned back to just the tower.

8 percent of women physical oceanographers in tenure track, down from 23 percent
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted April 27, 2011
The gender gap for physical oceanographers in tenure-track positions has almost doubled  since the mid-1990s. LuAnne Thompson, professor of oceanography, is lead author of correspondence about the findings of this study.

Japan's tsunami waves top historic highs
Dan Vergano/USA Today, posted April 26, 2011
Tsunami waves topped 60 feet or more as they broke onshore following Japan's earthquake. Jody Bourgeois, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

A springtime feast: Wendell Berry at SAL, plus a nourishing course on sustainability
Judy Lightfoot/Crosscut, posted April 20, 2011
Lectures in the Seattle Arts & Lectures' "SAL U" are being presented in partnership with the Henry Art Gallery and the UW's Program on the Environment. The series begins tomorrow.

The Seattle region's coldest April on record is a boon for moss
Lynda V. Mapes/The Seattle Times, posted April 18, 2011
Seattle shivers in the coldest average high temperature for the first half of April on record. But while some plants are way behind schedule, others, such as moss, are reveling in our cool, damp spring. Sarah Reichard, director of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, and Cliff Mass, professor of of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.

Asia's coastal nuclear plants: Disaster-in-waiting?
Margie Mason and Robin McDowell/MSNBC, posted April 18, 2011
At least 32 nuclear plants in operation or under construction in Asia are at risk of one day being hit by a tsunami, nuclear experts and geologists warn. Jody Bourgeois, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Seattle weather: Don't get your hopes up
Levi Pulkkinen/The Seattle P-I, posted April 18, 2011
As anyone with a window is aware, the Puget Sound area is experiencing rain mixed with sun mixed with snow. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Fraser River salmon may be dying from leukemia-type virus
Rob Hotakainen/The Bellingham Herald, posted April 15, 2011
In Canada's Fraser River, a mysterious illness has killed millions of Pacific salmon. Daniel Schindler, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Aftershocks: What are they?
Doyle Rice/USA Today, posted April 14, 2011
What exactly is an aftershock? And how does one differ from regular earthquakes? John Vidale, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Let us eat fish
Ray Hilborn/The New York Times, posted April 14, 2011
In an op-ed piece, Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, writes about maintaining worldwide fish stocks.

Prior warning
Jillian Stampher/The Daily, posted April 14, 2011
The West Coast’s leading seismologists are working with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to establish an earthquake early warning system in Washington, Oregon and California. The seismologists, from the UW, UC Berkley and the California Institute of Technology are currently analyzing the system’s effectiveness, which would be developed and created by the USGS.

Data catches up with theory: Ocean front is energetic contributor to mixing
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted April 14, 2011
For more than two decades scientists have suspected there’s another – possibly substantial – source of energy for mixing that’s generated in the ocean where cold, heavy water collides with warm, light water.

Forest Resources special events mark UN International Year of Forests
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted April 13, 2011
The United Nations has declared 2011 the International Year of Forests to raise awareness of the important challenges of sustainably managing, developing and conserving all types of forests.

Study confirms septic tanks contribute to Hood Canal fish kills
Christopher Dunagan/Kitsap Sun, posted April 12, 2011
Septic systems in Southern Hood Canal appear to play a pivotal role in the massive fish kills that plague the waterway, according to a long-awaited report. Jan Newton, principal oceanographer with the Applied Physics Lab, is quoted.

West Antarctic warming triggered by warmer sea surface in tropical Pacific
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted April 10, 2011
New University of Washington research shows that rising sea surface temperatures in the area of the Pacific Ocean along the equator and near the International Date Line drive atmospheric circulation that has caused some of the largest shifts in Antarctic climate in recent decades.

Recent disasters a grim reminder of dangers in our area
Noah Haglund/The Everett Herald, posted April 10, 2011
A strong earthquake in Everett's back yard could knock out highways to the north and east, topple older buildings and send 6-foot-tall waves crashing into the shoreline. Bill Steele of the UW's Pacific Northwest Seismic Network is quoted.

'Shark men' scout out shark nursery
Dan Vergano/USA Today, posted April 9, 2011
Shark hunters this spring offer a gentler lesson about the species -- front row seats on a search for a shark nursery. Vincent Gallucci, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Q&A with Dan Jaffe, atmospheric chemist, about radiation threat
Puget Sound Business Journal, posted April 8, 2011
The Business Journal interviews Dan Jaffe, who has conducted research on how pollutants travel across the Pacific Ocean, which could predict the spread of radioactive particles.

Rebuilding Japan to require Northwest wood
Steve Wilhelm/Puget Sound Business Journal, posted April 8, 2011
With 65,000 homes wrecked by last month's earthquake and tsunami, Japan's need to rebuild could boost Washington wood exports there by at least 10 percent. Ivan Eastin, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

John Vidale, director of UW seismology lab, on latest Japan quake
King-5 News, posted April 7, 2011
John Vidale, Director of UW Seismology Lab, weighs in on the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the coast of Japan Thursday morning.
Related: Magnitude 7.1 aftershock hits off Japan coast

Bill Steele with UW seismology lab on latest earthquake to hit Japan
King-5 News, posted April 7, 2011
Bill Steele with UW Seismology Lab weighs in on the 7.1 magnitude earthquake to hit Japan.

Japanese tsunami heightens interest in elevated 'safe havens'
Tom Banse/KPLU, posted April 6, 2011
In Westport, and communities along the Northwest coast, the horrible and gripping images of destruction from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami are still top-of-mind. Two UW experts are quoted, including professor of earth and space sciences Jody Bourgeois.

Radioactive fish caught off Japanese coast
Gary Chittim/King-5 News, posted April 5, 2011
The Japanese government was forced to act Tuesday when a dangerous ocean catch was hauled in many miles off shore. Tim Essington, associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Does West Coast need a better earthquake warning system?
Amy Rolph/The Seattle P-I, posted April 4, 2011
Scientists from Washington, Oregon and California will convene this week to talk about whether the West Coast needs a speedier earthquake-warning system. University of Washington scientists will be among those meeting at U.C. Berkeley this week.

Earthquake scientists discuss West Coast early warning system
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted April 4, 2011
Earthquake scientists from Washington, Oregon and California are meeting this week to discuss the feasibility of establishing an earthquake early warning system for the West Coast similar to the one that gave a valuable heads-up in the recent giant quake in Japan.

$22,500 awarded to clean technology winners
Foster Unplugged, posted April 1, 2011
Teams who won the 3rd annual University of Washington Environmental Innovation Challenge invented solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

On sampling methods and Santa Rosa
Lekelia D. Jenkins/The New York Times, posted March 29, 2011
Lekelia D. Jenkins, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, writes from Ecuador, where she is studying factors in the cross-cultural adoption of marine conservation technologies like turtle excluder devices and circle hooks.

State: Earthquake wouldn't hurt tunnel
Steve Wilhelm/Puget Sound Business Journal, posted March 28, 2011
State transportation officials have been studying the effects of a rise in sea level on the deep-bore waterfront tunnel. Studies by the Climate Impacts Group are cited.

Pilot projects seek way out of forest logjam
Jeff Barnard/The Bellingham Herald, posted March 27, 2011
Forestry professors Jerry Franklin of the UW and Norm Johnson of Oregon State University were two of the authors of the Northwest Forest Plan. The Obama administration is hoping Franklin and Johnson can show federal agencies a new path forward.

Tsunami threat could catch Northwest off guard
Tim Fought and Alicia Chang/KOMO News, posted March 26, 2011
When the big one hits the Pacific Northwest, the best place to escape the wall of water moving at jetliner speed from 50 miles off the coast may be a City Hall on stilts. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

New doubts about validity of iconic microfossil finding
Charles Q. Choi/CBS News, posted March 25, 2011
Structures thought of as the oldest known fossils of microbes might actually be microscopic mineral formations not associated with life. Roger Buick, professor of astrobiology, is quoted.

As climate changes, coffee farmers struggle to protect crops
Melissa Allison/The Los Angeles Times, posted March 23, 2011
Coffee yields in Costa Rica have dropped dramatically in the last decade, with farmers and scientists blaming climate change for a significant portion of the troubles. Joshua Tewksbury, associate professor of biology, is quoted.

How to not catch a sea turtle
Lekelia D. Jenkins/The New York Times, posted March 22, 2011
Lekelia Jenkins, postdoctoral researcher in marine and environmental affairs, writes from her research in Ecuador.

New studies raise doubts of greenness of biomass
Kyung M. Song/The Seattle Times, posted March 22, 2011
New studies have some people questioning the merits of biomass power. Rick Gustafson, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

UW professor blogs about her experience in Japan
Professor of earth and space sciences Jody Bourgeois has been blogging during her time in Japan, where she experienced the earthquake first hand. Bourgeois is an expert in earthquakes and tsunamis, and has been conducting research in Japan.

The face of the next big Southwest Washington quake
Andre Stepankowsky/Longview Daily News, posted March 19, 2011
When the next great earthquake rattles the Northwest Coast, it may cause more havoc than the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

Radiation sensors detect very low levels of radiation in Washington state
Peninsula Daily News, posted March 19, 2011
Radiation thought to be from Japan has been detected in minute amounts in the United States, including in Washington state. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Hummingbirds: A tiny sign that spring is here
Lynda V. Mapes/The Seattle Times, posted March 18, 2011
Young hummers are already growing strong in the nests of Anna's hummingbirds, among the area's earliest nesters, as the first day of spring arrives Sunday. John Marzluff, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

U.S. radiation sensors show negligible readings
Sandi Doughton/The Seattle Times, posted March 17, 2011
Radiation sensors in the United States have not detected radioactive material from Japan's damaged nuclear plants. Dan Jaffe, adjunct professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

The Tsunami That Rocked Japan 300 Years Ago
Keegan Hamilton/Seattle Weekly, posted March 17, 2011
According to a U.S. Geological Survey expert and a University of Washington scientist, the great tremor of 1700 and ensuing "orphan tsunami" could happen again, and Seattle isn't nearly as well-prepared as Japan.

Despite scary headlines, local radiation danger is negligible
KPLU News Staff/KPLU-FM, posted March 16, 2011
Health food stores are seeing their stock of potassium iodide pills sell out, as public fear over radiation fallout from Japan's damaged nuclear plants continues. Dan Jaffe, adjunct professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Scientists try to defuse nuclear fallout fears
Michael Hawthorne and Rex W. Huppke/Los Angeles Times, posted March 16, 2011
Scientists who track pollution blowing across the Pacific Ocean say the radioactivity from Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant should pose no danger to the United States. Dan Jaffe, adjunct professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

More nuclear radiation monitors may be placed in rural Alaska
Erika Bolstad, Rob Hotakainen and Renee Schoof/The Bellingham Herald, posted March 16, 2011
The state of Alaska is considering adding additional radiation monitors in rural areas as a precautionary measure. Dan Jaffe, adjunct professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Japan's quake, tsunami, and what it teaches the Northwest
Keith Seinfeld/KPLU, posted March 15, 2011
You may have heard Washington has an earthquake fault similar to the one that devastated Japan. Frank Gonzalez and Brian Atwater, affiliate professors of Earth and space sciences, are quoted.

Risk of nuclear radiation in U.S. from Japan low
Jason Samenow/The Washington Post, posted March 15, 2011
Some have raised the question whether nuclear radiation from Japan could be transmitted by upper level winds across the Pacific and reach the U.S. West Coast or Alaska. The answer is possibly. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

UW quake expert talks about ongoing aftershocks in Japan
King 5 News, posted March 15, 2011
There continue to be strong aftershocks in Japan. That adds to the problems for people trying to rescue survivors and trying to head off a nuclear disaster. Bill Steele from the UW Seismology Lab talks to KING-5 about what's going on.

