Most things that humans build need a little maintenance every now and again. That’s no different for the Regional Cabled Array, a high-tech engineering marvel off the Pacific Northwest coast studded with all kinds of oceanographic equipment that gives humans a real-time, 24/7 look at what’s happening under the sea surface. The lengths that scientists and engineers go to keep the array working and up to snuff is extraordinary, and they are currently at sea providing its annual check-up.
Changing climate has far-reaching impacts, and is testing parts of society’s ability to continue doing business-as-usual. Among these are water utilities, the entities responsible for delivering clean, fresh water to our nation’s households and managing wastewater and stormwater. Climate change affects not only rainfall and annual precipitation patterns—which has implications on the availability of freshwater—but can also stress the infrastructure and systems used to treat, deliver and manage water resources.
The predictable, daily routines of humanity have all but stopped with the arrival of COVID-19. For most of us, we no longer head to the office each morning or have friends and family over for dinner in our homes. Our day-to-day activities now look entirely different than they did six weeks ago.
But does this abrupt change only apply to us bi-pedaled mammals?
Quarantine and social distancing are teaching us creative ways to interact with each other and the world at large. One way to stay connected with the natural world (and take a much needed break from screens) is to head to your window to watch the goings on of your neighborhood and visiting birds.
There are a surprisingly large number of bird species that can be observed right from your living room, depending on the vegetation in your backyard, alley or street.
Increasing the science communication skills of faculty, staff and students is a priority at the College of the Environment — that is, equipping our scientists to talk about their work with a variety of non-academic audiences.
In recent years, we’ve worked to build out our science communication capacity by giving faculty and researchers more opportunities to hone their skills through one-on-one coaching, interview preparation, half-day workshops and more.
In a plane flying over Alaska’s stunning Prince William Sound, the pilot and crew keep their eyes peeled for schooling groups of herring. The fish are easy to spot from above as they congregate here and there along the shoreline. Each cluster behaves in its own unique way, allowing scientists to tell one group from another.
Amy Brodbeck, a graduate student in the UW College of the Environment’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, is among those searching for the fishy cohorts.
Ahead of major climate talks at COP21 this year in Paris, scientists are offering insights to the far-reaching effects of rising carbon dioxide levels on the ocean. Spearheaded by the Oceans 2015 Initiative, which brought together 22 scientists and policy experts from nine different countries, the results were published this week in the journal Science and focus on how warming waters, rising seas, and ocean acidification drive changes to the global ocean.
Scientists have long known that when it comes to the environment and ecosystems, everything is connected. Accounting for those interactions and complexities in nature is a difficult task, yet one that is becoming increasingly important as scientists and managers strive to understand the nitty-gritty of how our world works. The more we understand, the better we can manage and sustain thriving ecosystems and the natural resources that flow from them.
It’s a picture-perfect day on the shores of San Juan Island’s Griffin Bay. The sun is blazing, the tide is out, and Debbie Taylor’s sixth grade class is on the prowl, keeping their eyes peeled for mud- and sand-loving ocean critters. Bedecked in rain boots and sneakers caked in wet sand, the students poke and prod in burrows and under seagrasses in search of marine invertebrates.
Amy Snover, director of the Climate Impacts Group at the College of the Environment, has been named a White House Champion of Change. The Champions of Change program celebrates Americans who are doing extraordinary things in their community, and for Snover it focuses on her work to enhance climate education and literacy in classrooms and communities across the country. She traveled to the White House for a ceremony on February 9th, and wrote a blog post for the honor titled Building Climate Resilience through Action Today.
Seawater and electronics don’t typically make a good mix. But those were the two key ingredients for a University of Washington undergraduate course that had students build their own Internet-connected oceanographic sensors. The students were getting their feet wet, literally, in a new type of oceanography that uses remote instruments to collect real-time data. During the final class May 31, seven instruments were lowered off the UW’s oceanography dock, immersed in saltwater for the first time, and successfully sent their readings back to laptops on shore.
Climate Action Goes To Washington: Energy Solutions in the Pacific Northwest featured Washington Governor Jay Inslee, College of the Environment Dean Lisa Graumlich, Grist senior writer David Roberts, and Paul Shukovsky, the Pacific Northwest correspondent for Bloomberg BNA. Moderated by journalist Chris Mooney, the panel discussion centered on climate change and what is being done to address it in Washington State and along the west coast.
Spotlight is an ongoing series that will introduce you to the many members that make up the College community.
Flipping through the channels on TV, Bob Burns, retired oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, came across a show detailing the marvels of ocean gliders that traverse the world’s oceans. Resembling a slender yellow rocket with fixed wings, this particular automaton travels from New Jersey to Spain through watery space and time, beaming scads of oceanographic information to waiting computers and scientists back on shore.
On April 30, COMPASS published a commentary in PLOS Biology on the journey from science outreach to meaningful engagement. This post is part of a series of reactions, reflections, and personal experiences we hope will expand the conversation. Read the summary post here, or track the conversation by searching for #reachingoutsci
Why I went to law school: Confessions of a scientist
What does it mean to get outside of the ivory tower of science and into the “real” world?
Each week we share the latest peer-reviewed publications coming from the College of the Environment. Over the past week, fifteen new articles co-authored by members of the College of the Environment were added to the Web of Science database, including three open-access studies on seagrass, wood smoke during winter in London, and the surface area of bird bones. Check them out!