A complex decision-making matrix: “The dilemma is this: if conservation objectives for killer whale population recovery are actually achieved, the resulting increase in predation pressure on Chinook [salmon] stocks will compromise the ability to meet recovery objectives for Chinook salmon,” University of Washington scientist Rob Williams and co-authors write in the journal PLoS One. “In light of competing objectives, a precautionary management strategy would reduce fisheries quotas temporarily while implementing actions that encourage greater production of Chinook salmon.” 

The largest items swept out to sea following the Japanese tsunami in March could arrive on the B.C. coastline within days, oceanographer Curt Ebbesmeyer predicted last Wednesday.  Ebbesmeyer is an oceanographer who went to UW, and is known for his focus on tracking flotsam across oceans. 

A recently released report, Managing Forests Because Carbon Matters: Integrating Energy, Products, and Land Management Policy, summarizes and analyzes the most recent science regarding forests and carbon accounting, biomass use, and forest carbon offsets. A team of researchers from the U.S. Forest Service, several universities, and natural resource and environmental organizations coauthored the report, which appears as a supplement to the October/November 2011 issue of the Society of American Forester’s Journal of Forestry.  

Scientists and industry alike are using remotely-operated, sea-going drones to analyze the ocean for everything from oil spill impacts to ocean acidification.  Learn more about this exciting work here.  The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory is mentioned. 

Right now, the cooking oil jet fuel costs $17 a gallon. But the price is expected to come down — a lot. Could biofuel get cheaper than regular jet fuel? The recent grant to the UW for biofuels research is noted.