Radioactivity? Be concerned for the Japanese; risk to U.S. is virtually nil
Sandi Doughton/The Seattle Times, posted March 15, 2011
Northwesterners worried about health fallout from Japan's crippled nuclear reactors can take comfort in the 4,500 miles of ocean that separate us. Dan Jaffe, adjunct professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Mudslides disrupt train service, again
John Ryan/KUOW, posted March 15, 2011
Train service north and south of Seattle has been disrupted again by mudslides. Dave Montgomery, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Maybe we should try McGinn's idea to shut the viaduct now
Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times, posted March 15, 2011
Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat suggests trying Mayor Mike McGinn's off-the-cuff suggestion that the Alaskan Way Viaduct simply be shut down. Dave Montgomery, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

No radiation threat to Northwest, scientists say
Mike Archibold/The News Tribune, posted March 15, 2011
As Japan's nuclear plant crisis intensified after Friday's 9.0 earthquake and tsunami, fears that radiation could cross the Pacific Ocean to the West Coast surfaced. The News Tribune asked two UW atmospheric scientists about the situation.

On the radar
Eric Lucas/Columns Magazine, Spring 2011
Profile of Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences.

Sink to sound
David Gordon/Columns Magazine, Spring 2011
Across campus, and especially within the College of the Environment, researchers are using a new method for collecting old-fashioned data: They are employing real people—citizen scientists—to study changes in the environment. Features Rick Keil, professor of oceanography, and Julia Parrish, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.

New hope for polar bears
Vince Stricherz/Columns Magazine, Spring 2011
Nearly three years ago, polar bears were added to the threatened species list because their icy habitat showed a steady, precipitous decline due to warming climate. Now their outlook doesn’t appear to be quite so bleak. Includes Cecilia Bitz, professor of atmospheric sciences.

State geologists want better quake preparedness here
Mike Faulk/Yakima Herald-Republic, posted March 14, 2011
Washington state geologists are calling for better earthquake preparedness in the aftermath of Friday's quake off the coast of northern Japan. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

Washington's Hanford nuclear plant has more backup
Sandi Doughton/The Seattle Times, posted March 14, 2011
The Northwest's single nuclear-power plant is the same general type as those stricken in Japan, but it has more backup systems and is more than a decade newer, officials say. Steve Malone, research professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Danger to U.S. considered unlikely from Japanese nuclear crisis
KPLU News Staff/KPLU-FM, posted March 14, 2011
Dan Jaffe, professor in the science and technology program at UW Bothell.

2nd Explosion At Nuclear Power Plant In Japan. Could Radiation Reach Pacific Northwest?
KCPQ Staff/KCPQ-TV FOX 13, posted March 14, 2011
Dan Jaffe, professor in the science and technology program at UW Bothell.

West Coast quake warning system would be costly
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted March 14, 2011
John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. 3/12/2011 - KING-TV NBC 5

Locals in Japan call home, some still missing
Elisa Hahn /KING-TV NBC 5, posted March 12, 2011
Jody Bourgeois, professor of earth and space sciences.

Locals in Japan call home, some still missing
Elisa Hahn/KING-TV NBC 5, posted March 12, 2011
Jody Bourgeois, professor of earth and space sciences.

Japan earthquake likely a big blow to its struggling economy
Kristi Heim/Seattle Times, posted March 12, 2011
Marie Anchordoguy, a professor of international studies.

Northwest News: Many in Pacific Northwest await word on friends, family in Japan
Portland Oregonian & Oregon Live.com, posted March 12, 2011
Kan Kimura, a visiting University of Washington professor from Kobe University in Japan.

Similar quake due to hit Northwest
Howard Buck and Erik Robinson/Vancouver Columbian, posted March 12, 2011
Brian Atwater, affiliate professor of Earth and space sciences, and Amy Wright, seismic analyst for the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network.

Tsunami in the Sound: Where the danger lies for Snohomish County
Eric Stevick, Bilpl Sheets, and Rikki King/Everett Herald, posted March 12, 2011
Jody Bourgeois, professor of earth and space sciences.

Tsunami waves up to 1.7 feet hit Washington coast
Everett Herald (AP wire story), posted March 12, 2011
Jody Bourgeois, professor of earth and space sciences.

UW tsunami expert in Japan "felt the earthquake big time"
Keegan Hamilton/The Seattle Weekly, posted March 11, 2011
Interview with Jody Bourgeios, professor of earth and space sciences. Bourgeios experienced the earthquake first hand and is an expert in earthquakes and tsunamis.

Algal antifreeze makes inroads into ice
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted March 2, 2011
Sea-ice algae – the important first rung of the food web each spring in places like the Arctic Ocean – can engineer ice to its advantage, according to the first published findings about this ability. The paper detailing these findings is co-authored by Jody Deming, professor of oceanography.

Oregon coast braces for tsunami surges surpassing 6 feet
Margaret Haberman/The Oregonian, posted  March 11, 2011
Damaging tsunami waves of more than 6 feet could hit spots along the Oregon coast as the ocean surges after a massive earthquake in Japan. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

Tsunami warning issued for our coast for wave of 6 inches to 1 foot around 7 a.m. today
Tom Callis, Paul Gottlieb, and Paige Dickerson/ Port Angeles Peninsula Daily News, posted March 11, 2011
Hundreds of people were evacuated Friday morning along the North Olympic Peninsula coastline after a huge magnitude-8.9 offshore earthquake in Japan unleashed a tsunami. Jody Bourgeois, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Tsunami advisory issued for Washington's coast
Seattle Times Staff, Seattle Times, posted March 11, 2011
In the wake of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan, a tsunami advisory was issued for coastal areas of Washington, according to the National Weather Service forecast office. John Vidale, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Tsunamis discussed at Port Angeles workshop
Rob Ollikainen/Port Angeles Peninsula Daily News, posted March 11, 2011
When the next 500-year earthquake hits the Cascadia subduction zone, Neah Bay residents will have a little more than a half-hour to hightail it to higher ground, Brian Atwater, affiliate professor of Earth and space sciences, said.

Subduction zone quake could also hit Northwest
Longview Daily News (AP wire story), posted March 11, 2011
John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

Japanese earthquake could be replicated in Washington
Christopher Dunagan/Kitsap Sun, posted March 11, 2011
John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

UW Seismologists Say Washington Due For Its 'Own Version' Of Japan Quake
Jeff Dubois/ KIRO-TV CBS 7, posted March 11, 2011
John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

The science of tsunamis
Amina Kahn/Los Angeles Times, posted March 11, 2011
Jody Bourgeois, professor of earth and space sciences.

UW has confirmed half its students in Japan are safe
Joanna Nolasco/Seattle Times, posted March 11, 2011
Twenty-five University of Washington students are currently studying abroad in Japan, and the university has heard from almost half of them and confirmed they are safe.

UW tsunami expert in Japan describes 8.9 earthquake
Amy Rolph/seattlepi.com, posted March 11, 2011
Jody Bourgeois, professor of earth and space sciences.

Interview with UW earthquake researcher in Japan (video)
Eric Talmadge and Yuri Kageyama/Seattle Times, posted March 11, 2011
Jody Bourgeois, professor of earth and space sciences.

Science Japan tsunami illustrates risks facing Pacific Northwest coast
The Associated Press and KPLU Staff/ KPLU-FM, posted March 11, 2011
John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

Why tsunami triggered an enormous whirlpool
Stephanie Pappas/MSNBC/LiveScience, posted March 11, 2011
Ruth Ludwin, research scientist in Earth and space sciences.

2 p.m. live chat with Pacific Northwest Seismic Network director
Seattle Times, posted March 11, 2011
John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

Did approaching 'supermoon' cause Japan quake?
Amy Rolph/ seattlepi.com, posted March 11, 2011
John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and William Wilcock, professor of oceanography.

Classroom Culprits? Invasive Crayfish Threaten Western Waterways
Vince Patton/PBS, posted March 10, 2011
Invasive crayfish from the eastern U.S. that were shipped to elementary schools for biology classes and later released where they don't belong are posing a threat to western waterways. Julian Olden, assistant professor of fishery sciences, is quoted.

UW gets federal money to study air pollution
The Associated Press/The Olympian (AP wire story), posted March 8, 2011
The University of Washington is getting about $8 million in federal money to study how multiple air pollutants affect people's health.

Men With Nets Meet Scientists With Clipboards
Lekelia D. Jenkins/New York Times Blogs - Scientist at Work, posted March 7, 2011
Lekelia Jenkins, postdoctoral researcher in marine and environmental affairs, writes from her research in Ecuador.

Tsunami forums scheduled this week
Port Angeles Peninsula Daily News, posted March 7, 2011
Tsunami forums are planned beginning this week in LaPush, Neah Bay, Port Angeles and Sequim. Bob Freitag, director of the Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning & Research, is quoted.

Tacoma home for clean-water tech?
John Gillie/Tacoma News Tribune, posted March 2, 2011
An idea that sprang from a dinner party discussion among Tacoma civic leaders could, if successful, make Tacoma an international center for clean water technology. UW Tacoma's academic resources are cited as a component.
Tuition increases at Washington colleges are not sustainable
Elson S. Floyd/ Seattle Times, posted February 28, 2011
In an op-ed piece, Elson Floyd, president of WSU, "strongly endorses" the findings of the governor's Higher Education Task Force.

UW seismologist Bill Steele recalls Nisqually Earthquake 10 years later
Bill Steele/KING-TV NBC 5, posted February 28, 2011
Ten years ago, the earth shook under Western Washington from border to border. Bill Steele, a seismologist at the University of Washington, recalls what happened.

The Nisqually Earthquake: Ten Years After
Liam Moriarty/KPLU-FM 88.5, posted February 28, 2011
Ten years ago today, the Puget Sound region was rocked by a powerful earthquake. Professor Stephen Malone is interviewed.

Nisqually earthquake: 10 years later.
Allen Schauffler/KING-TV NBC 5, posted on February 28, 2011
Ten years ago today, the Puget Sound region was rocked by the largest earthquake in decades. UW and U.S. Geological Survey scientists have substantially increased their knowledge of quakes since then.

Could Seattle get an earthquake early warning system?
Nick Eaton/seattlepi.com, posted February 28, 2011
Here in Seattle, people often talk about the looming ?Big One.? Now there?s technology that could give us a few precious seconds? warning. John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the UW, is quoted.

UW on Nisqually quake: ?No reason to believe another one is overdue?
Amy Rolph/seattlepi.com, posted on February 27, 2011
Ten years after the Nisqually earthquake rattled the Puget Sound region, scientists with the University of Washington and the U.S. Geological Survey say there?s no reason to believe a similar quake will happen soon.

Monday marks 10 years since big Nisqually quake
Longview Daily News, posted January 27, 2011
The biggest surprise about the Nisqually quake is that it wasn't worse. Brian Sherrod, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist stationed at the UW, is quoted.

The Nisqually Earthquake: 10 Years Later
Steve Scher/KUOW 94.9FM - Puget Sound Public Radio, posted Febeuary 27, 2011
Ten years ago today, people around the Puget Sound region crawled under their desks, huddled beneath door frames and watched as the world trembled beneath their feet. Bill Steele, who coordinates the UW Seismology Laboratory, is interviewed.

Ten years later, Nisqually quake's legacy includes better preparation, monitoring
John Dodge/The Olympian, posted February 27, 2011
The Nisqually quake set off a new round of interest in earthquake science. John Vidale, earth and space sciences professor at the UW and director Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, is quoted.

