May 17, 2024

UW atmospheric scientist participating in field campaign to improve Western snowfall, drought forecasts

University of Washington atmospheric scientist Lynn McMurdie has led campaigns to measure rain and snowfall in places ranging from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula to Argentina to the Eastern U.S. Now she’s among the leaders of a field campaign in Colorado to better understand and forecast snowfall in the mountains of the Western U.S. A scientific expedition this coming winter in Colorado’s Yampa Valley will improve forecasts of snowfall and estimates of how climate change will impact snowpack and water availability in mountainous regions of the West.

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May 15, 2024

UW-led project to study ozone, atmospheric layers a finalist for next-generation NASA satellite

a photo showing layers of colors of the earth's atmosphere

A project led by the University of Washington to better understand our atmosphere’s complexity is a finalist for NASA’s next generation of Earth-observing satellites. The space agency this week announced the projects that will each receive $5 million to advance to the next stage and conduct a one-year concept study. STRIVE seeks to better understand the troposphere that we inhabit and the stratosphere above it, where the ozone layer is, as well as the interface where these two layers meet.

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Apr 17, 2024

Climate

Ice age climate analysis reduces worst-case warming expected from rising CO2

wolly mammoth animals walk along the earth.

New research led by the University of Washington analyzes the most recent ice age, when a large swath of North America was covered in ice, to better understand the relationship between CO2 and global temperature. It finds that while most future warming estimates remain unchanged, the absolute worst-case scenario is unlikely.

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Apr 10, 2024

New report ‘braids’ Indigenous and Western knowledge for forest adaptation strategies against climate change

two images of the same forest showing patterns

A report co-led by the University of Washington outlines a new approach to forest stewardship that “braids together” Indigenous knowledge and Western science to conserve and restore more resilient forestlands.

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Apr 2, 2024

Climate

Marine Cloud Brightening Program studies clouds, aerosols and pathways to reduce climate risks

Clouds play a particularly powerful role in the climate system since they can change rapidly and have a strong effect on Earth’s reflectivity. That’s why researchers are working to better understand clouds, and how both inadvertent and possibly intentional changes to atmospheric particles affect clouds.