Hard lessons learned since '01 quake
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted February 27, 2011
What scientists learned in the last 10 years since the Nisqually earthquake really has some researchers spooked. Brian Sherrod, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist stationed at the UW, is quoted.

Rumbling fears of budget cuts at UW seismology lab
Denise Whitaker/KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000, posted February 26, 2011
State budget cuts are threatening the University of Washington and its seismology lab.

New Spider Species In The Path Of New 520
Fox News Staff/KCPQ-TV FOX 13, posted February 24, 2011
A new type of spider has just been discovered on Foster Island - right in the shadow of the 4-billion dollar 520 expansion project. Rod Crawford, curator of arachnids at the Burke, is quoted.

King tides: a 'teachable moment?'
Liam Moriarty/KPLU-FM 88.5 NPR News & All That Jazz, posted February 22, 2011
"King tides" are a natural wintertime phenomenon in the Northwest, and they may also provide a glimpse into our future. UW research is cited.

State's climate change efforts fall short
Katie Durbin/Vancouver Columbian, posted February 20, 2011
Washington won’t meet its first state-mandated target for reducing greenhouse gases, warns a new report to the Legislature by the Department of Ecology. UW research is cited.

Biomass policy can have unintended consequences
Bruce Lippke & Elaine Oneil/Tacoma News Tribune, posted February 20, 2011
In an op-ed piece, Bruce Lippke and Elaine Oneil, both of Forest Resources, address misconceptions about biomass power.

Earthquakes Near Volcano
Andre Stepankowsky/ Longview Daily News, posted February 16, 2011
A series of aftershocks that rattled the area northwest of Mount St. Helens for about an hour late Monday morning started with an initial jolt that geologists upgraded to a magnitude 4.3. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

To Ecuador, With Sea Turtles in Mind
Lekelia D. Jenkins/NY Times Blogs - Scientist at Work, posted February 16, 2011
Lekelia Jenkins, postdoctoral researcher in marine and environmental affairs, writes from Ecuador, where she is studying factors in the cross-cultural adoption of marine conservation technologies like turtle excluder devices and circle hooks.

Virginia Armbrust named director of UW School of Oceanography
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted February 16, 2011
A marine microbiologist who studies phytoplankton – organisms that are responsible for 40 percent of the photosynthesis on the planet – has been named director of the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography.

Ten years after Nisqually quake, Northwest's seismic dangers still lurk
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted February 16, 2011
In the decade since the Nisqually earthquake shook buildings, rattled nerves and rolled the ground in Western Washington, the level of seismic danger in the Pacific Northwest hasn’t changed. But scientific ideas about the danger have evolved and the ability to study and prepare for it has improved immensely.

If greenhouse has emissions stopped now, Earth still would likely get warmer
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted February 15, 2011
While governments debate about potential policies that might curb the emission of greenhouse gases, new University of Washington research shows that the world is already committed to a warmer climate because of emissions that have occurred up to now.

Volcano sends Love waves on Valentine's Day, again
Erik Robinson/Vancouver Columbian, posted February 15, 2011
A 4.3-magnitude earthquake occurred 6 miles north of Mount St. Helens on Monday morning. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

On Edge-Pushing Statistics and Climate Basics - New York Times (blog)
Andrew C. Rivkin/"University of Washington" - Google News, posted February 10, 2011
Blogger Andrew Revkin comments on a dispute between Professor Eric Steig and an independent data analyst over patterns of temperature change in Antarctica.

Past Antarctic cooling may help study warming
Alister Doyle/MSNBC, posted February 9, 2011
A study released Wednesday may help scientists understand the impact of modern global warming on the frozen continent. Amelia Shevenell, who led the research as a post-doc at the UW and is currently at University College London, is quoted.

Small quake rattles North Sound
KOMO Staff/KOMO-TV, posted February 8, 2011
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake shook the north Puget Sound area Tuesday morning, but there were no reports of damage or injuries. Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, is quoted.

Follow the field work: researcher blogging about fishing tech and turtles
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted February 8, 2011
On her plane trip to Ecuador Wednesday, UW postdoctoral researcher Kiki Jenkins will write her first entry for the New York Times blog “Scientist at work: Notes from the Field.”

Seattle's Environmental Works builds for the least of us
Linda Shaw/ Seattle Times, posted February 6, 2011
Pacific Northwest magazine profiles Environmental Works, founded in 1970 by UW architecture students.

A decade later, hunt continues in UW eco-terror arson
Levi Pulkkinen/seattlepi.com, posted February 4, 2011
A decade after radical environmentalists torched a University of Washington horticulture building, recently unsealed court documents show federal agents continue their search for those who helped those who set the fire.

University of Washington wants to take out more big trees
Vanessa Ho/seattlepi.com, posted February 3, 2011
As expected, the University of Washington has filed a city request to tear down gloomy, cramped Mercer Hall, a dorm loathed by freshmen, and replace it with five student-housing towers. The project includes the removal of five "exceptional" trees.

Local gardens to brighten up your February
Madeline McKenzie/Seattle Times, posted February 2, 2011
The Seattle Times' list of winter gardens includes the year-around fragrance garden at the Center for Urban Horticulture.

Weather: Why sunny in Seattle means snowy in Chicago
Keith Seinfeld/ KPLU, posted February 2, 2011
You might have wondered -- as you gazed out your sunny window and listened to news of record cold and snow sweeping the midwest and East coast -- is there a connection? Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Two-mile Antarctic ice core could shed light on climate change
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted February 2, 2011
A research project being conducted by nearly 90 people from public and private U.S. universities and research institutions, including several University of Washington scientists, has succeeded in extracting a core more than 2 miles in depth from Antarctic ice.

Does Mt. St. Helens quake swarm point to another eruption?
Glenn Farley/Northwest Cable News, posted January 31, 2011
The Seismology Lab at the University of Washington keeps close tabs on anything that shakes around Mt. St. Helens. Lately, the area just north of the crater, left over from the explosive 1980 eruption, has been shaking again.

Swarm of earthquakes at Mount St. Helens
Susan Wyatt/ KING-TV NBC 5, posted January 31, 2011
A series of nine small earthquakes shook an area near Mount St. Helens during the weekend. Seismologists at the University of Washington have been monitoring the quakes.

Warming theory holds, climate experts insist
Renee Schoof/ Spokane Spokesman-Review (McClatchy news service), posted January 30, 2011
Along with the grumbling about winter snow there's also a common curiosity: What does all this say about global warming? Ignatius Rigor, mathematician with the Applied Physics Lab, is quoted.

Two cold winters don't make a climate trend
National Public Radio - Science Friday, posted January 28, 2011
The polar vortex has weakened the past two winters, allowing plumes of cold air to slip south. But two years don't make a trend. UW atmospheric scientist John Wallace talks about why he's cautious to link weird weather to global warming.

While fishing for laugh, Obama hooks a regional issue
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted January 26, 2011
President Obama's mention Tuesday night of the Northwest's signature fish seems to have resonated with the public -- though probably not as he'd hoped. David Montgomery, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

Rogue weather: Pakistan flooding and Russian heat
Doyle Rice/USA Today, posted January 26, 2011
Two of the biggest international weather stories last year were the disastrous floods in Pakistan and the record-breaking summer heat wave in Russia. Robert Houze, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Seismic fault beneath us is 'fully loaded' after 311 years
Julie Muhlstein/Everett Herald, posted January 26, 2011
Herald columnist Julie Muhlstein writes about the "fully loaded" subduction zone beneath Seattle. Bill Steele, of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, talks about the Great Cascadia Earthquake of 1700.

Rogue storm system caused Pakistan floods that left millions homeless
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted January 25, 2011
Last summer’s disastrous Pakistan floods that killed more than 2,000 people and left more than 20 million injured or homeless were caused by a rogue weather system that wandered hundreds of miles farther west than is normal for such systems, new research shows. Robert Houze, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

La Nina, are you out there?
Jack Broom/The Seattle Times, posted January 25, 2011
We were told to expect a winter that could be wetter, snowier and colder than normal. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Cold jumps Arctic 'fence,' stoking winter's fury
Justin Gillis/The New York Times, posted January 24, 2011
Judging by the weather, the world seems to have flipped upside down. John M. Wallace, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Scientists, artists collaborate to produce new art exhibit in Seattle
Vince Stricherz/UW Today, posted January 24, 2011
A new art exhibit featuring works created by artists collaborating with weather and climate scientists opened this week as part of the American Meteorological Society’s annual meeting at the Washington State Convention Center.

State's highest tides of year coming this weekend
John Dodge/The News Tribune, posted January 21, 2011
Oyster Bay resident Susan Christian was busy this week preparing for the highest tides of the year, which are expected to hit the shorelines of Puget Sound and coastal Washington Saturday through Monday morning. UW research from the Climate Impact Group is cited.

Documentary focuses on environmental 'terrorists'
Los Angeles Times, posted January 21, 2011
Documentary filmmaker Marshall Curry's latest film, "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front," is slated for broadcast later this year. The fire at the Center for Urban Horticulture is mentioned.

Cleaning up Washington's waterways - the mess is ours
Lance Dickie/The Seattle Times, posted January 20, 2011
Seattle Times columnist Lance Dickie writes, "benign neglect is not an option for the pollution and stormwater issues facing Washington waterways -- across the state." Rick Keil, professor of oceanography, is noted.

Huge Pacific storm to bring high surf to Hawaii
Jason Samenow/The Washington Post, posted January 19, 2011
A massive storm in the northern Pacific ocean threatens the coast of Hawaii with 30-40 foot waves. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

How does salt battle road ice?
Jenny Marder/PBS NewsHour, posted January 18, 2011
Since as early as the 1930s, a variation on simple table salt has been used to keep wintry roads from getting dangerously slippery. Joel Thornton, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, helps explain.

Northwest's unusually foggy summer mystifies experts
Les Blumenthal/Bellingham Herarld, posted January 17, 2011
The summer of 2010 was the foggiest on record in the Pacific Northwest, according to a researcher dubbed "Dr. Fog" by his colleagues. James Johnstone, post-doctoral researcher with JISAO, and Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.

Following a wandering North Pole
Ira Flatow/NPR, posted January 14, 2011
Geophysicist Ronald Merrill, professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington, explains what's known about the inner workings of the Earth's magnetic field.

Economics' newest thinking comes from the old masters
Peter Coy/BusinessWeek, posted January 13, 2011
John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek, who battled over the Depression, are getting a fresh look as the Long Slump lingers on. Yoram Bauman, lecturer with the Program on the Environment, is noted.

Iceberg snaps, produces strange song
Sandra Hines/UW Today, posted January 12, 2011
An iceberg located near Antarctica's Cape Adare was shattered into several pieces, as UW researchers, including Seelye Martin, research professor in oceanography, recorded a sound file. The sound file has been compressed by a factor of 200 so the event can be heard in less than two minutes

La Nina: Where to ski this winter and why
Molly Baker/MSNBC, posted January 11, 2011
The Northwestern United States, up into British Columbia and Alaska, tends to see colder temperatures and a wetter climate during La Nina patterns. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Latest forecast: snow, ice, then rain
Scott Sunde/Seattle P-I, posted January 11, 2011
Expect snow to begin falling during the afternoon commute on Tuesday with 1 to 3 inches possible in the Seattle area. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Seahawks fans' frenzy felt by seismometer
Sandi Doughton and Danny O'Neil/Seattle Times, posted January 10, 2011
Seahawks fans were jumping up and down so much during a pivotal play this weekend that it registered as a small earthquake on a seismometer 100 yards from the stadium. John Vidale, professor of Earth and space sciences, is quoted.

California's heavy rains counter La Nina's ways
Henry Fountain/New York Times, posted January 10, 2011
A typical La Nina usually brings wet weather to the western Pacific and dry conditions to the Southern U.S., but since late December, Southern California has been hit by severe rainstorms. David Battisti, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Latest forecast: Snow Tuesday, then rain Wednesday
Scott Sunde/Seattle P-I, posted January 10, 2011
The dire warnings of a major snow storm this week in the Seattle area have become less severe. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Snow may be on the way, but less than earlier feared
Jack Broom/Seattle Times, posted January 10, 2011
Seattle could get several inches of traffic-choking snow Tuesday afternoon and evening, but forecasters now see a reduced chance of a mammoth storm. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Get ready for super high 'king tides' this weekend
Vanessa Ho/Seattle P-I, posted January 6, 2011
The season of "king tides" -- or extremely high tides -- is upon us, in which the sun and moon's gravitational pulls reinforce one another. UW research is cited.

Co-management holds promise of sustainable fisheries worldwide
Sandra Hines/UW News & Information, posted January 5, 2011
Encouraging new evidence suggests that the bulk of the world’s fisheries – including small-scale, often non-industrialized fisheries on which millions of people depend for food – could be sustained using community-based co-management. School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences doctoral student Nicolas Gutierrez and professor Ray Hilborn are authors of a paper on this subject, published in Nature.
Related: Leadership, social capital, and incentives promote successful fisheries
Nicolas L. Gutierrez, Ray Hilborn & Omar Defeo/Nature, posted January 5, 2011
A related story also appeared in US News and World Report

Rain, rain, then snow in the forecast
Scott Sunde/Seattle P-I, posted January 5, 2011
Two days of rain may give way to some snow showers in the Seattle area. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

It's time for a new direction in our federal forests
Doug Robertson/Oregon Live, posted January 3, 2011
In an op-ed piece, the vice president of the National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition comments on a recent meeting with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar about forestlands in Oregon. Jerry Franklin, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Snow skipped Seattle but dumped up to 5 inches in some areas
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted December 29, 2010
The dynamics of Northwest weather were on display Wednesday, as convergence zones and snow showers danced across the Puget Sound region, but largely skipped over Seattle. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Snow "convergence zone" moving south from Everett
Jack Broom/Seattle Times, posted December 29, 2010
A band of snow was falling in a "convergence zone" in the Everett area about 6 a.m. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Wintry weather and global warming
Andrew C. Revkin/New York Times, posted December 27, 2010
Dot Earth blogger Andrew Revkin writes about the assertion by Judah Cohen, a commercial weather analyst, that "we're freezing not in spite of climate change but because of it." John Michael Wallace, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

The future of the forest can sustain communities and trees, Oregon State University's College of Forestry dean says
Eric Mortenson/The Oregonian, posted December 25, 2010
Hal Salwasser, dean of Oregon State University's College of Forestry, as declared federal forestry policy to be "not sustainable." Salwasser lauds a thinning project designed, in party, by Jerry Franklin, professor of forest resources.

West coast fog not following climate change script
Tom Banse/KUOW, posted December 22, 2010
New research at the University of Washington is looking at how fogginess along the coast has changed over time, and it's not exactly following the climate change script.

Faraway volcanic eruptions now detected in a flash
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted December 21, 2010
A University of Washington-based network that monitors lightning around the globe has an unexpected new use: Detecting volcanic eruptions that could be hazardous to aviation.

Polar scientists discuss polar bear's fate
Andrew C. Revkin/New York Times, posted December 20, 2010
New York Times blogger Andrew Revkin posts the views of some of the researchers who've been tracking questions relevant to polar bear survival. Ignatius Rigor, polar scientist with the Applied Physics Lab, is quoted.

The big unknown: The sediment effect
Michelle Martin/Columns, December 2010
By 1913, the Elwha Dam had blocked salmon passage beyond the first five miles of the Olympic Peninsula’s Elwha River. This dam and another one, 13 miles from the mouth, are scheduled to start coming down next year—the biggest dam removal project ever in the United States.

Related story: Education on the Elwha

Models: The basic tools of the meteorologists
Jack Broom/Seattle Times, posted December 17, 2010
Taking advantage of this relative down time between significant weather systems, University of Washington meteorologist, author and blogger Cliff Mass discusses how forecasters use computer models and atmospheric data to develop their forecasts.

Climate action could save polar bears
Alexandra Witze/ScienceNews, posted December 16, 2010
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions enough over the next few decades may stabilize the rapidly shrinking Arctic sea ice sufficiently to provide a sustainable habitat for polar bears. Cecilia Bitz, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Polar bear 'doomed'? Only if greenhouse-gas emissions aren't cut
Pete Spotts/Christian Science Monitor, posted December 15, 2010
Greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide must be cut to avoid a disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic, which is crucial to the polar bear. Cecilia Bitz, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

No 'tipping point' for sea ice in polar bears' future
Paul Voosen/New York Times, posted December 15, 2010
Polar bears may be threatened, but they aren't yet doomed. Ian Eisenman, visiting NOAA postdoctoral fellow, and Cecilia Bitz, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, are quoted.

UW: Admiralty Inlet an ideal spot for tidal power
Associated Press/KOMO News, posted December 14, 2010
Nearly two years of monitoring show the Admiralty Inlet is an ideal place to harness tidal energy, University of Washington researchers say.

Decline of West Coast fog brought higher coastal temperatures last 60 years
Vince Stricherz/UW News and Information, posted December 13, 2010
Fog is a common feature along the West Coast during the summer, but a University of Washington scientist has found that summertime coastal fog has declined since 1950 while coastal temperatures have increased slightly.

'Array of arrays' coaxing secrets from unfelt seismic tremor events
Vince Stricherz/UW News and Information, posted December 13, 2010
Every 15 months or so, an unfelt earthquake occurs in western Washington and travels northward to Canada’s Vancouver Island. The episode typically releases as much energy as a magnitude 6.5 earthquake, but it does so gradually over a month.

Pineapple Express chugs in: Rain, warm air expected to cause flooding
Jill Kimball and Jack Broom/Seattle Times, posted December 10, 2010
Get out your Hawaiian shirt and your umbrella, we're in for a Pineapple Express. The front is so named, University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass says, because it travels from Hawaii to the Puget Sound

Clouds warm things up
Alexandra Witze/Science News, posted December 10, 2010
Over the past decade, during short-term climate changes, clouds trapped heat in the Earth?s atmosphere and warmed the planet, a new study suggests. Dennis Hartmann, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

New theory of climate effects of clouds triggers a thunderstorm among skeptics in Cancun
Lauren Morello/New York Times, posted December 10, 2010
Clouds will respond to climate change in ways that further heat the planet, a new study suggests. Dennis Hartmann, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Dueling sides meet with Salazar on Oregon logging
Jeff Barnard/The Washington Post, posted December 8, 2010
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar met Wednesday with veterans of the long-standing timber wars in Oregon, members of the Oregon congressional delegation, and federal agencies. Jerry Franklin, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Tackling new terrain: climate change and global health
Emily Lee/UW Today, posted December 8, 2010
A new initiative could position the University of Washington as a major player in addressing global health and environmental issues arising from climate change.

Forest biomass supply research team chosen
Peninsula Daily News, posted Decemeber 8, 2010
The state Department of Natural Resources has selected a research team to study forest biomass supply in a project that is the first of its kind in the nation. The School of Forest Resources will work with TSS Consultants.

CoEnv units featured in UW 360, December edition
Tommy Thompson
Follow undergraduate oceanographers out onto Puget Sound as they learn methods for field research.

Salmon Pond
Tour the UW campus with a visit to the salmon homing pond, where Chinook and Coho have been raised, released and now return every fall.

West Coast states offer a different vision in Cancun
Liam Moriarty/KPLU, posted December 6, 2010
United Nations delegates from around the world are meeting in Cancun, Mexico, to try to produce an international agreement on limiting greenhouse gases. Amy Snover, research scientist with the Climate Impacts Group, is interviewed.

Weather enthusiast studies rain shadow, shares findings
Jeff Chew/Peninsula Daily News, posted December 6, 2010
David Britton is fascinated with the Sequim-Dungeness Valley's weather and how the famous Olympic rain shadow affects it. He's collaborating with University of Washington weather expert Cliff Mass.

Would tolls keep SR 520 traffic out of the Arboretum?
Scott Gutierrez/Seattle PI, posted December 3, 2010
Making people pay to use the Arboretum as a side route from the bridge is among several options that a 520 workgroup is recommending. The group includes the state and city transportation departments, transit agencies, the UW and the Arboretum.

Winter weather: Is the worst really behind us?
Amy Rolph/Seattle P-I, posted December 3, 2010
University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass posted a surprising analysis on his blog Thursday night: "Climatologically speaking, the worst is over."

World is running out of places to catch wild fish, study finds
Juliet Eilperin/Washington Post, posted December 2, 2010
Global fisheries have expanded so rapidly over the past half-century that the world is running out of places to catch wild fish, according to a recent study. Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

The doom boom
Michael Ruse/The Chronicle of Higher Education, posted November 28, 2010
The Chronicle Review looks at books written about "environmental Armageddon." "The Flooded Earth: Our Future in a World Without Ice Caps," by Peter Ward, professor of Earth and space sciences and of biology, is noted.

Exports lift Washington state's lumber industry
Steve Wilhelm/Puget Sound Business Journal, posted November 24, 2010
Exports -- especially to China and Japan -- are emerging as bright spots for Washington’s lumber industry after one of its worst years ever. Ivan Eastin, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

A boatload of stories
Punctuated Equilibrium/The Guardian, posted November 19, 2010
University of Washington students prepare to spend two weeks at sea, exploring future sites for laying fibre optic cables as part of a major research initiative.

Widely-used measure of ocean health flawed
Elizabeth Weise/USA Today, posted November 17, 2010
Since the publication of a landmark paper in 1998, the health of the oceans' fisheries has often been measured by what's called a "mean trophic level" of catch. But now a new study suggests that that the standard may, in fact, not give an accurate representation of what's alive in the deep. Trevor Branch, assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Study: How we measure ocean health is wrong half the time
Liam Moriarty/KPLU, posted November 17, 2010
The most widely-used way of measuring the health of ocean ecosystems is wrong as often as it's right. And that can lead to thinking that fisheries are sustainable when they're really not. Trevor Branch, assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Morning earthquake shook Morton in Lewis County
The Seattle Times, posted November 16, 2010
An earthquake rattled the town of Morton in Lewis County early this morning. John Vidale, chief of the seismology lab, is quoted.

How's Antarctica faring? Experts fly over ice to find out
MSNBC.com, posted November 15, 2010
Holding enough ice to raise sea levels by nearly 200 feet if it all melted, Antarctica is a major factor when it comes to climate change. Seelye Martin, research professor of oceanography, is quoted.

"Before this, I would literally put a torch to it": tour highlights biomass availability
Tom Callis/Peninsula Daily News, posted November 14, 2010
In the misty hills south of here, the rumbling of large machinery reverberating out of a clearing offered a telltale sign of a North Olympic Peninsula tradition: logging. But the small crew operating the equipment last Wednesday morning wasn't there to cut trees. The job of the Hermann Brothers' employees was to make use of the half-dozen piles of tree branches and other large woody debris, known as slash, left from the logging operation. John Calhoun, director of the Olympic Natural Resources Center, is quoted.

Berries, pods and cones see us through fall season
Valerie Easton/Seattle Times, posted November 13, 2010
Seattle Times garden columnist Valerie Easton talks to Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, about what a La Nina winter will mean for local gardeners.

As glaciers melt, science seeks data on rising seas
Justin Gillis/New York Times, posted November 13, 2010
Scientists long believed that the collapse of the gigantic ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica would take thousands of years, with sea level possibly rising as little as seven inches in this century, about the same amount as in the 20th century. But researchers have recently been startled to see big changes unfold in both Greenland and Antarctica. David Sutherland, research associate in oceanography, is quoted.

Get ready for La Nina winter -- it's just around the corner
Phil Ferolito/Yakima Herald-Republic, posted November 8, 2010
Trucks outfitted with snowplows and de-icing tanks are revved up to tackle what could be one of the worst winters to hit the Yakima Valley in more than a decade. Nick Bond, research meteorologist, is quoted.

Eating more fish will save the rainforests, suggests scientist Ray Hilborn
Ashley Braun/Grist, posted November 8, 2010
Professor of aquatic and fishery sciences Ray Hilborn is profiled.

Unique Seattle horticultural library has deep roots, celebrates 25 years
Lynda V. Mapes/Seattle Times, posted November 6, 2010
The Elisabeth C. Miller Library, which celebrated its 25th anniversary Saturday, is the first and only in the region dedicated to gardening and horticulture, and is the only library of its type in the West that lends from its collection to the general public. Housed at the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture, the library is a hub for gardeners, horticulturalists and naturalists of all sorts.

Thursday was probably the last warm day for a while
Jill Kimball/Seattle Times, posted November 4, 2010
It's been a week of extremes -- record rainfall, summery sun and record highs -- but don't expect to see uncommon weather from here on out. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Eat a fish, save a rainforest: Professor says to weigh alternatives before we curtail fishing
Sandra Hines/UWeek, posted November 4, 2010
Professor Ray Hilborn and his recent talk as part of the lecture series Food: Eating Your Environment are profiled.

Can a volcano spawn salmon?
John Ryan/KUOW News/posted November 2, 2010
Could a volcano erupting in the Aleutian Islands put money in people's pockets in Bellingham more than 2,000 miles away, increasing the production of Fraser River salmon? Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is skeptical.

The mystery of Canada's huge 2010 salmon runs
Daniel Jack Chasen/Crosscut, posted October 28, 2010
This year the Fraser River run of sockeye salmon is the largest since 1913, and no one can explain it. Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Snow this winter? The record says perhaps
Scott Sunde/Seattle Times, posted October 27, 2010
Snow may fall more often, and that we might get more of it this year than in a normal winter, according to a report from the Office of the State Climatologist at the UW.

Study reveals how much snow fell in past La Nina winters
KIRO TV, posted October 27, 2010
A new study of past La Nina winters by the UW suggests people who live in the lowlands should prepare for snow this winter.

Narwhals take Greenland's temperature
Dan Vergano/USA Today, posted October 27, 2010
Narwhals, horned whales that live in the Arctic, excel at taking Greenland's temperature, report a team of researchers led by Kristin Laidre of the UW's Polar Science Center.

Study: Scented consumer products emit toxic chemicals
Greenhouse Blog/USA Today, posted October 26, 2010
Popular scented products – including those that claim to be "green" – emit many chemicals not listed on the label, including some considered toxic and possibly carcinogenic, a study today says. Lead author is Anne Steinemann, professor of civil and environmental engineering.

Interior Secretary visits Oregon to talk timber
Associated Press/Longview Daily News, posted October 25, 2010
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar met with the timber industry and conservation groups Monday to find a way out of decades of bitter conflict over logging in the checkerboard of federal forests in Western Oregon that has long been an economic lifeline for rural counties. Research by Jerry Franklin, professor of forest research, is noted.

In the Emerald City, the debate over trees heats up
Phuong Lee/Associated Press, posted October 25, 2010
Tree lovers in Seattle are now fighting proposed city rules that would remove current protections for large, exceptional trees, and do not include a requirement that property owners get a permit to remove a tree. Kathleen Wolf, research social scientist in Forest Resources, is quoted.

Arctic sea ice loss linked to severe U.S. winters
Andrew Freedman/Washington Post, posted October 25, 2010
Last winter's record wallops of heavy snow had many in the mid-Atlantic wondering what happened to global warming. Now comes word that, paradoxically, cooler winters with heavier snowfall in regions such as the mid-Atlantic may be connected to rapid warming and sea ice loss in the Arctic. Muyin Wang, of the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, is mentioned.

A murder of crows
Nature/PBS, premieres October 24, 2010
New research indicates that crows are among the brightest animals in the world. Nature’s A Murder of Crows brings you these so-called feathered apes, as you have never seen them before. John Marzluff, professor of forest resources, is profiled.

Altered shoreline raises future risk
John Dodge/The Olympian, posted October 24, 2010
A sea wall to hold back the rising waters of Puget Sound could be the next major alteration in the long history of Olympia's changing downtown shoreline.Research from the UW's Climate Impact Group is cited.

The dog and the whale
Andrew Luck-Baker/BBC Radio, posted October 19, 2010
This BBC story features a Washington Sea Grant project that uses detection dogs on a small boat to find killer whale scat floating on the surface of Puget Sound. Scientists collect the scat and analyze it for information about the whales' stress level, fertility, nutritional status and exposure to chemical pollution.

2010 tied (so far) for warmest on record
John Collins Rudolf/New York Times, posted October 18, 2010
With more than two months to go, 2010 is on pace to tie 1998 as the warmest year in the historical record, according to an analysis of land and sea surface temperatures by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Studies by the Polar Science Center are cited.

Perdue's Gebisa Ejeta on the vexing task of feeding a growing population
Ashley Braun/Grist, posted October 13, 2010
Ejeta's lecture at UW, which was the first in the Food: Eating Your Enviroment series, is discussed.

World Food Prize winner: IT revolution won't be a model for agriculture in Africa
Sandi Doughton/The Seattle Times, posted October 11, 2010
Gebisa Ejeta, the first speaker in the Food: Eating Your Environment series, is profiled.

Hot stuff: UW part of national effort to study global warming
Katie Schmidt/Seattle P-I, posted October 7, 2010
In an arrangement that could mean many more millions of dollars in research funding in years to come, the University of Washington, Oregon State University, the University of Idaho and the U.S. Geological Service are to work together to establish the Northwest Regional Climate Science Center, one of eight planned centers throughout the country meant to identify and fund practical global warming research that can be used to better manage natural resources.

Illustrious career brings singular honors for Mike Wallace
Vince Stricherz/UWeek, posted October 7, 2010
For more than 40 years, John "Mike" Wallace has been a fixture at the UW. Now the atmospheric science professor's name will become a fixture, as the old Academic Computing Center has been named after him.

Rainy September falls short of a record
The Seattle Times/Carly Flandro, posted October 1, 2010
Local meteorologists were hoping for the rainiest September on record this year, but — to their chagrin — the total rainfall was about an inch short. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Report casts world's rivers in 'crisis state'
U.S. News & World Report/Terry Devitt, posted October 1, 2010
The world's rivers, the single largest renewable water resource for humans and a crucible of aquatic biodiversity, are in a crisis of ominous proportions, according to a new global analysis. Cathy Reidy Liermann, researcher at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, is one of the authors of the study, which appears in Nature.

Winter could be a whopper, forecasters say
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted September 30, 2010
The most intense La Niña conditions since 1955 are brewing near the equator, raising the odds of a wild winter in the Pacific Northwest. Meteorologists say more rain, colder temperatures and bigger snowstorms are likely. Washington state Climatologist Nick Bond and Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Cliff Mass is quoted.

Wind offers reprieve to struggling, dying fish in Hood Canal dead zone
Craig Welch/Seattle Times, posted September 28, 2010
Oxygen levels in a troubled portion of Hood Canal have fallen so low that fish and other sea creatures are failing or dying. Scientists have been warning all month that conditions could at any moment lead to the suffocation of tens of thousands of fish. UW oceanographer Jan Newton is quoted.

One in five plant species face extinction
Juliette Jowit/The Guardian, posted September 29, 2010
One in five of the world's plant species – the basis of all life on earth – are at risk of extinction, according to a landmark study published today. The Miller Seed Vault at the UW Botanic Gardens is sited.

Monday was 2010's most humid day, says UW prof
Seattle Times staff, posted September 27, 2010
Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Cliff Mass is wrote on his weather blog that Monday was the most humid day of the year so far. The humidity reached 100 percent at Sea-Tac Airport at about 3 a.m. Monday morning.

Forecasters expect a cold, wet winter for Southwest Washington
Leslie Slape/The Daily News, posted September 26, 2010
Odds are it's going to be a colder, wetter winter than normal, courtesy of the La Nina effect. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Trio of PNW universities to develop new tools for climate change planning
Sandra Hines and Vince Stricherz/UW News and Information, posted September 23, 2010
The nearly $3.6 million in Interior Department funding will ramp up efforts already underway at three Pacific Northwest universities, including UW, to help resource managers tailor the latest climate change findings to forests, waterways, parks and other lands where they work.

Related: UW shares federal grant for climate research center (Everett Herald)
UW part of Northwest Climate Science Center (Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce)

Planning commission OKs permits for Nippon biomass cogeneration plant
Tom Callis/Peninsula Daily News, posted September 22, 2010
The Nippon paper mill's proposed energy-producing biomass boiler cleared its first regulatory hurdle Wednesday. John Calhoun of the UW's Olympic Natural Resource Center is quoted.

A sharp ocean chill and 20th century climate
Andrew Revkin/The New York Times, posted September 22, 2010
A new paper closely examining ocean temperatures throws a twist into understanding of the pattern of global warming seen in the 20th century, but does it throw established concepts and climate models into question? Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Mike Wallace is quoted.

Scientists worry Hood Canal may suffer extensive fish kills
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted September 21, 2010
Scientists have been warning for weeks that poor flushing of Hood Canal last winter combined with the expected influx of deep ocean water may set the stage for substantial fish kills this year. Oceanographers and scuba-diving biologists said Tuesday that conditions are right on the edge, with hundreds of dead fish already washed ashore on southern Hood Canal. Jan Newton, principal oceanographer with the Applied Physics Lab, is quoted.

Space-age mapping of the world's forests
Peter Bowes/BBC News, posted September 20, 2010
Using satellites and lasers, scientists have produced a unique map that details the heights of the world's forests. James Lutz, research associate in the School of Forest Resources, is quoted.

Hundreds of dead fish found in Hood Canal
Glenn Farley/KING 5 News, posted Septemeber 20, 2010
Since Hood Canal is a dead end with low circulation, that leads to big fish kills where fish simply cannot breathe. This latest alarm went out for state biologists Sunday night while monitoring an automated buoy near Hoodsport. UW research is noted.

Turning Seattle's food waste into fuel
Anne Dornfeld/KUOW News, posted September 20, 2010
In the year-and-a-half since food recycling became mandatory for most Seattle households, we've gotten really good at composting. So good that the facility where all of this food waste goes has to get creative about what to do with it all. Sally Brown, research associate professor of forest resources, is quoted.

La Nina may bring wetter, grayer season; wintery wallop possible
Peninsula Daily News, posted September 19, 2010
Cooler, rainy days are interrupting our usual sunny weather this September. But storms are expected to grow more severe in the coming winter months as the La Nina climate phenomenon strengthens. Nate Mantua, co-director of the Center for Science in the Earth System, is quoted.

ELF Conviction Overturned
Patricia Murphy/KUOW News, posted September 16, 2010
A woman convicted of helping to carry out a 2001 arson that destroyed the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture will get a new trial. A three--judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the US District Court Judge erred during the original proceedings.

Fish show signs of stress in southern Hood Canal
Christopher Dunagan/Kitsap Sun, posted September 15, 2010
Researchers reported last week that dissolved oxygen levels in southern Hood Canal had reached levels never seen before near Hoodsport. It appears that conditions have grown even worse since then. Conditions are ripe for a major fish kill, according to Jan Newton, a University of Washington oceanographer who heads up the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program.

Green Lantern: Some air fresheners contain ingredients that may be harmful
Brian Palmer/The Washington Post, posted September 14, 2010
Washington Post columnist Brian Palmer answers a question about air fresheners. Research by Anne Steinemann, professor of civil and environmental engineering, is noted.

Drier climate? Poster 'educated guess' about Olympic National Park future
Paul Gottlieb/Peninsula Daily News, posted September 12, 2010
In a marriage of climate-science and art, a Vermont painter John Pitcher has created an ominous dual portrait of Olympic National Park's environmental future. Dave Peterson, professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Rattlesnake perfume a longtime squirrel safety measure
USA Today, posted September 10, 2010
Squirrels douse themselves with rattlesnake scent as a safety measure, scientists suggest, and likely have done so for at least 18 million years. The research was led by Barbara Clucas, research associate of wildlife science and animal behavior.

Record low oxygen levels observed in southern Hood Canal
Christopher Dunagan/Kitsap Sun, posted September 7, 2010
Severe low-oxygen levels in southern Hood Canal have created conditions that could lead to a massive fish kill, experts say. The trigger would be strong winds out of the south, which would bring low-oxygen waters to the surface, potentially killing thousands of fish in a short time, said Jan Newton, a University of Washington oceanographer.

Study of Tripod fire reaffirms the value of thinning forests
K.C. Mehaffey/The Wenatchee World, posted
September 1, 2010
A three-year U.S. Forest Service study confirmed what fire managers already knew: Wildfires are not nearly as deadly for trees in areas previously thinned and burned. Research scientist Susan Prichard is the study's co-author.

Could cutting Northwest's old-growth forests help the environment?
Les Blumenthal/Bellingham Herald, posted August 31, 2010
The world's tallest forests are those along the Pacific Northwest coast. How to manage them to store carbon is up for debate. Elaine Oneil, a research scientist in the School of Forest Resources, is quoted.
This McClatchy Newspapers story appeared on numerous Web sites.

Risk-taking rises as oil rigs in gulf drill deeper
Jad Mouawad and Barry Meier/New York Times, posted August 29, 2010
The risks of major accidents increase as oil rigs get larger and more complicated. Thomas Leschine, director and professor of marine affairs, says oil companies have grown complacent about the risks.

Two previously unknown Northwest quake faults ID'd
Brett Israel/MSNBC, posted August 17, 2010
Researchers from the University of Washington and the U.S. Geological Survey have identified two previously unknown and potentially active faults near the capital of Washington state.

The nation's greenest colleges
Mireya Navarro/New York Times, posted August 16, 2010
In rankings released on Monday, the Sierra Club's Sierra Magazine anoints Green Mountain College in Vermont as the nation's greenest college. The UW ranks fourth.

Do some Sea-Tac Airport weather observations need an asterisk?
Scott Sistek/KOMO News, posted August 16, 2010
UW Research Meteorologist Mark Albright has noticed over the past couple of summers that on warm days when the wind typically blows out of the north at the airport, that the official temperature reading there seems to be a few degrees warmer than surrounding reports.

Rise of the Ratfish in Puget Sound
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted August 14, 2010
Pound-for-pound, ratfish, the green-eyed bottom feeders dominate the Sound's ecosystem like Doug fir dominates the forests. Fisheries Professor Tim Essington is quoted.

Stressed out? Watch the octopus ballet
Amy Rolph/Seattle PI, posted August 13, 2010
The Enlighten '10 project is an attempt by the University of Washington to make ocean research accessible and interactive.

Seismic devices added as 'silent' earthquate slides under Peninsula
Paul Gottlieb/Peninsula Daily News, posted August 12, 2010
Staff from the University of Washington-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Center this week are increasing seismic stations from 10 to 20 at each of eight sites on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Quake likely to rumble for weeks
John Dodge/The Olympian, posted August 11, 2010
A slow-moving earthquake has begun in the Olympia-Tacoma area and is expected to rumble north beneath the Olympic Peninsula for the next several weeks, according to University of Washington seismologists.
Related: Read about this story in University Week

Another slow tremor beneath Olympic Peninsula
Seattle Times (AP wire story), posted August 11, 2010
University of Washington seismologists are closely monitoring another slow-moving tremor that's been detected under the Olympic Peninsula.

Slow-moving 'silent quakes' being tracked by UW seismologists
Glenn Farley/King 5 News and Associated Press, posted August 10, 2010
What's so unique about "silent quakes" is that unlike other quakes, where scientists can only estimate a loose period of time when a quake "might" occur, the silent quakes happen on a predictable schedule, about every 14 to 15 months. The University of Washington is home to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, an array of monitoring stations that tracks events such as silent quakes.

Watch related videos:

KING 5 TV
KOMO 4 TV

Sun likely to break up shroud of clouds by midweek
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted August 9, 2010
Tired of the low clouds and fog that have dominated this summer's weather? Blame an unusually strong high-pressure system sprawled across more than 1,000 square miles of the Pacific, shoving cool marine air and clouds toward the coast. Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences, is quoted.

Studies seek to find what makes poisonous plankton tick
Christopher Dunagan/Kitsap Sun, posted August 9, 2010
Puget Sound researchers are developing new methods to predict two kinds of toxic plankton blooms -- one known for producing poisonous shellfish and the other for killing fish. UW research is noted.

Study's goal: finding out how much Seattle's trees are worth
Larry Lange/Seattle PI, posted August 8, 2010
Slowly, for the rest of this summer and maybe into next spring, a crew is circulating through Seattle, assessing city trees one plot at a time trying to answer a fundamental question: What is Seattle's urban forest worth? The study is being undertaken with the U.S. Forest Service, the University of Washington, Cascade Land Conservancy, King County and Seattle.

Churning ocean waters, one jellyfish at a time
Adi Narayan/Time Magazine, posted August 5, 2010
Could thousands of jellyfish, moving together, contribute to large-scale mixing of ocean waters? UW oceanographer Michael Gregg comments.

10 climate indicators in new report point to marked warming in last 30 years
Sandra Hines/University Week, posted August 5, 2010
A climate report just out, that's different from other climate publications because it's based on observed data and not computer models, says 10 climate indicators all point to marked warming during the past three decades.

Ground beetles may not be beautiful but they are beneficial to the garden
Ciscoe Morris/Seattle Times, posted August 4, 2010
Seattle Times garden columnist Ciscoe Morris recommends the plant identification service offered by the Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium at the Center for Urban Horticulture.

Scientific shellfish study will continue
John Lentz/The Olympian, posted August 1, 2010
In an op-ed piece, John Lentz, president of the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association, writes about the state Department of Natural Resources' recent announcement that the University of Washington's Sea Grant geoduck research project will be the recipient of $244,000 from the department to continue its work.

Bald Eagle Comeback Pressures Coastal Seabirds
Tom Banse/KUOW News, posted July 27, 2010
The comeback of the bald eagle is one of the most celebrated success stories of modern conservation. But along the Pacific Northwest coast, the majestic eagles are marauders. Their increasing numbers are putting other bird populations at risk. Research by Julia Parrish, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is noted.

UW's Leopold wins big award for her love of nature
Nicole Brodeur/Seattle Times, posted July 27, 2010
Columnist Nicole Brodeur profiles the UW's Estella Leopold, who has received a lifetime achievement award, the International Cosmos Prize, which honors "those who have, through their work, applied and realized the ideals which the Foundation strives to preserve how ... we as human beings can truly respect and live in harmony with nature."
Read the UW News story here.

Acidic water no surprise to shellfish growers
The Olympian, posted July 20, 2010
The Olympian editorial board comments on recent UW research about Puget Sound acidification, writing "The studies are critical, but action to reduce concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the ocean are even more so."

Recession humor enjoys global boom
Andrew Clark/Christian Science Monitor, posted July 19, 2010
Recession humor is everywhere. On TV. On the Internet. The worse the economy gets, it seems, the more Americans need to laugh. That's creating a business opportunity for comedians. Yoram Bauman, lecturer with the Program on the Environment, is quoted.

Take a peek into some of Seattle's oldest weather journals
Scott Sistek/KOMO News, posted July 15, 2010
Research meteorologist Mark Albright, with atmospheric sciences, was poking around the National Climatic Data Center archives and came across some very old weather journals for the Seattle area. How old? Before the Dennys and Mercers even landed at Alki.

The science behind climate science
James McCarthy, Lisa Graumlich, Chris Field, and James Hurrell/Politico, posted July 13, 2010
How we as a society use what we have learned from climate science could define our generation.

Shellfish at risk: Puget Sound becoming acidified
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted July 12, 2010
The waters of Puget Sound and Hood Canal are becoming more acidified as a result of rising carbon dioxide from industries, power plants and vehicles. Scientists from the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warn that the shifting water chemistry could damage the region's shellfish industry.

Acidity in much of Puget Sound can be lethal
Fiona Cohen/Seattle PI, posted July 12, 2010
The acidity has risen so much in parts of Puget Sound that it has become lethal to shellfish larvae, report scientists from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Washington.

Restaurants Join Bid to Save Fisheries
Paul Ziobro/Wall Street Journal, posted July 12, 2010
The world's rising appetite for seafood is on a collision course with its wild fisheries, leaving restaurant companies and other big buyers caught in the middle. Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Dean Lisa Graumlich joins Senator Maria Cantwell to address oil spill preparedness.
View Kiro 7 TV coverage:

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View King 5 TV coverage:

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Making clouds brighter: Could geoengineering slow global warming?
Vince Stricherz/UWeek, posted on July 8, 2010
Throughout history, natural events such as volcanic eruptions have periodically spewed tiny particles, called aerosols, into the atmosphere and cooled the Earth's climate by reflecting sunlight back into space. Today some scientists wonder whether deliberately injecting aerosols into the atmosphere could be a way to help offset greenhouse warming. Robert Wood, assistant professor of atmospheric sciences, is featured.

Sen. Cantwell pushes for more oil-spill preparedness
Jill Kimball/The Seattle Times, posted July 6, 2010
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell on Tuesday called for federal legislation requiring new technology and better preparation by oil companies to handle an oil spill. Lisa Graumlich, dean of the College of the Environment, joined Cantwell at a press conference at Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal.
Read Dean Graumlich's remarks here.

Technology Could Speed Up Oil Spill Response
Charla Bear/KPLU, posted July 6, 2010
New technologies could speed up the response to oil spills. And some of them are being developed here in the Northwest. University of Washington researchers say a tool that could be ready within a year is a robot glider. It travels underwater to collect information.

Lake Washington's sockeye run still down
Cassandra Brooks/The Seattle Times, posted July 6, 2010
The number of sockeye passing through Seattle's Ballard Locks on their way to the Cedar River is low, meaning the state is not expecting a salmon fishery on Lake Washington this summer. Thomas Quinn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, is quoted.

Biologist Warns of Danger From Rising Sea Levels
All Things Considered/NPR, posted July 3, 2010
In his new book, Flooded Earth, Peter D. Ward, professor of earth & space sciences and biology, argues that even if humans stopped all carbon dioxide emissions today, the oceans will still rise up to 3 feet by 2050, wreaking havoc on many coastal cities and their infrastructure.

Oxygen levels at record lows along Hood Canal
Bryan Johnson/KOMOnews.com, posted June 30, 2010
There are new worries for Hood Canal as the oxygen levels in deep water are at record low levels. UW oceanographer Jan Newton is quoted.

Texts on the beach: What scientists recommend for summer reading
The Washington Post, posted June 29, 2010
Once they've plowed through their monthly stack of technical journals, which books do science and engineering professionals read for fun? David Montgomery, professor of Earth and Space Sciences, provides his recommendations.

Antarctic Shoal Breaks the Ice
Sid Perkins/ScienceNews, posted June 25, 2010
Researchers in Antartica have discovered a previously unreported submarine ridge, explaining why large icebergs in the area have been observed breaking. UW oceanographer Seelye Martin is quoted.

Brain Waves: Idea Man
Marcie Sillman/KUOW, posted June 25, 2010
Interview with David Montgomery, professor of Earth and Space Sciences. Montgomery discusses science and creativity.

Notes from the Whaling and Warming Wars
Andrew C. Revkin/New York Times, posted June 24, 2010
New York Times blogger Andrew Revkin writes about a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that attempted to sort hundreds of publishing climate scientists into two categories -- those convinced and unconvinced of the basics on human-driven global warming. Eric Steig, professor of Earth and Space Sciences, is quoted.

UW's new Environment College: just for the believers?
Daniel Jack Chasen/Crosscut.com, posted June 24, 2010
Chasen interviews incoming dean Lisa Graumlich and explores the College's past and future.

Ways that urbanites can turn their waste into compost
Nina Shen Rastogi/The Washington Post/, June 22, 2010
Washington Post columnist Nina Shen Rastogi answers a question about urban composting. Sally Brown, research associate professor of forest resources, is quoted.

Cool start to summer a mixed blessing for berries
Vancouver Columbian (AP wire story), June 22, 2010
Joe Beaudoin, proprietor of Joe's Place Farm in east Vancouver, said the strawberries are as numerous and as succulent as ever. His bigger problem: Droves of potential U-pick customers assume otherwise. Nick Bond, research meteorologist with the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean and Washington state climatologist, is quoted.This wire story appeared on many news Web sites.

It's not just Oregon: Summer is late across Northwest
Portland Oregonian (AP wire story), June 21, 2010
The unusually damp, dark weather this month is testing even the most die-hard Northwest native accustomed to rain and clouds. Nick Bond, research meteorologist with the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean and Washington state climatologist, is quoted.

Sunday was darkest June day in Seattle in 15 years
Carly Flandro/Seattle Times, published June 21, 2010
The day before the summer solstice -- when the sun's rays should shine strongest over the Northern Hemisphere -- might instead have been "the darkest June day anyone's ever experienced" in Seattle, said Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington.

Welcome to... summer?
Scott Sistek/KOMO News, published on June 21, 2010
While Seattleites are certainly used to a stretch of cool, wet weather, the fact that it has come in May and June and lasted for so long has tested even the most staunch locals who don't even own an umbrella. Research by Mark Albright, research meteorologist in atmospheric sciences, is cited.

Summer starts cool and cloudy in Washington
Associated Press wire story/The Seattle Times, posted June 21, 2010
The unusually damp, dark weather this month is testing even the most die-hard Northwest native accustomed to rain and clouds. Nick Bond, research meteorologist with the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean and Washington state climatologist, is quoted.

The Value of Dead Bird Watching
Eric Wagner/Miller McCune, posted June 15, 2010
University of Washington researcher Julia Parrish founded COASST, a nonprofit that allows hundreds of citizens to serve science by cataloging dead birds on West Coast beaches.

Green School: New UW college focuses on the environment
Katie Schmidt/Seattle PI, posted June 15, 2010
The University of Washington's new College of the Environment is one-year-old and now has its first dean, who says the next big challenge will be to understand and improve the way that ecosystems, societies and economies interact.

Worst Laid Plans
The Rachel Maddow Show/MSNBC, posted on June 10, 2010
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow reports on the BP oil spil. Thomas Leschine, director of the School of Marine Affairs, is featured at approximately 7:30 as he testifies to Congress.
Read Tom Leschine's full testimony here

Thousands of 'ice quakes' detected on Mount Rainier
Glenn Farley/King 5 News, posted on June 9, 2010
You can see them on the seismometers at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington. Scientists call them "ice quakes" along with a few other names. Steve Malone, a UW professor emeritus, is quoted.

Cousteau: How U.S. responds to spill reflects the soul of this country
Andrew Seidman/ McClatchy Newspapers, posted on June 9, 2010
Nearly 18 months ago, Philippe Cousteau, the grandson of the ecologist Jacques Cousteau and himself a renowned student of the seas, warned a congressional committee that the U.S. wasn't prepared to respond to potentially devastating oil spills. Thomas Leschine, director of the School of Marine Affairs, is quoted.

NOAA boosts UW funding for ocean-science research
Craig Welch/The Seattle Times, posted on June 9, 2010
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected the University of Washington as a key partner for expanded, in-depth study of some of the most pressing environmental challenges involving the oceans and the atmosphere. The Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, part of the UW’s new College of the Environment, potentially will receive $100 million, as much as $20 million per year for five years, with an option to extend the partnership for another five years. Read the full press release here.

Additional press:
Puget Sound Business Journal
KPLU
Seattle PI - note: This Associated Press story ran in multiple media outlets

On Shaky Ground: Built to Last?
Deborah Wang/KUOW News, posted on June 9, 2010
The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile showed the difference that modern building codes can make. Charles Roeder, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Bill Steele, seismology lab coordinator, are interviewed.

On Shaky Ground: Unearthing The Faults
Deborah Wang/KUOW News, posted on June 8, 2010
For decades, scientists thought deep, moderate earthquakes were the only seismic threat facing the region. But now they know otherwise. Geologist Brian Atwater, UW affiliate professor of Earth and space sciences, is at the center of the geologic detective story.

Friday Harbor Laboratories Maintenance & Operations Crew: Distinguished Staff Award
Sandra Hines/UW News and Information, posted on June 7, 2010
The maintenance and operations crew of Friday Harbor Labs, which includes Fred Ellis, Rick McCarthy, George Illif, Tommy Pieples, Jeff Seitz and Tom Campbell have received one of this year’s distinguished staff awards. Friday Harbor Labs consists of more than 70 buildings as well as teaching labs, research labs, a motor pool, housing and dining facilities, extensive marine infrastructure and 11 boats.

Terrie Klinger: Outstanding Public Service Award
Sandra Hines/UW News and Information, posted on June 7, 2010
Terrie Klinger, Associate Professor in the School of Marine Affairs, is being recognized with the Outstanding Public Service Award for helping craft strategies to address pressing issues concerning waters off Washington’s coast, in Puget Sound and around San Juan, Orcas and the other islands in San Juan County.

Challenges of environmental governance is topic of talk by Miles
UWeek, posted on June 3, 2010
Ed Miles, a UW expert on climate change and planning for its consequences, will ask the question Whither Ocean Governance? Is Effective Management the Holy Grail? in a special lecture Friday, June 4. Miles is former director and current professor in the School of Marine Affairs and founder and co-director of the UW-based Climate Impacts Group. He's retiring from teaching after 36 years at the UW.

H. psychadelica makes top-10 new-species list
UWeek, posted on June 3, 2010
The International Institute for Species Exploration just announced its annual list and included the frogfish Histiophryne psychedelica, which was described in scientific literature for the first time last year by Ted Pietsch, UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.

Spreading the Risk: Population diversity and the portfolio effect in an exploited species
Schindler et al/Nature, posted June 3, 2010
College of the Environment faculty Daniel Schindler and Ray Hilborn author this cover story for Nature.

See video on the study here.
Articles on this study appeared in many publications, including the Seattle Times.

UW researchers look for greener way to grow grass
Lynda V. Mapes/The Seattle Times, posted on June 2, 2010
A look below the surface with a University of Washington soil scientist explains why the type of soils found all over Seattle and beyond are actually as tough as the glaciers that created them.

Scientists have worked at deeper sites than Gulf oil spill
Glenn Farley/King 5 News, posted on June 2, 2010
Since the 1990s, University of Washington scientists have been studying life thousands of feet below the surface off the Northwest coast - life that lives in a sunless world nourished by chemically rich, smoky-looking water that pours from volcanic vents.

High-Tech Radar System Coming To Coast 1 Year Early
KiroTV.com, posted on June 2, 2010
A new radar system that will eliminate a regional weather blind spot and give forecasters better information about storms approaching from the Pacific will be in place in September of next year. Professor Clint Mass was an earlier advocate for the system.

After cold, wet May, expect damp June
Mike Archbold/The Olympian, posted on June 2, 2010
May was cool and wet – but that’s the nature of late spring in the Pacific Northwest, says Professor Cliff Mass.

That crow attacking you isn't crazy — it's an anxious parent
Sonia Krishnan/Seattle Times, posted on May 31, 2010
Urban dwellers: Watch where you step from late May to mid-June. This is fledge season, when crows help their babies learn to fly. They are in uber-protective mode and will strike if they see you as a threat. The article draws on the research of Professor John Marzluff.

UW names Lisa Graumlich first dean of College of the Environment
Sandra Hines/UWeek, posted on May 27, 2010
A scientist known internationally for research on climate and ecosystems -- and who has a track record of getting wide-ranging groups of experts to focus on environmental issues -- has been named the inaugural dean of the UW's College of the Environment, now in its first academic year.

Longtime UW climate researcher is new Washington state climatologist
Vince Stricherz/UWeek, posted on May 27, 2010
Nick Bond has been doing climate research at the UW since 1990, but he wants to learn even more about climate and its history in Washington state. He will have that opportunity as the new state climatologist.

Ultraviolet radiation not culprit killing amphibians, research shows
Sandra Hines/UWeek, posted on May 27, 2010
Declines in amphibian populations around the globe remain a real concern, but the cause is not increasing UV radiation, according to Wendy Palen, a Simon Fraser University ecologist who conducted research while earning her doctorate from the UW, and Daniel Schindler, UW professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.

UW, tribal partnership to develop Pacific Northwest bioenergy
Hannah Hickey/UWeek, posted on May 27, 2010
For the past two and a half years researchers at the UW have been working with local Native American tribes to produce the bioenergy suited for the Pacific Northwest. Faculty and students in forest resources are involved in this exciting project.

College of the Environment dean announced
Laurel Christensen/The Daily, posted on May 27, 2010
A year after its creation, the UW College of the Environment will have a permanent dean July 1. Lisa Graumlich, the first-choice candidate, accepted the position publicly on Monday with a statement expressing her excitement to work with the University to generate knowledge and help discover solutions to environmental challenges.

Environment college at UW names dean
Nick Perry/The Seattle Times, posted on May 24, 2010
The Times interviews Graumlich, discussing her appointment and her work on climate change research and discourse internationally.

Arizona scientist named first dean of UW Environment College
Scott Sunde/Seattle PI, posted on May 24, 2010
Lisa Graumlich, known for her research on climate and ecosystems, has been named the first dean of the University of Washington's College of the Environment.

UW names Lisa Graumlich first dean of College of the Environment
Sandra Hines and Michelle Ackermann/UW News, posted on May 24, 2010
A scientist known internationally for research on climate and ecosystems -- and who has a track record of getting wide-ranging groups of experts to focus on environmental issues -- has been named the inaugural dean of the University of Washington's College of the Environment, now in its first academic year.

University of Washington environmental school names first dean
Puget Sound Business Journal, posted on May 24, 2010
The University of Washington’s College of the Environment has named its first dean. Lisa Graumlich from the University of Arizona will become dean of the new school on July 1.

Researchers like our ringside seat for oceanography
Rachel Thomson/The Daily World, posted May 21, 2010
Imagine sitting at home watching high definition video of vapors coming from undersea volcanoes in the dark depths of the ocean — all from your iPhone or other wireless device. According to University of Washington oceanography professor Dr. John Delaney, being able to stream video and other data from the ocean floor could be a reality within a few years.

Mount St. Helens Still Recovering, 30 Years Later
Andrea Thompson/Fox News, posted on May 18, 2010
Among the reasons the ecology rebounded at Mount St. Helens are some surprising factors, including the early morning timing of the eruption, the fact that spring had been late to arrive that year, and the amazing ability of insects to parachute in once a recovery was underway. The article quotes SFR Director and Professor Tom Hinckley.

The next big eruption: Will we have warning?
Sandi Doughton/The Seattle Times, posted on May 17, 2010
On the 30th anniversary of St. Helens' epic May 18 blast, the Pacific Northwest is wired with more than 350 seismic sensors that make their predecessors look as primitive as Pac-Men. Professor Steve Malone is featured in this article.

Why was St. Helens so destructive?
Karen Rowan/MSNBC, posted on May 17, 2010
A number of forces, including the amount of gas in the magma, the rock structure inside the volcano, and the asymmetrical way that magma rose to the surface contributed to the massive devastation of the explosion. Professor Steve Malone is quoted.

Eruption shaped modern ecological, forestry practices
Leila Summers/The Daily News, posted on May 17, 2010
The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens destroyed 230-square miles of forest, but it taught scientists lessons about how to heal forests walloped by natural and man-made disasters. Professor Jerry Franklin is quoted.

Mount St. Helens: 30 years after the massive eruptions
The Oregonian, posted on May 16, 2010
UW Professor Steve Malone led the seismic monitoring as scientists were caught by surprise 30 years ago at Mount St. Helens.

Bioblitz takes Seattle's first snapshot of resident plant and animal life
Monica Guzman/Seattle PI, Posted May 10, 2010
A team of scientists will take Seattle's first snapshot of resident plant and animal life when they conduct what's called a "bioblitz" of Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum.

Biomass energy business may be powering up
Don Jenkins/The Daily News, Posted May 8, 2010
In the scramble to gain a foothold in Washington's emerging bioenergy industry, competitors include corporate giants and entrepreneurs with big plans but without deep pockets.

David Battisti to deliver the 2010 Henry Kendall Memorial Lecture at MIT
The MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Climate Change, Posted May 7, 2010
David Battisti is the Tamaki Endowed Chair and Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington. His research is focused on understanding the natural variability of the climate system.

Scrutinize arboretum's plants, critters, crawlies as part of city's first 'bioblitz'
Sandra Hines/University of Washington News, Posted May 6, 2010
Seattle's first-ever "bioblitz" gets underway this month and naturalists, kayakers and other volunteers are needed to look for as many birds, plants, lichens, spiders, mollusks, frogs, fish and other species as possible in the Washington Park Arboretum during a single 24-hour period.

Climate Change: Long Term Vs. Short Term
Steve Scher/KUOW, aired on April 22, 2010
A recent nationwide survey found that 27 percent of TV weather forecasters think global warming is a scam. Why is there so much disagreement between the people who tell us the weekend's weather and the climatologists who study long–term change in the weather of the world? Are the short–term models really that different from the long–term models?

Iceland volcano calming down
Thomas H. Maugh II/LA Times, posted April 21, 2010
Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano is still emitting ash, but less of it, and less explosively, volcanologists say.

Colleges Go Green, Each In Their Own Way, for Earth Day
Zach Miners/US News and World Report, posted April 15, 2010
Earth Day, held each April 22 to inspire awareness of and action for the Earth's environment, is on the horizon, and colleges are well aware. Whether the goal is reducing a campus's carbon emissions, getting students to think critically about their environmental impact, or simply doing a better job with reclycing, colleges and universities across the country are celebrating the day through panel discussions, presentations, and academic lessons. But some schools are also getting creative.

Dams, dikes and dredging: Can we 'fix' our rivers?
Bob Freitag and David R. Montgomery/The Seattle Times, posted April 9, 2010
The Northwest landscape has changed dramatically as humans modified rivers to control floods for more development — Green River flooding concerns show the challenge. Guest writers Bob Freitag and David R. Montgomery suggest a different way to think about dams, dikes and dredging.

Arboretum launches next phase of Pacific Connections Garden project
Sandra Hines/Chemistry & Engineering News, posted on April 8, 2010
The new "Gateway to Chile"garden in the Washington Park Arboretum will feature plants and 72 trees from parts of Chile where the climate is temperate like Seattle's.

UW scientists discover mud flats produce fresh water
Gary Chittim/King 5 News, posted April 5, 2010
Researchers spent a windy week at Washington State's Willapa Bay before being blown away by an accidental discovery.

Beyond climate change: Reframing the dialogue over environmental issues
John M. Wallace/The Seattle Times, posted March 26, 2010
Climate change is a serious concern, but society's focus on it undermines critical efforts to address environmental degradation and sustainability in the broad sense. Climate scientist John M. Wallace urges the dialogue over environmental issues to be reframed to better address all environmental issues.

UW scientist thinks global warming will be worse
Associate Press/Seattle Times, posted March 23, 2010
University of Washington scientist Peter Ward believes global warming from civilization's release of carbon dioxide will be faster and cause more worldwide flooding than some others expect.

New Light Shed on North Pole Ice Trends
Andrew C. Revkin/nytimes.com, posted March 22, 2010
As the sun rises for the long North Pole summer, new research points to a big role for winds in shaping ice patterns there.

Chemistry Over Colorado
Jyllian N. Kemsley/Chemistry & Engineering News, posted on March 15, 2010
Atmospheric chlorine chemistry thought to happen only in the air above seawater also occurs far inland, report researchers from the University of Washington and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

The smell of salt air, a mile high and 900 miles inland
Vince Stricherz/UWeek, posted March 10, 2010
Researchers have found that this chemistry thought to be restricted to sea spray occurs at similar rates in air above Boulder, Colo., nearly 900 miles away from any ocean. What's more, local air quality measurements taken in a number of national parks across the United States imply similar conditions in or near other non-coastal metropolitan areas.

Cougar reports unnerve some in Snohomish County
Gale Fiege/HeraldNet, posted March 6, 2010
UW wildlife biologist Brian Kertson explains why cougar sightings in Snohomish County are on the rise, and what to do if you encounter one.

Real-time weather system will help Seattle forecast rain
Sandi Doughton/Seattle Times, posted March 6, 2010
When the wet weather returns in fall, Seattle will be ready with a new system to measure and forecast rainfall with greater precision and accuracy than ever before.

Local social dynamics key to success of tropical marine conservation areas
Sandra Hines/UWeek, posted February 19, 2010
As biologists and ecologists propose ever-larger conservation areas in the tropics, ones that encompass multiple countries, social scientists say it's local people banding together with their community leaders who ultimately determine the success or failure of such efforts in many parts of the world.

UW home to network keeping eye on lightning
Vincent Stricherz/UWeek, posted February 18, 2010
Earth and Space Sciences Professor Robert Holzworth studies the interference between lightning, space physics, and electromagnetic properties.

New Web site showcases UW energy-related research
UWeek, posted February 18, 2010
Helping UW scientists compete more effectively for energy-related research projects is one goal of a Universitywide Web site just unveiled.

With UW help, K-12 students do first-ever work on plasticizers in area water
Sandra Hines/UWeek, posted February 18, 2010
Eight public school students, working with the UW-based SoundCitizen organization, have launched what is probably the nation's first effort to sample plasticizers in marine waters.

Scientists urge new approaches to agriculture in the face of climate change
Vince Stricherz/UWeek, posted February 11, 2010
An international panel of scientists writing in the Feb. 12 edition of the journal Science is urging world leaders to dramatically alter their notions about sustainable agriculture to prevent a major starvation catastrophe by the end of this century among the more than 3 billion people who live relatively close to the equator.

Everett's battle against sediment in the port
Debra Smith/Everett Herald, posted February 11, 2010
The Snohomish River’s natural flow forces the Port of Everett to fight a constant, expensive battle to stop sand from building up on the waterfront.

Columbia River salmon runs plentiful now, but don't count on the trend continuing
Matthew Preusch/The Oregonian, posted February 7, 2010
Record numbers of coho have returned to the Columbia River in recent years, and this year forecasters predict the same for spring chinook. But it's not time to pop the champagne corks and declare victory in the nation's most expensive wildlife restoration venture.

UW oceanographer studies Quartermaster Harbor's paralytic shellfish poisoning problem
Leslie Brown/Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, posted January 27, 2010
For the last three years, Cheryl Greengrove has taken to the waters of Quartermaster Harbor, usually with colleagues and students in tow, trying to determine why the long, narrow bay is home to the region’s largest population of Alexandrium catenella, the leading cause of shellfish toxicity on the West Coast.

UW expert to talk about warming
Seattle Times staff, posted January 27, 2010
Renowned University of Washington scientist Peter Ward will address the hyperbole and controversy that surround global warming at a free, public lecture Wednesday evening. Ward, an expert on ancient extinctions and author of 15 books, was picked to present the 34th Annual Faculty Lecture, "Who is afraid of the big bad climate? What is the worst that global warming could do?".

Study offers new models for dam operations
Jeff Barnard/Associated Press, posted January 24, 2010
As the climate gets warmer, the old rules for when to let water out of Columbia Basin dams and when to hold it back won't work. Researchers from the University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have developed computer models that simulate new operations schedules for flood control dams based on a climate change scenario.

Pacific's rising acid levels threatening marine life
Sandi Doughton /The Seattle Times, posted January 20, 2010
The most extensive survey of pH levels in the Pacific Ocean confirms what spot measurements have suggested: From Hawaii to Alaska, the upper reaches of the sea are becoming more acidic in concert with rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Asia is adding to smog in West, researchers say
Jeff Barnard/The Seattle Times, posted January 20, 2010
Ozone blowing over from Asia is raising background levels of a major ingredient of smog in the skies over Washington, Oregon and other Western states, according to a new study.

As climate warms, what will our rivers do?
Fiona Cohen/Seattle Pi, posted January 18, 2010
The Columbia Basin Climate Change Scenarios Project predicts a shift in the landscape so great that engineers and planners are going to have to fundamentally change their methods of predicting what rivers are likely to do.

As storms intensify, Washington coast to get full radar coverage
Les Blumenthal/posted January 13, 2010
A new state-of-the-art radar system on the Washington coast will make it easier for meteorologists to track heavy weather coming off the Pacific Ocean

Feeling That Cold Wind? Here’s Why.
Kenneth Chang/The New York Times, posted January 9, 2010
A mass of high pressure is sitting over Greenland, deflecting the cold air of the jet stream farther to the south than usual. Professor John M. Wallace (Atmospheric Sciences) is quoted.

Tidal tremors may predict giant quakes
Michael Reilly/MSNBC, posted January 5, 2010
Earth's tides may help predict some of the most violent earthquakes on the planet.

C.I.A. Is Sharing Data With Climate Scientists
New York Times, posted January 4, 2010
The nation’s top scientists and spies are collaborating on an effort to use the federal government’s intelligence assets — including spy satellites and other classified sensors — to assess the hidden complexities of environmental change.

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